IPGA honors Twin Orchard’s Any Shuman
The Illinois PGA has announced its list of season award winners, with Andy Shuman heading the list.
The director of golf at Twin Orchard Country Club in Long Grove was named the section’s 57th professional of the year, and he’ll be honored with the others on Oct. 19 at Medinah Country Club.
Shuman, in his 24th year at Twin, became the head pro there in 1998. He was a three-time IPGA Assistants champion in the 1990s and twice captured The IPGA Players Championship, one of the section’s four major tourneys.
“It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers,” said Shuman. “There are so many great golf professionals in Illinois, so to win this award is something special.”
In addition to his playing record over the years, Shuman was the leading money raiser in a new event, the Birdies for Charity, which was held Tuesday at River Forest. Eighteen IPGA members played 72 holes in a golf marathon to raise money for Ronald McDonald Charities.
Matt Flaherty, of Butterfield in Oak Brook, was named the IPGA’s assistant of the year, while John Platt, of Green Garden in Frankfort, and Michael Wenzel of Sportsman’s in Northbrook were honored for their teaching and work with junior players.
Dick Carparelli, still teaching at Chicago’s Beverly Country Club at age 93, was named winner of the Bill Heald Career Achievement Award.
Other award winners were: Jim Seeley, KemperSports, Bill Strausbaugh Award; Hans Larson Westmoreland in Wilmette, Horton Smith Award; and Danny Mulhearn, Glen Oak in Glen Ellyn, and Mickey Finn, Stone Creek in Urbana, for their merchandising efforts.
Meet the new champFrank Hohenadel#146;s victory in last week#146;s 89th Illinois PGA Championship had to be a surprise. He had never played in the tournament before, but led wire-to-wire for a 4-stroke victory over Matt Slowinski, the IPGA Assistants champion who works at Glen Oak Country Club in Glen Ellyn.Hohenadel#146;s win ended the record run of eight straight titles by Illinois men#146;s golf coach Mike Small, who finished in a tie for third.Here#146;s more on Hohenadel, in his second year as an assistant at Midlothian Country Club after working five years at Wedgewood in Joliet: He#146;s 6-foot-6 and one of the few left-handed golfers in the IPGA ranks. Hohenadel took up golf as a freshman at Andrew High School and played at St. Francis College in Joliet before turning pro.His winning score of 6-under-par 207 for 54 holes was aided by a practice round with former Medinah assistant Jordan Schroeder, who now works at Barrington Hills. Overall scoring was surprisingly high at Medinah#146;s No. 1 course, considering that the lift, clean-and-place rule was used throughout the tourney, which was played in perfect golfing weather.Hohenadel played in only three IPGA stroke play events prior to his big win, but he plans to play in the next one Sept. 26 at Westmoreland in Wilmette and also will compete in the section#146;s fourth and final major tourney, the IPGA Players Championship at Eagle Ridge in Galena on Oct. 3-4.Schedule conflicts aheadThe PGA Tour#146;s BMW Championship, Chicago#146;s premier annual tournament, takes over Cog Hill#146;s Dubsdread course Monday, with the competitive rounds beginning on Sept. 15. It won#146;t be the only big event that week, however.McHenry Country Club will host the MotorWerks Illinois Senior Open next Monday and Tuesday, the Chicago District Mid-Amateur is next Tuesday at Balmoral Woods in Crete and a major collegiate event #8212; the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational #8212; will be staged at the south suburban private facility Sept. 16-18.The host Illini will be without their head coach in that one. Small will be in California competing for the U.S. team in the PGA Cup matches against top club pros from Europe.Did you know?Nick Becks has assumed head professional duties at The Glen Club in Glenview. He was an assistant there from 2006-09 before taking the head job at The Golf Club at Terra Lago in California. #133; Orchard Valley in Aurora will announce plans this week to add a 3,000-square-foot outdoor pavilion. With space for 150 guests, it#146;ll give the facility run by Billy Casper Golf the ability to host weddings and other community events as well as outings. #133; The Weekly Challenge Tour visits Olympia Fields#146; South course Wednesday. #133; Wynstone Golf Club, the private club in North Barrington, received a visit from Jack Nicklaus last week. He designed the course, which opened in 1989.Ÿ Len Ziehm golf column appears Wednesday#146;s in the Daily Herald. To contact, visit lenziehmongolf.com. 901901Andy Shuman, 2011 Illinois PGA Golf Professional of the Year