Fairways & Greens
by Terry Moore

Grand Traverse Resort is touting the introduction of the CompuSport Golf School at the Acme-based resort this season. A high-tech computerized video-based teaching system that overlays an individual's swing with over 70 Tour players' swings, CompuSport was developed by Dr. Ralph Mann, a leading figure in the field of Sports Biomechanics. Under the aegis of GTR's Director of Golf Ken Hornyak, The CompuSport Golf School will be offered in three-day packages, on weekends and midweek stints, at GTR from May 23 to June 27. Call 800-748-0303 . . . Denny Spencer has joined the firm of Jerry Matthews Natural Course Design, Michigan's well-regarded golf course architecture company. Spencer, a golf professional who's qualified for three Senior Opens, will work with Matthews and help market "the Matthews reputation to the rest of the country." Jerry Matthews Natural Course Design has designed nearly 100 new courses in Michigan while renovating over 150 more . . . Here's a first: a clubhouse being donated to a school district. Winding Brook GC (formerly Valley View GC) in Shepard has made a charitable donation of its clubhouse to the Gratiot-Isabella Regional Education Service District. The first floor will mainly occupy the golf operations while the second floor will house the Education and Conference Center that's set to open next August. Winding Brook GC is being developed and renovated by the design firm of Conroy-Dewling Associates of Milford . . . Meanwhile the design firm of Don Childs has finished a 9-hole golf course at Fire Creek GC in Bedford Township, just north of Toledo . . . Fuzzy Zoeller will play in the Tee-Off Against MS at Egypt Valley CC on May 12. A father of a volunteer for the 12 year old event was able to persuade the popular Fuzzy to play in the event. Seems as though the father and Fuzz are regular bone-fishing pals. Got 'em hook, line and sinker . . . Latest data says that more than 1,500 courses have switched to alternative, non-metal spikes. The Michigan Section of the PGA voted 284-2 to ban metal spikes in its sponsored events in '97. Another sign of the times, The Golf Club of Thornapple Pointe, a new upscale public facility near Grand Rapids, will open its doors to play this spring and be fully spikeless. As detailed in the February issue of Golf Course News, the private Wynstone GC near Chicago was the first club to go spikeless in '94 . . . Speaking of spikes, that's the only minus when testing an ungainly-looking but highly practical pair of Oregon Mudders golf boots. Started by Oregonian Rod Boast who owned the Grizzly Boot Co., Oregon Mudders is aimed at diehard golfers who'll play in the foulest, coldest and wettest conditions. Well, that's Michigan's weather! Anyway, Boast said he designed the ankle-high, waterproof boot with nylon gaiters, because he found "that there was not a good waterproof shoe that worked for the winter months." The Oregon Mudder does offer good arch support and its industrial-strength in terms of construction. Give it a plastic cleat alternative and it may well catch on. Call 503-669-8310 . . . The Oddessey booth at the PGA Show was crowded while a putter company that really started the fuss years over the soft face was causing hardly a stir. That's a shame because STX putters now offer an impressive mallet line of putters that are the equal to the trendy Oddessey. STX holds a patent that allows it "to make the softest putter face insert in golf." STX uses elastomeric technology that compresses and cradles a golf ball three times as long as a regular metal-faced putter. So, what's the difference between an Oddessey and a STX? GM Jim Cobb of STX summed it in one word, "marketing." Call STX at 410-837-2022 . . . Crystal Mountain Resort was rated last month as one of the 175 "most women-friendly facilities" by Golf For Women Magazine. CMR was credited for "its programs and policies that welcome women to golf." Call CMR at 515-378-2000 . . . Steve Glossinger left Oakland Hills CC last month to take the superintendent's job at Caves Valley CC in MD, outside Baltimore. Reports say Glossinger, who received plaudits for his yeoman Open efforts, will report to just one Mr. Big as opposed to the usual Green Committee. Certainly he'll be over the 100 grand mark in salary. Opened in '91, Caves is a Fazio design that has already hosted a Mid-Am. Are they prepping for a major? Glossinger's predecessor reportedly resigned due to his reluctance to oversee the real estate property being sold there. . .