GUARDIAN PRESENTS: FINEST FAIRWAYS
by Janis Stein

For information about top-notch golf clubs, please visit page 15 where we will highlight the best of the best. This month, the Guardian introduces you to Verona Hills Golf Club. Bay Mills Resort & Casino, Ubly Heights Country Club, Woodland Hills, Lakeview Hills Golf Resort and Apple Mountain are also among our Guardian picks.

The history of golf is rich and colorful with the origin of the sport dating back to 1452. It is said King James II of Scotland banned the playing of the game because it was interfering with his subjects' archery practice!

Eventually golf made its way to the New World, and when it did, it surely must have taken the colonies by storm. In 1743, the first documented record indicated golf equipment was shipped from Scotland to the American Colonies. And America has never been the same!

Golfing invigorates the mind and exercises the body. Isn't it time you did something for you? Be sure to visit these establishments this year and every year, and don't forget to let them know you read about them in the Guardian! Happy Golfing!

To learn more about golf's timeline in history and the changes in golfing equipment, visit www.golf.about.com.

VERONA HILLS

Can't wait to get back on the fairway after a long winter? Visit Verona Hills Golf Club and experience golf at its best. Nestled on gently rolling, tree-lined fairways just six miles east of Bad Axe on M-142 in Huron County, Verona Hills Golf Club promises an exciting round of golf, with some challenging holes along the way.

Established in 1924, Verona Hills Golf Club is an 18-hole championship golf course, rich in tradition. According to its Web site (www.veronahillsgolf.com), a group of area businessmen with an interest in golf decided to purchase the original 80 acres for $5,000, selling shares of stock at $100 per share. That same year, Hall of Famer Walter Hagen played an exhibition match at Verona Hills, and he no doubt realized what its founders already knew - Verona Hills is an elite golf course.

Verona Hills PGA professional Terry Ernst has been on staff since 1986 and is proud to offer a one-of-a-kind golfing experience. "Verona Hills is probably the best piece of land in the Thumb-area for a golf course. The property the club is built on is what makes Verona Hills special…with its rolling 'hog back' hills. So much of the surrounding area is flat, but our unique location offers golfers a real challenge because you're hitting a lot of shots from uphill, downhill and sidehill lies."

And golfers rise to the challenge. Ernst added, "The course averages 20,000 regular rounds during the peak months between the first of April and the end of October, and also hosts a variety of tournaments and invitationals."

Along with Ernst, Clubhouse Director Cheryl Wruble and Greens Superintendent David Sloncz are two more dedicated employees available to make your golfing experience at Verona Hills top-notch.

Considered semi-private, Verona Hills is open to the public Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and after 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Of the club's membership, Ernst stated, "Verona Hills has a relatively young membership; members are very involved with the course and put a lot back into it."

Members hale from all over Michigan, and golfers have found traveling to Verona Hills is well worth the drive.

"Verona Hills Golf Club is open to new members, and we're open to the public. We have a lot to offer here," stated Ernst. "We have a full clubhouse facility, a bar, locker room and showers - everything you need. We also host wedding receptions, banquets and special golf outings.

The Thumb area is attractive to people. Because we're relatively close to metro-Detroit, Flint, Saginaw and Bay City, golfers can visit Verona Hills on a Saturday or Sunday, spend time on the course and still have time to drive back that night. We're a golf course that keeps people moving. We offer an enjoyable four-hour round, and golfers who visit us once, tend to come back again and again."

Whether you are an avid golfer or have just developed the desire to learn to play, Ernst offers golfing lessons to members and non-members alike, and is also involved with a junior program for younger enthusiasts. The golf shop, available to all, is fully stocked with equipment and clothing to meet any golfer's needs.

Ernst welcomes everyone to visit Verona Hills Golf Club.

"We'll be happy to have you, and we'll make sure you have a good time."

For more information, contact Verona Hills at 989-269-8132, visit veronahillsgolf.com or take the drive to Verona Hills Golf Club and see why they are golfing at its best.