2013 Golf Shows Heat Up February

There may still be snow on the ground, but Windy City area golfers can scratch their winter golfing itch by attending one of the two major Chicagoland Golf Shows in February.

The 2nd Annual Tinley Park Golf Expo (www.TinleyParkGolfExpo.com) is February 8th - 10th at the Tinley Park Convention Center at the intersection of I-80 and Harlem Avenue, and the 30th Chicago Golf Show (www.ChicagoGolfShow.com) is two weeks later at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.  Both shows will feature demo areas to sample the latest equipment, the chance to get a few tips from teaching pros, local and national equipment distributors, and plenty of resorts and courses trying to entice you to their clubs. 

The Chicago Golf Show, the larger of the two events, will feature PGA Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins on the Main Stage from Noon to 2 pm on Saturday, followed by the always entertaining former White Sox outfielder Ron Kittle receiving golf lessons from Emil Esposito, the head pro at The Glen Club.  Included in the admission is a free (well, sort of free, you'll most likely have to pay for the cart) round at one of the courses operated by GolfVisions, which includes Oak Grove, Foxford Hills, Chalet Hills, Settler's Hill, Tanna Farms, Nettle Creek and Bittersweet, among others.

The Tinley Park Golf Expo includes among its sponsors the First Tee of Greater Chicago, a national organization that provides young people with character-building and life skills lessons using golf as the platform.  A $1 donation to participate in a long putt contest will benefit First Tee.

The show hours for the Tinley event are Friday Noon - 7 pm, Saturday 9 am - 6 pm, and Sunday 9 am - 4 pm, while the Rosemont event starts at 9:30 on the weeekend. Both shows have a discounted $5 admission on Friday and $10 on the weekend, with kids under 12 free when accompanied by an adult. Active Military can get in for free at the Tinley show with I.D. Parking is free in Tinley Park, while you'll be paying to park your car at the Rosemont show.  But both are a great way to treat your cabin fever and to get excited about the upcoming Windy City golf season.  I'll be wandering around both shows, look for the guy in the Windy City Public Golfers Guide hat and stop me and say "Hi", I love to talk about local golf!