Fourth year a charm for Tinley Park Golf Expo

    Writing from Tinley Park, Illinois
    Wednesday, February 4, 2015

    Ignore the snow on the ground. The first sign of golf is upon us. Spring is sure to follow.
    In 2012, the inaugural Tinley Park Golf Expo filled one side of the town’s convention center, and there were people lined up to get in when the doors opened. Not bad for openers.
    The Expo grew in 2013 and again last year.
    This year, the fourth edition of the Expo will fill everything but one of the center’s banquet rooms, with a record 117 exhibitors.
    “And next year we may use the north banquet hall,” co-owner Gregg Tengerstrom, the longtime head professional at nearby Silver Lake Country Club, reports. “That’s another 7,000 square feet.”
    That’s a good thing. For all those who say golf is a fading sport, what Tengerstrom and Joe Copeland have cooked up for the three-day run that commences at noon on Friday puts the lie to the assessment.
    There will be courses, tournaments – including this year’s U.S. Amateur, played at nearby Olympia Fields Country Club, with the Havemeyer Trophy on display – club manufacturers and sellers on the floor. Something for everybody is Tengerstrom’s goal.
    “We try and make sure we have activities,” said Tengerstrom, hoping for 10,000 attendees. “The difference in this show is the friendly atmosphere, the free parking, the free Wi-Fi.”
    Courses on hand include Balmoral Woods, Briar Ridge, Broken Arrow, Cog Hill, Foss Park, Gleneagles, Glenwoodie, Green Garden, Lincoln Oaks, Lincolnshire, Lost Marsh, Joliet Country Club, Mistwood, Old Oak, Ravisloe, Silver Lake and White Mountain, as well as a large number of out-of-town resorts. At the first Expo, Joliet was the only private club on hand. Now, Briar Ridge and Lincolnshire have joined, showing how hard it is for many private clubs to attract members today.
    Manufacturers include Mizuno, Ping, TaylorMade and Tour Edge.
    There are two places to swing clubs: the manufacturer’s area, where the above brands can be tried out, and the lesson area – Tengerstrom has that staffed with pros from the Swan Lake Resort and the area courses run by Billy Casper Golf. And for the kids, the First Tee of Greater Chicago has a skills challenge area and kids-only miniature golf course.
    Indeed, something for everybody.
    Admission is $5 on Friday (noon-9 p.m.) and $10 on Saturday (9 a.m.-7 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m.-4 p.m.).
    The Tinley Park Convention Center is at 183rd St. and Harlem Ave., just north of Interstate 80, in Tinley Park.
    – Tim Cronin