VGA Illinois

VGA Illinois This is the Illinois State Chapter of the Veteran Golfers Association, a national 501 3(c) non-profit organization dedicated to golf for vets and families

๐Ÿชต From Frontier Forts to Fast Greens: Taming Troyโ€™s Historic Hills! โ›ณ๏ธThe Course Won This Round! The rolling hills of Wo...
06/01/2026

๐Ÿชต From Frontier Forts to Fast Greens: Taming Troyโ€™s Historic Hills! โ›ณ๏ธ

The Course Won This Round! The rolling hills of Woods Fort proved to be a "formidable foe". Between the lightning fast greens and treacherous pin placements, the course ultimately came out on top this time! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ“ˆ

We'll Be Back: Despite getting beaten by the terrain, everyone left incredibly excited to take on the 18-hole championship course again. It has officially earned a permanent spot on the regular rotation! ๐Ÿ”„๐Ÿ”ฅ

๐Ÿ† GROSS DIVISION WINNERS ๐Ÿ†

โ€ข Veteran B Flight ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธJoey Trevino +12 Gross: 84

โ€ข Veteran C Flight ๐ŸŽฏ Christopher White +11 Gross: 83

โ€ข No Handicap Flight ๐Ÿ”ฅBob Clapsaddle +12 Gross: 84

๐Ÿ† NET DIVISION WINNERS ๐Ÿ†

โ€ข Veteran D Flight โšก๏ธSamuel Hamra -1 Net: 71 (Way to go red figure! ๐ŸŸฅ)

โ€ข Wounded Veteran D Flight ๐Ÿ™Œ Avery Austin +14 Net: 86

โ€ข Senior B Flight โญBryan Walker +14 Net: 86

โ€ข Senior C Flight ๐Ÿ’ช Jason Kamphorst +6 Net: 78

Drop a comment below to congratulate our winners! See you all at the next event! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ’จ

โšก๏ธ Lightning Fast Round & Historic Grounds in Bristol! โ›ณ๏ธWe just wrapped up our very first VGA event at a brand new spot...
06/01/2026

โšก๏ธ Lightning Fast Round & Historic Grounds in Bristol! โ›ณ๏ธ

We just wrapped up our very first VGA event at a brand new spot, and it was an absolute thriller! We had a lightning fast round to match some seriously lightning fast greens. The course was fantastic, and the staff absolutely knocked it out of the park!

A massive shoutout to Chris Young, who put a major exclamation point on his handicap by establishing his 3rd round with an impressive 77! ๐Ÿ†๐Ÿ”ฅ

๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ Gross Flight Division

โ€ข Veteran A Flight: Skyler Evans ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +10 | Gross: 82

โ€ข Veteran B Flight: Anthony Rodeghero ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +14 | Gross: 86

โ€ข Veteran C Flight: Jeff Loper ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +14 | Gross: 86

โ€ข No Handicap Flight: Chris Young ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +5 | Gross: 77 ๐Ÿ”ฅ Lowest gross score of the day!

๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ Net Flight Division

โ€ข Veteran D Flight: Nicholas Pope ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +1 | Net: 73

โ€ข Female Veteran D Flight: Sarah Leffel ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +21 | Net: 93

โ€ข Senior B Flight: William Goggins ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +8 | Net: 80

โ€ข Senior C Flight: Craig Schilling ๐Ÿฅ‡ | To Par: +4 | Net: 76

Awesome playing by everyone! Drop a comment below to congratulate! ๐Ÿ‘‡ Standard bragging rights are officially active until the next tee time. โ›ณ๏ธ

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธโ›ณ Making History at Woods Fort: A Tournament Fit for a President! ๐Ÿฆ…๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธWe are touching down in Troy, Missouri for an ...
05/31/2026

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธโ›ณ Making History at Woods Fort: A Tournament Fit for a President! ๐Ÿฆ…๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ

We are touching down in Troy, Missouri for an incredible day of competition, camaraderie, and milestones. The field is packed with a fantastic half-and-half mix of Missouri and Illinois members, and we are thrilled to welcome VGA Texas to the mix!

Live Leaderboard: https://tinyurl.com/WoodsVGA

๐ŸŽ–๏ธ Member Milestones & Welcomes

โ€ข VGA Salute to Avery Austin! Marks a massive milestone as Avery tees it up for his 50th VGA event! Thank you for your incredible dedication and support, Avery!

โ€ข Welcome Back, Patrick! Itโ€™s been 5 years since Patrick Westendorf last attended a VGA event. We are thrilled to have you back out with us on the leaderboard!

โ€ข Handicap Bound: Shoutout to Bob Clapsaddle and Patrick Westendorf, who will both officially secure their VGA handicaps upon completion of their rounds.

โ€ข VGA Road Warrior: A special nod to Michael Wright, fresh off competing with VGA Kansas just yesterday, heโ€™s locking in his 176th VGA event with us!

๐ŸŒ๏ธ The Course: Woods Fort Golf Club

Built on rolling hills in 1994 and fully rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2024, this classic Jerry Loomis layout offers a beautiful, high quality challenge.

โ€ข The Setup: Expect generous fairways but plenty of uneven lies and undulating greens.

โ€ข The Risk & Reward: Keep your eyes on the signature 17th hole (a 298-yard par 4). Will you lay up, or take on the 270 yard carry over the boulder fronted lake to try and drive the green?

Historical Fun Fact: The land we are playing on is steeped in American history. During the winter of 1813โ€“1814, Lieut. Zachary Taylor (who later became the 12th U.S. President) used the original Woods' Fort as his military headquarters!

๐ŸŒค๏ธ Weather Outlook (Sunday 05/31)
โ€ข Conditions: Cloudy with a high of 82ยฐF.
โ€ข Precipitation: 24% chance, a stray shower or thunderstorm is possible, so pack the rain gear just in case, but expect a mostly solid day for golf.
โ€ข Wind: Out of the SE at 5 to 10 mph.

โ›ณ๏ธ  BLACKBERRY OAKS: Handicap Hunts & Evaluation Drama! ๐Ÿ“ˆ๐ŸคซWe are out here in Bristol, Illinois today at the beautiful Bl...
05/31/2026

โ›ณ๏ธ BLACKBERRY OAKS: Handicap Hunts & Evaluation Drama! ๐Ÿ“ˆ๐Ÿคซ

We are out here in Bristol, Illinois today at the beautiful Blackberry Oaks Golf Course! The weather is absolutely perfect for golf, sun and clouds mixed, a high of 77ยฐF, and a steady ENE breeze at 10 to 20 mph to keep things interesting out on this 18-hole championship track. โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ’จ

Live Leaderboard: https://tinyurl.com/BlackberryVGA

We've got a fantastic lineup and a lot happening on and off the course today:

โ€ข Handicap Watch: Shoutout to Thomas Kelliher, Mike Surina, and Chris Young, who are grinding out there today and getting their VGA handicap posted right after the round! ๐Ÿ“Š

โ€ข Welcome Crew: A huge welcome to our friends from VGA Indiana for making the trip out to join the action! ๐Ÿค

โ€ข Evaluation Day: Our VGA State Director, Michael Corcoran, is in the field today playing and keeping a close eye on the operation. He's grading today's Tournament Director and VGA Assistant Director, Mike Schweizer, no pressure, Mike! ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ“‹

โ€ข Back-to-Back Action: Shoutout to Thomas Martinez and Craig Schilling for pulling double duty this weekend! They tee'd it up yesterday over at Buffalo Grove GC and are back for more today. ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ”ฅ

Good luck to everyone competing today as they wind through the woods and navigate the Blackberry Creek features. Play well, and let's post some low scores! ๐Ÿ†

๐Ÿ† Nail Biters & Near Misses at Spencer T! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ’ฅWe took on Spencer T, one of our absolute anchor courses in Southern Ill...
05/31/2026

๐Ÿ† Nail Biters & Near Misses at Spencer T! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ’ฅ

We took on Spencer T, one of our absolute anchor courses in Southern Illinois, and it did not disappoint! The course was in pristine shape, and the staff treated us even better.

It was a brutally tough test of golf out there today, resulting in some incredibly tight matches, including an insane 3 flights that went down to a scorecard playoff! ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ“Šโ›ณ๏ธ

๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ Individual Stroke Play - Gross Flights

Veteran A Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Matthew Messner | +12 Gross (84)

Veteran B Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Jonathon Parker | +6 Gross (78)
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅˆ Mark Keim | +6 Gross (78)

Veteran C Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Dan Helfers | +11 Gross (83)

No Handicap Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Justin Wolford | +11 Gross (83)
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅˆ Tony Altizer | +11 Gross (83)

๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธ Individual Stroke Play - Net Flights

Veteran D Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Michael Ricketts | +1 Net (73)
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅˆ Daniel Murphy | +1 Net (73)

Wounded Veteran D Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Avery Austin | E Net (72) ๐Ÿ”ฅ (Even par net!)

Senior B Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ Timothy Nelson | -5 Net (67) โšก (Incredible round!)

Senior C Flight
โ€ข ๐Ÿฅ‡ David Medina | +5 Net (77)

Huge shoutout to our sharpshooters who dialed it in for Closest to the Pin (CTP):

๐ŸŽฏ Dan Heflers x 2 (Double trouble!)

๐ŸŽฏ Matt Messner

๐ŸŽฏ Joel Collins

Buffalo Grove: Conquered. โœ…๐Ÿฆฌ Gross Flight Champions โ€ข Veteran B Flight: Anthony Rodeghero takes the crown with a stellar...
05/30/2026

Buffalo Grove: Conquered. โœ…๐Ÿฆฌ

Gross Flight Champions

โ€ข Veteran B Flight: Anthony Rodeghero takes the crown with a stellar gross score of 81! ๐Ÿ‘‘

โ€ข Veteran C Flight: Michael Corcoran fields an incredible round of 78 (+6) to secure 1st place! ๐Ÿฅ‡ (Shoutout to Karl Gompertz right on his heels with a 79!) ๐Ÿ”ฅ

โ€ข No Handicap Flight: John Ustich absolutely dominated, carding a beautiful 78 to lock down the division! ๐Ÿน

๐Ÿงฎ Net Flight Champions ๐Ÿงฎ

โ€ข Veteran D Flight: Thomas Martinez stays steady to finish at +2 for a winning net 74! ๐ŸŽ‰

โ€ข Senior B Flight: Anthony Clemens edges out a tight pack, carding a net 75 to take solo 1st! ๐Ÿฟ

โ€ข Senior C Flight: B_Kodjo Ben-Carew went absolutely UNCONSCIOUS out there, shooting a blazing 6-under par net 66! ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ“‰ Flight MVP right here!

โ€ข Family B Flight: Richard Anderson holds the line, shooting an even-par net 72 for the victory! ๐Ÿซก

Huge congratulations to all our flight winners and thanks to everyone who came out to compete! Drop a comment to congratulate the champs! ๐Ÿ‘‡โ›ณ๏ธ

โ›ณ๏ธFairways of a Legend: Spencer T. Olinโ€™s Historic connection to Arnieโ€™s Army โ›ณ๏ธVGA Illinois crew rolls into Spencer T. ...
05/30/2026

โ›ณ๏ธFairways of a Legend: Spencer T. Olinโ€™s Historic connection to Arnieโ€™s Army โ›ณ๏ธ

VGA Illinois crew rolls into Spencer T. Olin Golf Course in Alton, and weโ€™ve got a fantastic field of 37 members ready to tee it up!

Live Leaderboard: https://tinyurl.com/SpencerVGA

Letโ€™s give a massive, warm VGA welcome to Steven Thomas, playing in his very first VGA event! ๐Ÿ™Œ

We also have a few milestones and big milestones to celebrate on the course:
Tony Altizer, Charles Bennett, and Michael Wulf will all officially earn their VGA handicaps after turning in their cards tomorrow.

A huge VGA Salute goes out to Joey Trevino from VGA Nevada for hitting an incredible milestone of 100 VGA events! ๐ŸŽ–๏ธ

Another special VGA Salute goes to Lowell Crow for his valiant efforts representing Team Navy at the 2026 Armed Forces Cup this past week. Make sure to track him down and ask him all about his experience at Champions Retreat!

We are also thrilled to welcome some traveling players, with members from VGA Nevada, VGA Florida, and VGA Missouri joining our field.

โ˜€๏ธ Weather Outlook for Alton, IL:
Expect a high of 83ยฐF with light rain possible during the day (45% chance of precipitation) and an easterly wind around 9 mph. Perfect golfing weather to keep it in the short grass!

Good luck to everyone competing. Play well, honor the game, and let's have a great day out on the course! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ’ฅ

๐ŸฆฌWhere the Bison Roamed and the Birdies Fly! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธโ›ณWeโ€™ve got a fantastic lineup and some very special milestones today:L...
05/30/2026

๐ŸฆฌWhere the Bison Roamed and the Birdies Fly! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธโ›ณ

Weโ€™ve got a fantastic lineup and some very special milestones today:

Live Leaderboard: https://tinyurl.com/BuffaloVGA

๐Ÿ†• A massive VGA welcome to Manuel Anguiano, teeing it up at his very 1st VGA event! Let's show him some love. ๐Ÿค

๐Ÿ“Š Big day for Patrick Hayes, who will officially earn his VGA handicap post round today!

๐Ÿง€ From just across the border, we welcome our neighbors from VGA Wisconsin!

๐ŸŒค Weather Update:
Expect a beautiful, comfortable day on the course. The forecast for Buffalo Grove calls for cloudy skies with a high of 67ยฐF, and a steady breeze out of the east at 12 mph. Perfect conditions to hunt some flags! ๐Ÿšฉ

Dual Greens: Keep your eyes peeled on the 15th hole, it features two separate greens! You can test yourself on the challenging left green or play it a bit friendlier on the right green. โ›ณ๏ธโ›ณ๏ธ

Good luck to all our competitors! Play well, have fun, and letโ€™s post some low scores! ๐Ÿ†

๐ŸฆŠโ›ณ๏ธ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Memorial Day at Bonnie Brook ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธโ›ณ๏ธ๐ŸฆŠMemorial Day golf for our VGA members is always a reflective, grateful, and emot...
05/29/2026

๐ŸฆŠโ›ณ๏ธ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Memorial Day at Bonnie Brook ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธโ›ณ๏ธ๐ŸฆŠ

Memorial Day golf for our VGA members is always a reflective, grateful, and emotional walk. We are here for each other, when and where you need us. Whether we walked in our own silent reflection today or shared stories to remember, remind, and renew our own spirit, the camaraderie out on the course is what truly matters.

As we said when we previewed this new addition to our VGA Illinois schedule, Bonnie Brook will challenge you to hold back on some pins and just be a fun walk!

๐Ÿ† Congratulations to our Bonnie Brook Flight Champions! ๐Ÿ†

Gross Flight Division

๐Ÿฅ‡ Veteran B Flight: Joshua Bartlett (+11 Gross / 83) โšก๏ธ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ
๐Ÿฅ‡ Veteran C Flight: Michael Corcoran (+21 Gross / 93) Clutched it up! โœŠ๐Ÿ†
๐Ÿฅ‡ No Handicap Flight: Kyle Spencer (+18 Gross / 90) ๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿฆพ

Net Flight Division

๐Ÿฅ‡ Veteran D Flight: Thomas Martinez (-3 Net / 69) ๐ŸŽฏ๐Ÿ’ฅ
๐Ÿฅ‡ Wounded Veteran C Flight: Mike Mason (+7 Net / 79) ๐Ÿ”ฅโ›ณ๏ธ
๐Ÿฅ‡ Female Veteran D Flight: Toya Crain (+5 Net / 77) ๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ‘‘๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธ
๐Ÿฅ‡ Family C Flight: Sergio Beltran (-4 Net / 68) ๐Ÿš€๐ŸŒŸ (Low Net of the Day!)
๐Ÿฅ‡ Senior B Flight: Todd Jones (-1 Net / 71) ๐ŸŽฏ๐Ÿ™Œ
๐Ÿฅ‡ Senior C Flight: John Stallings (+1 Net / 73) ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿฆ…

Course Takeaways:

The Challenge: The layout definitely forced some strategic thinking, including a few forced layups on specific holes that required players to discipline their club selection.

The Condition & Value: The course was in fantastic, great condition, it offered incredible value for our field.

Thank you to everyone who came out to honor the day, support one another, and take on this new addition to the schedule.

Cross those fairways, remember the fallen, and weโ€™ll see you at the next one! ๐ŸŒ๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿฆ…

05/29/2026

Remember options #2, #3, & #4

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Winfield, IL

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