Golf notes: Sully, Bogey announce four-day virtual golf show in March

Mike Sullivan and Kyle Bogenschutz are turning a bogey into a birdie.

The former 97.1 The Ticket on-air personalities, who now run the growing Metro Detroit Golfers online community, announced they will create and host a four-day virtual golf show. The MDG Virtual Golf Show will be March 11-14, and free for golfers.

The news comes one month after the Michigan Golf Show announced it was canceling its in-person event at the Suburban Collection Showcase in Novi amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the cancellation of the West Michigan Golf Show.

"We just saw it as a really big opportunity, with how virtual everything has been, and people still really want to gear up for the season," Sullivan said Monday.

"They always love going to these golf shows and all the deals."

During the four days of the virtual golf show, golfers can head to the website (the exact link is coming in the coming days), and check out deals from vendors, from golf courses to golf equipment sellers to simulators, in a "virtual booth." The booths will feature the companies' information, deals and promotions.

The event is free for the golfers, while Sullivan and Bogenschutz are asking vendors for a $250 donation. All proceeds will be donated to four area charities: First Tee of Greater Detroit, the Evans Scholar Foundation, Midnight Golf and Eagles for Children. Sullivan said the response from vendors has been significant in the last 24 hours, and he expects to have at least 50 vendors, and as many as 100.

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Some companies also have reached out about matching donations, Sullivan said.

Sullivan and Bogenschutz also will host a live virtual show from Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak, from 6-9 p.m. March 11, to kick off the four days. The show will feature special guests from the Michigan golf community.

"We want to turn an unfortunate situation into a big virtual event," said Sullivan, "and raise a lot of money for all these charities."

Bogenschutz left 97.1 in April, and Sullivan left in July. In the spring, they founded the Metro Detroit Golfers Facebook page, which quickly ballooned to more than 20,000 members, and since has seen it's community, via Twitter and Instagram as well, climb to over 40,000 members. They sell merchandise at metrodetroitgolfers.com, host an occasional podcast, and just recently launched its exclusive Tour Card for members. 

The duo also formed Brand25 Media LLC, a digital-marketing firm in Royal Oak.

Michigan Golf Live also recently unveiled a virtual golf series, albeit a little different from the Sully and Bogey golf-show project. This one is a 17-stop "Show on the Road," which launched early in February, with each under-seven-minute episode highlighting a Michigan golf destination, and hosted by Bill Hobson.

Tip of the cap

MDG also got into the sponsorship business last week.

MDG partner David Hall Financial announced it would sponsor former Michigan State golfer Donnie Trosper for his next six mini-tour events in Florida. Rather than wear a Hall Financial hate, David Hall told Trosper to wear an MDG hat instead.

Trosper played in his first two PGA Tour events last summer, including Detroit's Rocket Mortgage Classic.

With no PGA Tour Qualifying School last fall because of the pandemic, he's working his way through the mini-tours and looking for opportunities to make the leap. Money is a big part of securing those opportunities. Entry fees aren't cheap.

“I’m so thankful for this,” Trosper, who won a Florida Professional Golf Tour event and $3,000 in December, told Sullivan for an article on the MDG website.

“I’m working hard to make MDG and everyone proud.

"I just want to say thank you for the generosity.”

Chips and divots

The Michigan State women won their 2021 season debut, the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida, last week. The Spartans finished 6 under for the tournament, a stroke better than Maryland.

Yurika Tanida, a senior from Japan, led the Spartans with a 2-under showing, to tie for sixth place overall.

... Michigan had 30 recipients of the prestigious Chick Evans Scholarship for caddies, which includes four years of tuition, room and board. There were eight from Wayne County, including Christyanna Griffin (Cass Tech), Cameron Henry (Cristo Rey), Bianca Holsey (Cass Tech), Charles Klatt (Grosse Pointe North), Joseph McComb (Detroit Catholic Central), Jacob Patterson (Livonia Clarenceville), Lawrence Stanley (New Boston Huron) and Natalie Dobbs (Trenton).

... Some head-pro shuffling. Dearborn Country Club has hired Blake Nienhuis, who was a top assistant at Canterbury Golf Club outside Cleveland. Also, Mike Erickson, the longtime head pro at Bloomfield Hills Country Club, is now head of instruction at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984