WAYS AND GREENS

IT’S 9 P.M. on a weekday, say a Thursday, and North Shore native Chip Green (a fictitious name) wants to work on his golf game ahead of an annual outing to South Carolina with his buddies Max “Mini” Driver and Sandy Von Trapp.

Were he a member of Champion Ways, a unique indoor training facility for junior and adult golfers, he’d be able to do so at the drop of a visor. Champion Ways is based in Lake Bluff and open 356 days a year, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Its mission is to create champion golfers through access to a premium, 5,000-square-foot facility, exclusive practice memberships, and private lessons.

Champion Ways features multiple hitting bays with Foresight Sport technology; 1,500 square feet of real-feel chipping and putting greens; projection screens and world-renowned golf courses to play; the availability of PGA instructors for private lessons; and fairly priced practice memberships that include a key fob to the complex on Herky Drive, located dozens of prodigious tee shots from Lake Bluff Golf Club.

“It’s like a gym for golfers,” says co-owner, CEO, and Winnetka resident Lowey Sichol, who also writes children’s books when she’s not working on lowering her impressive 2.3 golf handicap. “It opened (in 2016) as a place for mostly junior golfers. Now many of our members are adults in their 30s, 40s, and early 50s who finally have some time to work on their golf game and improve. Champion Ways has everything golfers of all levels need to improve from simulators to an incredible short game area. And it’s rarely crowded. Members come in on their own time, turn on the music, and well, it’s just a cool place to be in the winter, especially when it’s snowing or single digit temps outside.

“We often hear people say, ‘This is a hidden gem,’ or, ‘This is the best-kept secret in Lake County,’” she adds. “When our members finish up after an hour or two, they’re pumped, whether they’ve worked on their short game, driver, approach shots, or just played a course for fun. You can do it all here.”

Champion Ways’ original owner, PGA Kiel Alderink, informed Sichol in 2021 that he was planning to move out of state and shut the facility down. Sichol’s golfing children— twin daughters Carter and Peyton and son Tucker—had been avid Champion Ways regulars.

Sichol’s immediate response to Alderink’s intentions: “Hold on.”

She then called her brother, Clark Bundy, who, like Sichol, golfed often and also earned an MBA degree at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

“I asked him, ‘Want to buy a golf facility with me?’” the sister recalls.

They bought it. Bundy serves as Champion Ways co-owner and VP of operations. Alderink’s new title, from afar, is director of golf.

Donnie Moline is one of Champion Ways’ four professional instructors, along with Mason Tomlinson, Taylor Lambertson, and Drew Barnes. Moline, in his third winter at Champion Ways, also teaches at Deerfield Golf Club & Learning Center in Riverwoods.

“Champion Ways is a one of a kind facility in this area,” says Moline, who grew up in southeast Iowa. “We emphasize practice and training to improve one’s game—not one of those food, drink, and entertainment venues. The niche aspect of this facility is to show up and improve your skill set, to be equipped to take your game to the next level. The feedback from our technology takes the guesswork out, providing the data you need to stay on task and speed up progress. It’s a clean, relaxed environment where you can book your time well in advance and come and go as you please.”

Champion Ways must be doing something right. Clark Bundy trained and practiced there for one winter and triggered a free fall—his handicap. Bundy’s golf number reached single digits for the first time. Meanwhile, Sichol’s daughters are both All-American, nationally ranked collegiate golfers.

Carter, who plays number one for the Carleton College women’s golf team in Minnesota, recently won the 2023 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in October and placed 10th at the NCAA championship in May. Her twin sister Peyton leads the Hamilton College Continentals in New York and became the first women’s golfer in Hamilton College’s history to earn All-American status and play at the NCAA championship. Lowey’s sophomore son, Tucker, plays varsity golf at North Shore Country Day and helped the Raiders win regional and sectional titles.

“Golf … it’s what we do,” Lowey Sichol says.

Champion Ways is located at 28915 North Herky Drive, Unit 105, in Lake Bluff. Visit championways.com for more information.