Chris McCrosky, "Outreach Coordinator" for MichianaGolf.com, began the free website to help golfers, golf courses, and the communities of "Michiana" (NW Indiana and SW Michigan). Photo taken at Meadows' Family Golf Center in Baroda, Mich. Lynn Crist assisting.

The MichianaGolf.com website offers a wealth of information ranging from golf tips to golf jokes, course statistics and reviews, weather reports, driving directions, and so much more.

What was the motivation to begin this free website and community service?  "Simple really," states Chris McCrosky, Outreach Coordinator for MichianaGolf.com.  "It just seemed like such a needed service for the area.  We have more than 160 golf courses within an hour and a half radius, yet few people are aware of this amazing fact.

"It's phenomenal to have so many golf courses in such a small area and with so many famous people playing them," including such golfers as Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Curtis Strange ... not to mention those who just love the game like Michael Jordan and Mike Ditka.

"Although our area is part of the Western Amateur circuit ..." continues McCrosky, "and this region is often referred to as the 'Summer Golf Capital,' it seems this is nearly a secret among local residents.  Instead, and as a community, we should be encouraging local golfers to explore all that is readily available while at the same time utilizing this wonderful opportunity to attract more visitors and business to our region."

MichianaGolf.com currently covers 164 golf courses in 81 NW Indiana / SW Michigan cities.  During the golf season, the website serves more than twenty thousand pages of localized golf-related information each week.

"We have numerous features and services available on the MichianaGolf.com website," McCrosky states.  "From improving one's game to just finding something funny to tell your golf partner, you will find it on our website."

While obviously sold on the region's impressive golf capabilities, but in dramatic contrast with the thousands of MichianaGolf.com visitors, damage to McCrosky's shoulder interferes with his enjoyment of the sport.

"I grew up on the area golf courses," McCrosky says, whose entire extended family were golfers.  "I spent a lot of time on the courses; even learning to swim at one area course.  But because my web design work requires so many hours on the computer, I can no longer swing a club."

McCrosky instead used his work to sponsor the MichianaGolf.com website.  "On MichianaGolf.com, we don't charge the courses for participating or visitors to use the site; it's a free service for the community.  My reasoning is that when people know what's available to them locally, a centralized information source, it's going to make our area much more 'user friendly'."

"And if I can help this area become more popular for business, more popular for tourists, it will benefit everyone in the long run," McCrosky says.