Chicago/Indy in April

[Phireside]

Wonder how Chicago and Indy conditions will be in April? EDIT: Trip will be closer to the end of April

 

Planning a Chicago visit with non-golfing better half. Will try to squeeze in a round locally in Chicago between being a tourist and then being the big motorsports fan I am, I have to play the Brickyard since I will be close'ish. Just wondering what the conditions will be like that time of year. The trip can be moved to later in the year if need be but April is preferred and should be before any of the blackout dates at the Brickyard.

[mci711]

Wonder how Chicago and Indy conditions will be in April?

 

Planning a Chicago visit with non-golfing better half. Will try to squeeze in a round locally in Chicago between being a tourist and then being the big motorsports fan I am, I have to play the Brickyard since I will be close'ish. Just wondering what the conditions will be like that time of year. The trip can be moved to later in the year if need be but April is preferred and should be before any of the blackout dates at the Brickyard.

 

You'll have much better luck in Indy. Could get decent weather in Chicago, could get 30s and sleet. We got 3 or 4 inches of snow last year in April. Last year was record bad. But overall, Spring in Chicago is the worst. Sorry to be negative, but Indy is a much safer bet.

[Phireside]

As this is not intended to be a golf trip I can live with that

[mckennwa]

You’ll be able to play in Indy. How warm it will be and how wet it will be are massive variables.

[TheBear95]

You will be fine late April in Chicago. Most likely temps in the 50s or 60s, very playable.

[Argonne69]

Yeah, Chicago will be playable, but it could be wet. This year I only managed 4 rounds in April due to the rain and cold temps. By comparison I played 13 rounds in April 2017. 2016 and 2015 were also poor, although the latter part of the month was decent.

[ldchristopher]

Bring your rain gear and your cold weather gear to err on the side of caution. Indy will be warmer since it's a 3.5 hour drive south and they have lots of excellent courses. I'd stay off the lake if you're looking to play in the Chicago area as well. The further west you go, the warmer it will be.

[DeeBee30]

Bring your rain gear and your cold weather gear to err on the side of caution. Indy will be warmer since it's a 3.5 hour drive south and they have lots of excellent courses. I'd stay off the lake if you're looking to play in the Chicago area as well. The further west you go, the warmer it will be.

 

Lots of good advice so far. I'll echo that you're better off going away from the lake if you can for some warmer daytime highs. Also, I'd have a couple of course types in mind based on the forecast as you're getting closer to your play dates. If it's going to be dry but a little windy, you might go for a parkland course (plenty of choices) so the trees provide a little wind protection. If it'll be calm but a little wet, then consider a course that's either more of a prairie / links-ish style(with firmer fairways (like Bolingbrook GC for example) or at least drains well so you have fewer issues with soggy fairways.

 

Either way, definitely hit up people in this thread as you're closer to confirming your tee time(s) so you can get an up-to-date report on conditions and recommendations on specific courses.

[DrOldSchool]

Late April is playable in the Indy area, though as suggested above it can be variable in terms of wetness and temperature. You mentioned Brickyard, they do a lot of events, and as it gets closer to the 500 it can get tougher to find times - just keep an eye on their calendar a few months out, they post blackout days pretty far in advance. No shortage of good courses in the general area.

[Hybrid]

My guess it’ll be too wet for both Chitown and Indy. If by slim chance the courses are open, you’ll be playing cart path only. If you do make it to Indy may I suggest 2 iconic dive bars? The Alley Cat and Workingman’s Friend are my favorite.

[ldchristopher]

My guess it’ll be too wet for both Chitown and Indy. If by slim chance the courses are open, you’ll be playing cart path only. If you do make it to Indy may I suggest 2 iconic dive bars? The Alley Cat and Workingman’s Friend are my favorite.

Last April I played three rounds in Indy. Purgatory was closed but we played Hickory Stick, Southern Dunes and Bear Slide. It was 38 degrees when we played Bear Slide but that’s playable. Golf’s a walking man’s game so whether or not it’s CPO shouldn’t be a factor.

[mci711]

My guess it'll be too wet for both Chitown and Indy. If by slim chance the courses are open, you'll be playing cart path only. If you do make it to Indy may I suggest 2 iconic dive bars? The Alley Cat and Workingman's Friend are my favorite.

Last April I played three rounds in Indy. Purgatory was closed but we played Hickory Stick, Southern Dunes and Bear Slide. It was 38 degrees when we played Bear Slide but that's playable. Golf's a walking man's game so whether or not it's CPO shouldn't be a factor.

 

I love to walk, and usually prefer it. Not everyone can walk a full 18 though. Get off your high horse. Who cares how other people play the game.

[ldchristopher]

My guess it'll be too wet for both Chitown and Indy. If by slim chance the courses are open, you'll be playing cart path only. If you do make it to Indy may I suggest 2 iconic dive bars? The Alley Cat and Workingman's Friend are my favorite.

Last April I played three rounds in Indy. Purgatory was closed but we played Hickory Stick, Southern Dunes and Bear Slide. It was 38 degrees when we played Bear Slide but that's playable. Golf's a walking man's game so whether or not it's CPO shouldn't be a factor.

 

I love to walk, and usually prefer it. Not everyone can walk a full 18 though. Get off your high horse. Who cares how other people play the game.

Never. I'm visibly disgusted by the amount of fat guys in carts who carve up golf courses and then have the gall to complain that "geez, the maintenance has really gone downhill at [insert course here]." But that's a discussion for a different thread. Enjoy Indy (they have lots of courses where the bulldozers went crazy but lots with some beautiful natural terrain) and take advantage of the Spring rates. I paid $70 total to play Hickory Stick, Southern Dunes, and Bear Slide, and 57% of those greens fees went towards Bear Slide.

[mci711]

My guess it'll be too wet for both Chitown and Indy. If by slim chance the courses are open, you'll be playing cart path only. If you do make it to Indy may I suggest 2 iconic dive bars? The Alley Cat and Workingman's Friend are my favorite.

Last April I played three rounds in Indy. Purgatory was closed but we played Hickory Stick, Southern Dunes and Bear Slide. It was 38 degrees when we played Bear Slide but that's playable. Golf's a walking man's game so whether or not it's CPO shouldn't be a factor.

 

I love to walk, and usually prefer it. Not everyone can walk a full 18 though. Get off your high horse. Who cares how other people play the game.

Never. I'm visibly disgusted by the amount of fat guys in carts who carve up golf courses and then have the gall to complain that "geez, the maintenance has really gone downhill at [insert course here]." But that's a discussion for a different thread. Enjoy Indy (they have lots of courses where the bulldozers went crazy but lots with some beautiful natural terrain) and take advantage of the Spring rates. I paid $70 total to play Hickory Stick, Southern Dunes, and Bear Slide, and 57% of those greens fees went towards Bear Slide.

 

You do realize Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and literally all of the best players in the world take carts when they play for fun right?