Chicago Private versus Semi Private

[maybenewtochicago]

I'm likely moving to Chicago in the next 60 - 90 days, going through some final contract negotiations now. Looks like we will live in or near Naperville, which is where the office is. I've read through a handful of posts here on clubs in the area and searched but could not find anything specific in the last couple years helpful about semi private clubs.

 

I've talked to folks over at Black Sheep and a few other clubs then saw that some of the nice public courses have membership options. Cog Hill has a membership for $5,000/year that includes Dubsdread, less if you leave that one off. The membership includes greens fees, cart fees, locker, has a permanent tee time that includes the weekends (pending availability), etc. Seems like a pretty solid deal to me. Other public courses have similar memberships.

 

i've been a member at various clubs around the country for the last 20 years or so and at some semi-private places before that. I'm seriously considering the Cog Hill membership but wanted to get this group's thoughts on that or another semi private vs a full on private course. Anyone have or had one of the memberships to the semi private places? How did it work out. I'm most interested in something 30-45 minutes or so from Naperville, would not rule out something further though.

 

I'm mostly interested in golf. My kids are in college out of town, my wife does not golf... never even been in any pool in any club I've belonged to over the last 20 years.

A quick edit, I am used to < 4 hour rounds. If 6 hour rounds is the norm on the semi private courses than that may not work for me...

 

Thanks for the help.

[tmw1582]

I live 5 minutes from Cog and honestly I think $5000 a year is too much for their courses. #1 & #3 are nothing special at all. They are basic muni's. #2 has a cool layout and used to be worth the money but the conditions and greens have gone way down in quality lately. I have not played #4 (dubs) in a while. I think it is in good shape but it has never blown me away layout wise.

Look into Mistwood. I have not played in a while but I know they offer memberships and I've heard good things.

 

6 hour rounds are not the norm here on any public course that I've played. On the weekends I have played some 4 1/2 hour rounds but I've never gone over 5. Not saying that it can't happen but in my experience that is rare.

 

I'm a social member at Crystal Tree in Orland Park so I get 6 rounds a year there. In my experience with that private club at least is that rounds are much faster and the conditions are always better than public. There are rules in place to make sure the pace of play is the way it is at Crystal Tree so that is expected though.

[zer0]

Not worth it. Course #1 and #3 are amongst the worst golf courses in Illinois. #2 is nice, but it sounds like they don't take care of it like they should.

[zer0]

man prices suck in Illinois. I pay $1600 for unlimited, unrestricted golf for me and my wife at Lawsonia + $20 cart feet.

[DavePelz4]

> @maybenewtochicago said:

> I'm likely moving to Chicago in the next 60 - 90 days, going through some final contract negotiations now. Looks like we will live in or near Naperville, which is where the office is. I've read through a handful of posts here on clubs in the area and searched but could not find anything specific in the last couple years helpful about semi private clubs.

>

> I've talked to folks over at Black Sheep and a few other clubs then saw that some of the nice public courses have membership options. Cog Hill has a membership for $5,000/year that includes Dubsdread, less if you leave that one off. The membership includes greens fees, cart fees, locker, has a permanent tee time that includes the weekends (pending availability), etc. Seems like a pretty solid deal to me. Other public courses have similar memberships.

>

> i've been a member at various clubs around the country for the last 20 years or so and at some semi-private places before that. I'm seriously considering the Cog Hill membership but wanted to get this group's thoughts on that or another semi private vs a full on private course. Anyone have or had one of the memberships to the semi private places? How did it work out. I'm most interested in something 30-45 minutes or so from Naperville, would not rule out something further though.

>

> I'm mostly interested in golf. My kids are in college out of town, my wife does not golf... never even been in any pool in any club I've belonged to over the last 20 years.

> A quick edit, I am used to < 4 hour rounds. If 6 hour rounds is the norm on the semi private courses than that may not work for me...

>

> Thanks for the help.

 

If you're in Naperville, there are closer options than Dubs although having multiple courses would be a good thing. Lemont can be a 45 minute drive depending on what part of N'Ville you're in. You might want to check our Cress Creek which is north of DT, has several membership options and is a really nice club.

 

A different option would be Prairie Landing in West Chicago. One of the best practice areas in Chicago and it includes 3 practice holes and a Robert Trent Jones design. Top notch course, and if I recall, about $5K/year.

[maybenewtochicago]

Thanks for the feedback so far. It doesn't sound like Cog Hill is what I thought it was. I'll definitely get out and play somewhere before I decide anything. @DavePelz4, thanks for the suggestions. I will check into Cress Creek, had not yet heard of it. Prairie Landing is on the list to check out to along with Bowes Creek and Mistwood.

@zer0, from what I can see Illinois golf is a bit on the expensive side, at least for clubs and semi private courses. My club right now is $600/month all in and it is one of the nicer clubs in the midwest that has hosted a number of well known events, has 36 holes, two full ranges, 5 practice greens, and two short game practice areas. Cress Creek which @DavePelz4 suggested looks like it will be a minimum of $1,000/month....

[DavePelz4]

> @maybenewtochicago said:

> Thanks for the feedback so far. It doesn't sound like Cog Hill is what I thought it was. I'll definitely get out and play somewhere before I decide anything. @DavePelz4, thanks for the suggestions. I will check into Cress Creek, had not yet heard of it. Prairie Landing is on the list to check out to along with Bowes Creek and Mistwood.

> @zer0, from what I can see Illinois golf is a bit on the expensive side, at least for clubs and semi private courses. My club right now is $600/month all in and it is one of the nicer clubs in the midwest that has hosted a number of well known events, has 36 holes, two full ranges, 5 practice greens, and two short game practice areas. Cress Creek which @DavePelz4 suggested looks like it will be a minimum of $1,000/month....

 

Not sure you're going to find anything at that price point with a couple of exceptions and they're not the top courses in our area. About 25/30 minutes from Naperville is Blackberry Oaks. It's probably $1,500 for the year all in for golf/practice. The practice area is a C+ at best and the course, while almost always in good condition, is a B course at best.

 

Bowes Creek and The Highlands of Elgin have a play only package for around $3,500 and Bowes is about $4,000 for the year which is a pretty good deal but you're talking 40 minutes away from Naperville. Those are 2 of the best public courses though.

 

You might want to call to Bolingbrook Golf Club which has awesome practice facilities and a B+ course. Haven't looked at their membership in a long time.

[Schley]

2 suggestions (one of which you mentioned already):

1. Bolingbrook Golf Club - In very good shape and a nice treeless layout. Tough when the wind blows. Wonderful clubhouse and amenities. Is semi-private and they have memberships. A friend of mine joined 2 years ago and I think it is like $5,000 a year perhaps or so. I like the course myself and with the clubhouse and dining it could be a comfortable place. Downside is they have outings quite a bit. Pretty short commute from Naperville.

2. Blacksheep GC - You checked it out and not that expensive considering what you get, which is 27 holes and very small clubhouse. You don't have to pay for stuff you don't use. Totally private and tee times aren't an issue or pace of play. You are going away from traffic as it is West of you so commute is not stressful at all.

 

You don't want to be driving longer than 40 minutes so there you go.

[ldchristopher]

I’d steer clear of the Cog membership. 1-3 aren’t worth your time. Dubs is great but I don’t know about dropping $5000 to play it all season. Mistwood is a great faux links layout with an excellent practice area. A lot of people don’t like Bolingbrook. I can’t comment since I’ve never played it. If all you’re interested in is golf (and that’s the way it sounds) Black Sheep is ideal. It’s one of four men only country clubs in the area. How they get away with that in 2019, I'll never know.

[mci711]

Naperville CC is a steal. Not sure how old you are but they have an outstanding program, probably the best associate member program in the Chicago area. And it is fully private, solid course in great condition. DM me and I can get you more information if you want.

[mci711]

> @mci711 said:

> Naperville CC is a steal. Not sure how old you are but they have an outstanding program, probably the best associate member program in the Chicago area. And it is fully private, solid course in great condition. DM me and I can get you more information if you want.

 

Edit: I didn't read your whole post and missed that you had college+ age kids. Sorry for the useless info on associate memberships. But i'd bet you can get a decent deal still.

[PuttCurseRepeat]

> @ldchristopher said:

>Black Sheep is ideal. It’s one of four men only country clubs in the area. How they get away with that in 2019, I'll never know.

 

Probably something to do with that pesky old document in Washington DC which supposedly guarantees us freedom of association. I hear that there are many people working hard to make it less of a nuisance in the future, though.

[oldpalchamp]

Aurora CC is fully private and about 15 miles west of downtown Naperville. It is a beautiful old parkland style course originally designed by Tom Bendalow. Although it has had some work done over the years, it still retains its Bendalow bones. While it does have a pool and a few tennis courts, it is primarily a golf club, with , for the most part, a really good group of guys. I don't believe the initiation is very high, but the dues may be out of your price range.

 

Another option, depending on where in Naperville you will be living, would be Mistwood. It is semi-private with a few membership options. The course is very nice, and they have a terrific practice area, and a beautiful new clubhouse. I believe annual memberships run in the $5,000 range. It is much more convenient from the south side of Naperville.

[maybenewtochicago]

Thanks again for the suggestions.

I'll clarify that I am looking for a place to play and that could be either a private or semi private place. My current club is $30,000 initiation fee and $700/month so somewhere in that ballpark for a club. Clubs in this area may be a little more so I understand that.

 

Where I currently live there aren't any good semi private options, we moved here from Nashville and I was a member at a couple clubs there but eventually moved to a membership at The Hermitage since it was 90% of the club experience at about 30% of the cost. For me the course(s) are what will matter most, something I will enjoy playing often, nice practice area...all the other club stuff is nice but it's not at the top of my list. For example, if I recall correctly the initiation at Legends Club (prior to Vanderbilt buying it) was $24,000 and dues were $693 and the Hermitage membership was like $2,000/year. Legends Club is definitely nicer but The Hermitage is more than adequate.

 

I'll check out Mistwood, Aurora CC, Naperville CC, Bowes, etc. that have been suggested. One other thing to add, we thought my wife would commute to downtown Chicago but she will work from home so we may expand a house search that was confined to "near" interstate and train access (along with everyone else). That may open up some more courses and clubs to check out.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[psygolf]

> @oldpalchamp said:

> Aurora CC is fully private and about 15 miles west of downtown Naperville. It is a beautiful old parkland style course originally designed by Tom Bendalow. Although it has had some work done over the years, it still retains its Bendalow bones. While it does have a pool and a few tennis courts, it is primarily a golf club, with , for the most part, a really good group of guys. I don't believe the initiation is very high, but the dues may be out of your price range.

 

Bendelow.

[oldpalchamp]

> @psygolf said:

> > @oldpalchamp said:

> > Aurora CC is fully private and about 15 miles west of downtown Naperville. It is a beautiful old parkland style course originally designed by Tom Bendalow. Although it has had some work done over the years, it still retains its Bendalow bones. While it does have a pool and a few tennis courts, it is primarily a golf club, with , for the most part, a really good group of guys. I don't believe the initiation is very high, but the dues may be out of your price range.

>

> Bendelow.

 

You are correct, thanks.

 

[DeeBee30]

Stonebridge CC in Aurora is another private option. The clubhouse seemed a little dated, but I thought the Tom Fazio-designed course was fun and in great condition. They're actively trying to increase membership and had an early season deal going a couple months ago...greatly reduced initiation, average monthly dues, and reasonable food/beverage minimums. PM me if you want details on those numbers.

[Fore.way.left]

Especially if your office or home is in the SW portion of Naperville, look into White Eagle as well. Private. 27 holes (originally designed by Arnold Palmer, which may or may not be a huge selling point to you). Great short game area. Indoor practice facility for the winter and rainy days. Currently in the midst of a reno, which is (like many renos) inconvenient today, but the course will be much better off long term. Downstroke and monthly dues may be in your ballpark?

[Vikingdrewby]

adding some new info to this thread, for anyone curious about the Naperville area ...... in my opinion, by far, Naperville CC is the most beautiful of the courses mentioned above.

The other courses (White Eagle, Cress Creek, etc.) wind through neighborhoods, and that's a huge negative for me personally.

Naperville CC, on the other hand, has no houses running through the course. See the image here.

Naperville went through a renovation about 13 years ago, and is in great shape. The golf course won the 2009 Golf Inc. Renovation of the Year.

Anywho, just my two cents.

 

Also, my friend works at Mistwood. They have an excellent golf dome for the winter and they genuinely care about providing an excellent experience for the golfer. The food there is really good. Obviously the downside is that it's not a private club. But the people there are all good folk.

 

 

[dnoch]

I’m looking at Naperville, St Charles, River Forest and Eagle Brook. Naperville is in the lead right now. I’m struggling to find a reason not to join. Anything I’m more missing? Feel free to DM me if you don’t want to share on here.

[mci711]

Naperville is a steal. I have a couple of good friends who are members. I love the course, you don't realize it driving by on Chicago Ave, but the course really has some nice movement and terrain. I'd be a member there if I wasn't moving soon. I have eaten there a couple of times, if that matters at all, and the food was very good. Range is nice. The interior is a little dated, but that isn't really something that I would even think about when making this decision.

I think Eagle Brook has the best club house and I really enjoy the course, it would be down to those 2 for me. Eagle Brook offers more outside of golf if that matters at all, if not Naperville is a great route.

[zer0]

anyone know anything about Briarwood in Deerfield? I just moved there last month and an wondering how the course is and what the cost is to join.

 

Interested to see if any clubs start offering deals or dropping prices as a result of corona/economy.

 

 

[oldpalchamp]

Elmhurst (River Forest) to St. Charles, is a pretty wide geographic area. Proximity is pretty important. I have played all of the courses, and personally, I prefer St. Charles CC, and think it, River Forest, and Naperville are head and shoulders above Eagle Brook.

[Jc0]

Anyone know anything about the following clubs for a junior membership or have any other recommendations? Been in the city for a year and moving near the Oak Park area but have no idea about the country club scene. Interested in courses up to 20-30 min away.

 

Ridgemore

Oak Park

River Forest

Riverside

 

Thanks.

[Dashfast]

@Jc0 I too would love info about those specific clubs...

[SpeedKills7]

Ridgemoor has a junior executive program but all that allows you to do is spread the 50k downstroke around Til you hit 35.

Not sure on the others.

[VNutz]

Oddly Oak Park CC is in River Grove, and River Forest CC is in Elmhurst. Riverside might be your closest to Oak Park. I drive past it on a daily basis but know few who belong. Found this quote with info if it helps.https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/503485/membership-to-club-in-chicago/p6

[Jc0]

Thanks for this. Was able to get in contact with the person from River Forest. Have reached out to some of the others on the list but haven't heard back.