Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[WindyCitySPN]

OK, so why haven't I heard of Fox Run in Elk Grove Village? Anyone play this before?

 

Played there two years ago. Ended up quitting after 9 bc I was on pace for a 6 hour round. Course wasn't in great shape but not awful and as mentioned is short. I think a C-C+ is fair. I have a rain check for nine that I'll never use.

[Argonne69]

OK, so why haven't I heard of Fox Run in Elk Grove Village? Anyone play this before?

Of course. Short-ish, a bit tight, recently redesigned a bit. No range but a decent course. C+/low B- overall.

 

Thanks. 'Sounds playable. A 6250 yard par 70 should be about right. I'm booking at 8:24 am. It looks like it's carts only until noon. Sigh. I guess I'll walk on Sunday.

 

Hopefully the pace won't get to f'd up with an 8:20 am start.

[Argonne69]

Heading out to Glencoe late this afternoon, weather looks amazing.

 

Haven't decided on tomorrow or Sunday yet, gonna play it be ear for tomorrow because of the forecast.

 

Tomorrow morning looks decent. The rain is forecast to start at 2 pm.

 

Damn I'd rather have the opposite of that cause I like to go in to the office for a few hours in the morning and then head out for some golf. Gonna be tough to motivate myself to pull off the reverse of that.

 

The afternoon storms are supposed to be rather severe, so I'm thinking a number of courses may be cart path only on Sunday morning. I was planning to play Harborside, but I won't take that chance.

[Argonne69]

Poking around Google maps and I stumble across Longwood GC in Crete. Once again, a course I've never heard about. A quick search of the thread seems to indicate it's another ho hum course that's probably worth a visit. I checked their tee sheet for Sunday morning, and it's wide open from from 7:16 am on. I mean, there's not a single slot not available. Thinking that there might be a problem, I call the course, and they tell me that most players simply walk on, so there's never a full sheet. Lol. OK, I'll give it a shot, but that's kind of weird.

[Scratch2Plus]

Well, played today...day didn't start off so well.

Overnight guy decides to take Thursday night off so I'm stuck at work until 2am. Finally get to bed by 3am...

Wake up at 7 and head to Stonewall. Arrive at Stonewall, unload the clubs and head for the range.

Text my buddy "where are you?". His reply "on the range over by the 18th". Huh???

My reply "Stonewall?"

My phone rings within seconds... dude we're playing Thunderhawk! F*#k Me!

Gps says 41min to THawk...

Finally make it to THawk and luckily they were able to wait for me on the 1st tee.

Played ok all things considering.

 

Timing got fubar so playing HoE on Saturday.

[DavePelz4]

Apparently Chi Lefty is gaining notoriety which explains his absence.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-fake-weather-signs-marketing-book-met-0611-20160610-story.html

[2zlinks]

Played Orchard Valley this afternoon. Zero chance the holes were cut today, Coupled with no starter or rangers meant a 5 hour round.. Shame what BC has done to the place. Will not be going back this year.

[Enjoi]

Just moved from so cal to roselle :0 played a few courses here so far played Indian lakes today and carillon Wednesday had fun at Schaumburg last week , still exploring.

[VNutz]

Played Orchard Valley this afternoon. Zero chance the holes were cut today, Coupled with no starter or rangers meant a 5 hour round.. Shame what BC has done to the place. Will not be going back this year.

 

Well crap, was hoping to play there tomorrow afternoon after today's heat and maybe storms roll out. How's the condition otherwise? Still worth it?

[dhartmann34]

Playing Hawk's View Around noon on Sunday. Got Rained out last week. Gotta use up the GroupGolfer's we bought. Only 3 of us so if anyone is in the area and wants to play...can't beat $37.

[threshold350]

Just moved from so cal to roselle :0 played a few courses here so far played Indian lakes today and carillon Wednesday had fun at Schaumburg last week , still exploring.

welcome. I grew up in roselle. Lots of good courses close by. The Highlands of Elgin (aka Spartan Ghettos 2.0) is my go to course. A good friend of mine likes Hilldale due to the $24 vouchers he bought. Poplar can get crowded later in the day. Bloomingdale Course is decent shortish track. Same with Doral(?) (aka Nordic Hills). Glendale Lakes can challenging especially avoiding geese turds. Streamwood Oaks is a nice challenging 9 hole. Not that busy and right by my house. The Highlands is a nice track if not busy. IMO, kind of hard to go wrong with any of the courses near by. Comes down how much you want to pay and how much time you got.

[zer0]

Played after work at Glencoe yesterday. Course was in fantastic shape, greens were quicker than usual. Played with a buddy and we got paired up with the pro from St. Andrews (not THAT St. Andrews) who was there to preview the course in advance of some senior tournament in a couple weeks. Real nice guy, was a little rusty to start, but seemed to get it going as the round went on.

 

I played like poorly, but caught some bad breaks that made it look worse. Putting was attrocious, 4 3putts and no 1 putts. But, did just enough to beat my buddy 12-6 in holes despite us having identical scores. On the last hole he was up 3 and he promptly put his tee shot OB. He went to re-tee and I offered him a lateral drop where he went out, but he refused and put another one OB. Then he accepted the lateral drop, but by the time we finished the hole he had a 10 and I bogeyed 6 to win the overall by 1. Felt like the 1983 White Sox (I'm guessing 70% of you get that reference). Ended up with a 93, only 15 strokes worse than the last time out lol.

 

Wife gets off work at 1:30 today, gonna go play somewhere around 3, maybe Deerfield.

[Argonne69]

I made my first trip out to Fox Run in Elk Grove Village today. What a pleasant surprise. The course will never be confused for a top 20 course, but it does have character. While short, it does have plenty of trouble off the tee, with a handful of narrow holes, and a lot of water coming into play. The greens are fairly large, and are in great shape. The speeds are a bit inconsistent, rolling quite quick on some holes, and with moderate speeds on other holes. I joined a very nice twosome, and we made it around the course in 3:40, which is quite a feat. 'No complaints there.

 

I had a so-so day driving the ball, hitting only 7 fairways, but other than duck hooking one into the hazard on 10, the misses were just off the fairway. I was able to hit 12 greens, and had 2 birdies. My scrambling seems to have taken the past week off, as I once again went 0 for 6. 'Just could get the touch right.

 

Overall, it was a great morning. 'Managed to beat the heat and predicted storms, as it was 98 degrees on the Eisenhower on the way back into the city. I can't say I'd go back to the course any time soon, but if I lived in the area, I'd probably play it a few times a year if they dropped the stupid carts only rule before noon.

[2zlinks]

Played Orchard Valley this afternoon. Zero chance the holes were cut today, Coupled with no starter or rangers meant a 5 hour round.. Shame what BC has done to the place. Will not be going back this year.

 

Well crap, was hoping to play there tomorrow afternoon after today's heat and maybe storms roll out. How's the condition otherwise? Still worth it?

 

Miles better than years past. Greens were a little on the shaggy side and since the holes weren't cut I'm sure they didn't mow them. Personally think HoE is a much better course for the money.

[Argonne69]

I played out at Longwood GC in Crete this morning. It was a first time visit for me which is strange, because I grew up in the south suburbs, and had never heard of the place. The course is half parkland, half prairie style. It is build on a wonderful piece of rolling terrain. It reminds me a lot of Big Run, although it is slightly more open. I walked the course, and the owner said I was the first walker they've had in weeks. I can see why.There are a number of severe elevation changes that make walking a challenge.

 

Also similar to Big Run is the conditioning, which is spotty at best. It's playable, but it's a family owned course that clearly cuts corners to keep rates low. I payed $30 to walk 18, and I believe it's $36 to ride on weekends. The greens were recently punched, which is strange for June, but the owner told me they were rather stressed, and they had no choice or they ran the risk of losing them. This was a shame, as the greens were pretty much unplayable. The bunkers are rather sad, too. 'Not quite as bad as the Chicago Park District courses, but they could use a healthy dose of TLC.

 

The layout itself is quite nice. It's a 6400 yard par 70 course, but seems to play longer with the elevation changes. A few raised greens were two clubs up easily, and the wind today made them 3 at least. The par 3's ran 160 to 205 yards from the blues, and were fairly challenging with the wind.

 

I got out at 8:15 am in front of an outing, and played through one group before finishing in 2:30. There were early groups in front of me, but they moved very fast, and I never caught them. 'Not at all bad for a Sunday morning.

 

I had a much better day off the tee today, hitting 9 fairways, but managed only 9 greens. My scrambling seemed to return a bit, with 4 scrambles. I stuck 3 wedges close for tap in birdies, which really helped offset the 5 bogies.

 

Overall, I really like the layout, and could overlook the conditioning given the cost. I would easily say the course is a much nice layout than Glenwoodie, which is relatively bland except for a handful of holes on the north end of the course near the creek. The elevation changes give it a unique feel for the area. I'd say it would be worth a visit if you are in the area. It's located very close to Balmoral Woods, and would make a good pairing.

[Argonne69]

A few pics from Longwood:

 

Par 4 5th, a beast at 443 yards, sweeping right.

 

 

The view from behind the elevated 5th green.

 

 

The view from the double tee box for the 6th and 16th holes.

 

 

The view back from the 7th green, another long par 4 (443 yards).

 

 

The par 4 14th. The green is tucked in the trees, so don't go left, or the green is blocked. Of course, I went left.

 

[MountainKing]

Got out at The Sanctuary this afternoon, was prepping myself for a nice 5+ hour round given that we were teeing off at 1pm and the course was packed solid. Course was in very good shape and shockingly they got us around there in 4 hours which seems to be unheard of these days on a weekend afternoon. Rangers were out doing a great job. My game was iffy, I only hit 2 fairways but the misses were only off the fairway by a few feet to a few yards. Couple birdies, putting seems to be a bit better than it has been in recent rounds.

[VNutz]

Played Orchard Valley yesterday afternoon. Course was in great shape, no issues. The greens weren't fast, and they were bumpy, but I honestly think that's just how the greens are there, I'm not really sure what they could do to change it short of reseeding them. I'm no expert but I think their grass for the greens is different than the norm around here. Most greens I play have shorter blades, but most greens there had longer blades, more coarse. But I can look beyond that as I love the layout of 17 of the holes, 13 excluded. Swing was off, had a decent round going but 3 water balls on the back nine, 4 total for the round, derailed me.

 

They also have the cart boards there now. They look fun, next time.

 

Oh, and the fade I had 3 weeks ago that last weekend went back to the nice, dependable, draw I'm so accustomed to, came back. I was lost off the tee. Ugh.

[zer0]

.

 

They also have the cart boards there now. They look fun, next time.

 

 

 

I assume you're talking about Golf Boards? If so, don't waste your time. They're not fun. Me and the wife used them at GD last year and they pretty much suck. Way too much work and effort to turn/steer. If you want to turn you basically have to lean way into the turn as if you were sailing or motorcycle racing. Definitely doesn't move effortlessly like a segway. Maybe it would be more enjoyable if you weren't also attempting to play golf. After 9 holes we were ready to exchange them in for normal carts.

[zer0]

Me and the wife played in the heat Sunday afternoon at Deerfield. $33 with a cart at 3:00, not too shabby. My putting woes continued as I extended my streak of rounds without a 1 putt to 2 and ended with 39 putts after having 40 putts Friday. Driver disappeared on the back and ended up with only 6 fairways, but did manage 9 greens. But aforesaid horrible putting resulted in a 88. It was fun having the entire course to ourselves though, I guess everyone else around are just huge pussies. We live in Chicago, smack yourself in the head if you ever hear yourself complaining that its too hot. Nice touch by Deerfield having rangers driving around with jugs of cold water. Also the cart girl was there every few holes, one of the benefits of having less than 10 people on the course. Course was in good shape, greens a little slow, but rolled good.

 

Yesterday the woes continued at Ravisloe. Got the putts down to 34, but it was still pretty bad as I missed 2 putts inside 2 feet. Driver left me and only hit 4 fairways, 5 greens. Another awful 88. Course was in great shape as always. Pace was good at our 1:00 tee time, finished in 4:10. Only dealt with one a****** on the course in the 4some in front of us. He decided he was going to re-putt all his putts after everyone had holed out and left the green...ON EVERY HOLE. And not just the first putt he missed, but also the second. And often more than one re-putt. Finally on one hole we are standing in the middle of the fairway 130 yards out waiting for his group to finish. They do and this guy takes his ball to 20 feet from the pin and re-putts. Then grabs his ball and brings it back to the same 20 foot mark and gets ready to re-putt again. I yell out "FORE" and he ducks and covers his head, then when he realizes there is no ball coming in he starts to set up his putt again. My buddy gets pissed and yells. "get the F off the green!" which got his attention and he left..after he putted again. After that though he stopped doing that.

 

Tough weekend coming off of last weekend's 78. Followed that up with 93, 88, 88. Worst part is I already feel like my back is already breaking down for the summer. Usually that doesn't happen till September. Took me 4 hours and 2 cataflans on Saturday to even be able to get dressed and out of the house.

 

Scramble tomorrow at Cog HIll Ravines. If that's a mess I might take a week off to rest the back.

[Argonne69]

Time for a new putter? Yeah, it's likely the Indian, and not the arrow, but sometimes a new flatstick can cure the putting blues. I went with a heavier, counterbalanced Odyssey Tank this year. I think my long lag putting has suffered, but the inside 5' stats have improved greatly.

[Argonne69]

I know it's a cow pasture, but is Fresh Meadows worth a one time visit? I have an appointment early on Saturday morning in Oak Brook, so I'll be teeing off at 11 am or so. I have to be back downtown by 4 pm, so I don't have a lot of time to play anything further out. I've played Oak Brook at Willow Crest, but have avoided FM until now. 'Not expecting much, but it has to be playable.

[zer0]

I know it's a cow pasture, but is Fresh Meadows worth a one time visit? I have an appointment early on Saturday morning in Oak Brook, so I'll be teeing off at 11 am or so. I have to be back downtown by 4 pm, so I don't have a lot of time to play anything further out. I've played Oak Brook at Willow Crest, but have avoided FM until now. 'Not expecting much, but it has to be playable.

 

 

It's definitely worthy of your quest to play every golf course in the area no matter how crappy they are.

 

Actually has a solid range. Course is what you would expect.

 

Time for a new putter? Yeah, it's likely the Indian, and not the arrow, but sometimes a new flatstick can cure the putting blues. I went with a heavier, counterbalanced Odyssey Tank this year. I think my long lag putting has suffered, but the inside 5' stats have improved greatly.

 

Definitely need a new putter. Is Spieth available? Heck, I'd settle for anyone who posts regularly in this thread.

[WindyCitySPN]

Anyone have suggestions on public courses near harbor shores? Driving from downtown planning on making a day of it.

[VNutz]

Anyone have suggestions on public courses near harbor shores? Driving from downtown planning on making a day of it.

 

Lake Michigan Hills is not far from there. Decent course, old school layout, some fun holes, some not so fun. Not great but not bad.

 

I've not played it but I've heard good things about Whittaker Woods, which is more near the MI- IN border.

[Argonne69]

Anyone have suggestions on public courses near harbor shores? Driving from downtown planning on making a day of it.

 

Good 'ol Lost Marsh in Hammond is on the way if you're planning an afternoon round at Harbor Shores. There's also The Brassie GC in Chesterton, IN, which isn't a bad prairie-style layout.

 

I've heard decent things about Whittaker Woods, but I haven't been able to play it because they do not allow singles to book tee times.

 

Lastly, you could hit the Warren GC or Blackthorn in South Bend, IN. It's a few miles out of the way, but a fairly straight shot up U.S. 31 to Benton Harbor.

[threshold350]

I know it's a cow pasture, but is Fresh Meadows worth a one time visit? I have an appointment early on Saturday morning in Oak Brook, so I'll be teeing off at 11 am or so. I have to be back downtown by 4 pm, so I don't have a lot of time to play anything further out. I've played Oak Brook at Willow Crest, but have avoided FM until now. 'Not expecting much, but it has to be playable.

Go for it especially if you get a Hot Deal on it.

 

I booked a tee time for Hilldale tomorrow morning. I'm hoping they are wrong aboot the forecast.

[DavePelz4]

I know it's a cow pasture, but is Fresh Meadows worth a one time visit? I have an appointment early on Saturday morning in Oak Brook, so I'll be teeing off at 11 am or so. I have to be back downtown by 4 pm, so I don't have a lot of time to play anything further out. I've played Oak Brook at Willow Crest, but have avoided FM until now. 'Not expecting much, but it has to be playable.

Go for it especially if you get a Hot Deal on it.

 

I booked a tee time for Hilldale tomorrow morning. I'm hoping they are wrong aboot the forecast.

 

Aboot? We have an Aussie on the Chicago board and now a Canadian. Welcome to Chicago!

[geochitown]

has anyone played Wilmette so far this year?

we're having a group tourney on the course in July and I haven't played it before.

 

Thinking about playing there this week to get a feel for the course.

[Buddha]

I think I am about to run to Mt Prospect for a twilight round, just in case the weatherman is right, and I am not able to go Tuesday or Wednesday.