Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[zer0]

HOE as well today, course ate me up again. 94, two shots better than the 96 I put up there a few weeks ago. 8 penalty strokes and 39 total putts. Maybe its just me, but I think HOE is the toughest public course in Illinois. I think I've broken 90 out there once.

 

Toughest? Ooh, that's a tough question. Blackstone has teeth. Big Run can hurt. Seven Bridges is fraught with peril. George Dunne is no pushover.

 

 

Big Run has definitely kicked my a** so that would be up there. Only played Blackstone once and was in the 80s. Seven Bridges can definitely be a pain. Don't agree on George Dunne, any course where I can put up a score that has a 7 at the start can't be on the short list for "toughest courses in the area".

[zer0]

Needed a confidence boost so went back to Deerfield yesterday. It worked, shot an 80. Only 32 putts, starting to get used to the new putter.

 

 

Its amazing what is going on at Deerfield on a Sunday. Must've been 50 kids and families on the range and chipping green in golf camps. Place has come a long way from when I was a kid and there wasn't even a range.

[VNutz]

HOE as well today, course ate me up again. 94, two shots better than the 96 I put up there a few weeks ago. 8 penalty strokes and 39 total putts. Maybe its just me, but I think HOE is the toughest public course in Illinois. I think I've broken 90 out there once.

 

Not to be a richard, but I'd have to respectfully disagree with this. I actually had a conversation about this with the guys last time I played it. It can be visually intimidating but it's really not all that difficult IMO. I love HOE as a course and think it's a great play, one of my favorites around, but I generally find it very playable. The fairways are pretty generous IMO, as are many of the greens, which I've never found to be lightning fast. If you're going sideways and get loose with your shots you will find trouble so I get that, but even on some mediocre ball striking days I've come out with good numbers. And if/when you do hit some bad shots you generally can find your ball in the thick stuff if you're not on a hazard hole. The only holes that demand great placement are the Par 3s, all others have safe spots and bailouts. Just my opinion but I find courses like Big Run, Dunne and even the east 9 on Arrowhead to be more difficult and more demanding in placement.

[zer0]

HOE as well today, course ate me up again. 94, two shots better than the 96 I put up there a few weeks ago. 8 penalty strokes and 39 total putts. Maybe its just me, but I think HOE is the toughest public course in Illinois. I think I've broken 90 out there once.

 

Not to be a richard, but I'd have to respectfully disagree with this. I actually had a conversation about this with the guys last time I played it. It can be visually intimidating but it's really not all that difficult IMO. I love HOE as a course and think it's a great play, one of my favorites around, but I generally find it very playable. The fairways are pretty generous IMO, as are many of the greens, which I've never found to be lightning fast. If you're going sideways and get loose with your shots you will find trouble so I get that, but even on some mediocre ball striking days I've come out with good numbers. And if/when you do hit some bad shots you generally can find your ball in the thick stuff if you're not on a hazard hole. The only holes that demand great placement are the Par 3s, all others have safe spots and bailouts. Just my opinion but I find courses like Big Run, Dunne and even the east 9 on Arrowhead to be more difficult and more demanding in placement.

 

 

I guess it just depends on the player cause I find GD to be easy compared to HOE.

 

I think the front is easier than the back, but I only find a couple holes on the entire course to be "easy". #1 is easy, a great starter hole. #2 has a blind tee shot and a tricky fairway to track off the tee and if hte wind is in your face its tough to even get to the fairway. #3 has the choice of tee path, but if you go left and take the safe route good luck getting to the green from that angle especially if pin is in its usual front position. #4 is the easiest par 3 on the course, but if you miss the green any where but long left or short right in the bunker you are screwed. #5 is another tricky tee shot, if you can't clear the bunkers and have to go safe you're looking at a long iron into that green. #6 is a total mindfuck. Blind 2nd and 3rd shot, #7 can play as far as 230 yards from the 2nd tee box depending on wind. #8 isn't bad if you lay up to the right spot off the tee. #9 has a magnet to the woods on the right off the tee and even if you have a good one its a very tough green to hit due to the deceiving way it looks from far away, very easy to think you are on and then get up there and see that you are actually 6 yards short.

 

Back 9 is insane. #10 requires a layup and if you layup too far right you have a nearly impossible shot to a tiny green completely protected on all ends except for a tiny 10 yard stretch at the front. #11 is the hardest par 4 in Illinois, I personally can not get there in 2 under any circunstances. #12 has an easy tee shot and a confusing 2nd shot and another tough narrow green to hit. #13 is like playing a game of Plinko on Price is Right. #14 has a blind 2nd shot and another blind confusing green. #15 depends on the wind, Saturday it was in your face and the pin was 10 paces from the water. Good luck. #16, fun to play when wind and fairway go sharply to OB. I put 3 balls OB on this hole Saturday. #17 is another tough green to hit. #18 has an easy tee shot and it looks like it should be an easy green to hit, but I never do.

 

I think part of what makes HOE hard is that they bill it as a links style course, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Unlike real links style, there is no roll in the fairways at HOE. You can't cal yourself a links style course IMO if you can't use an bump and run. HOE is basically target golf, similar to Lost Marsh. Tough to do when you can't see a lot of the targets.

 

Like I said though, its all subjective though.

[Argonne69]

Which is why I use the term "links" course for real links-type courses, and "prairie-style" for these soft, target golf courses, e.g. Harborside, Prairie Bluff, Golf Club of Illinois.

[VNutz]

I find Dunne more difficult as many of their holes are lined with trees, which is generally stroke and distance depending on how you play the rules. Feels more tight to me. I certainly respect your opinion and your descriptions above make sense. But to me, I feel like HOE gives players of all abilities a way to play it. The fairways are pretty wide IMO, and soft as mentioned, not hard to hit. And many of the par 4s aren't overly long and don't force you to try to hit a big ball, there's a safe play built into most of them if you want to take your medicine and play short.

[jimwgt26]

My .02 is HoE is harder than GD for a 12ish handicap, they'll lose more balls at HoE than Dunne.

[Argonne69]

I agree with VNutz. The density of the woods, along with the numerous water hazards (8 holes: 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 17, and 18), makes GD a lost ball haven if you're not hitting it straight.

[PuttCurseRepeat]

Assuming I'm able to return from Colorado today

 

Was able to play the club at crested butte, a Robert Trent jones course, at 9000 feet

 

Fun, challenging course nestled up against my crested butte

 

Had a small hailstorm on the front, but it cleared quickly and we were able to finish the round

 

Hole 13 is an awesome par 4 with a tee box elevated some 100 feet about the fairway

 

Fun to see the ball fly!

CB is one of my favorite places in the world! But I have yet to make it out there any time other than Jan/Feb. I'm trying to find a reason to live/work there for a year (or more).

[jimwgt26]

Misfortune of playing White Deer Run today. Guys I work with live near by and like it. They sent us off the back because league play was starting when we would make the turn. That wedged us between groups already on the course. The front side was even worse. We quit after 4 holes. Total waste of a beautiful day:(

[MountainKing]

Played this morning at Klein Creek and what a dog track. I last played here when it first opened up and remember it being a nice pristine course with a horrible layout, now it's run down and the greens are just awful awful awful. Somehow on the bad greens I managed to drop 4 birdie putts on the back and fired a season low 9 holes of 34. Unfortunately my front 9 was a 40 but I'll take a 74 on this course and it ended up being my third lowest round of the season. Anybody looking to play out here however I would suggest looking elsewhere, it's not worth the $30 we paid.

 

I ended up out at Broken Arrow this afternoon for a second round. At $26 it was a great dead, course was in solid shape all around but the rough perhaps could use some trimming, with all the rain it was long, thick and penal. Fired an 80 but there were some tired swings on the back 9 and I tried to get up to 18 in 2 but a bad kick threw my ball into the water so that wiped out breaking 80. A fun day with some nice weather, hopefully I'll have a few more 36 hole days before the season comes to an end.

[jimwgt26]

Anyone play Water's Edge recently? Friends want to play there tomorrow, I'm skeptical.

[VNutz]

Anyone play Water's Edge recently? Friends want to play there tomorrow, I'm skeptical.

 

I haven't played it, but I wouldn't count on it being good. Their drainage is worse than most courses and with the rains last week I can't imagine they didn't have some sort of flooding. And it's not like it's really good to begin with...

[jimwgt26]

Anyone play Water's Edge recently? Friends want to play there tomorrow, I'm skeptical.

 

I haven't played it, but I wouldn't count on it being good. Their drainage is worse than most courses and with the rains last week I can't imagine they didn't have some sort of flooding. And it's not like it's really good to begin with...

 

We've talked about it before: it's too bad it's turned into a dump. The first few years it was open I thought it was solid.

[disk]

Anyone play Water's Edge recently? Friends want to play there tomorrow, I'm skeptical.

 

Played a couple of weeks ago and it was a swamp then, it can't be any better with all the rain we have had recently and the greens were not looking too great at the time.

[stasek]

Last minute "can you play at 2pm (2 hours from now)" round at Ruffled. Meh. Conditions are still sub-par (bumpy, slow-ish greens, with bare patches here and there). Took us 5 hours to finish - thank heavens for a friend who lives in the subdivision and joined our threesome on 12th tee and refilled us with beer - the cart girl went around at 2, when we were just starting and that was it! Had a chance to shoot semi decent score, but 3 or 4 3 putts and a triple bogey on 18th ("what do you mean I can't hit a flop shot from a downhill lie, to a tight pin with nothing but aqua behind?" resulted in 81. Not terrible for a first round in over 4 weeks, but could have been much better.

[geochitown]

Misfortune of playing White Deer Run today. Guys I work with live near by and like it. They sent us off the back because league play was starting when we would make the turn. That wedged us between groups already on the course. The front side was even worse. We quit after 4 holes. Total waste of a beautiful day:(

 

sorry to hear.

I played an early round at Pine Meadow getting out before the women't league started at 720 am

it's in great shape...

pretty warm for a walk, a little more humid than colorado high country

[Waterboy]

i was able to get out to Lake Bluff for a quick 9 last night.

 

The greens were pretty beat up. The Lake County Am happened over the weekend and then it looked like there might have been an outing in the AM. I'll probably pass on it for the next few weeks and let everything get back to normal.

 

Anyone heading the the Western Am this week? Saw it was going on a Knollwood.

[DavePelz4]

Played two rounds this past weekend at Bartlett Hills and Whisper Creek. We had 2 groups at Bartlett and I made the reservations on line with the comment that there would be 4 walking and the remainder riding. Never heard back from the pro/staff regarding this but when we checked in, they would not give the walking rate and said I needed to call in to get the "best walking rate" available. I asked how do you get the "best riding rate." The answer was obviously on line.

 

So, in order to get the "best rate" for our group, I'd have needed to book the riders on line and the walkers via a phone call. Kind of a goofy way to do things. With that said, the course was in very good shape but the greens were on the slower side with the rain of the last week.

 

Whisper Creek was probably in the best condition that I can ever remember. The greens were a touch slow but in great shape and overall the course was outstanding. Pace of play, which is always an issue there wasn't bad. The group in front of us had a hole open for most of the round and the ranger stayed on them. We finished around 4:20 which isn't bad for a Sunday morning.

 

My one issue with WC is that 3 of the 4 par 5's require less than driver off the tee. Not a fan of that at all. But it was a great day, great people and a very enjoyable 9-mile trek.

[jimwgt26]

Snuck out to George Dunne today. Zero and Vnutz discussion inspired me. I've played both courses a lot over the years, and both are on the top of my local favorites' list. I think HoE is harder. I played The Highlands Saturday and Dunne today, and shot 81 both rounds. My bad holes today, two doubles, were totally from hitting really bad shots. At Highlands, I had a few bogies and doubles where I hit good shots that took bad bounces and wound up in difficult spots. I will concede GD's greens are much slower and easier to putt than HoE's.

[propman]

Played Prairie Bluff today and for the first times in 12 years broke 80 scoring a 79. Even had an 8 on the 12th hole but got hot on holes 13 thru 18 shooting even par. Thank God I did know what my back nine score was before I putted for a par on the 18th. Ignorance was bliss!

[geochitown]

congrats on breaking 80!

I've only done it once (at Bowes Creek some 5 years ago!)

 

I'd like to play Prairie Bluffs sometime.

I like Greg Martin's work.

 

jimw - nice shooting on two challenging tracks.

[geochitown]

subbing tonite in work league at sunset valley

sunset valley closing next year for a Rick Jacobson renovation

[propman]

congrats on breaking 80!

I've only done it once (at Bowes Creek some 5 years ago!)

 

I'd like to play Prairie Bluffs sometime.

I like Greg Martin's work.

 

jimw - nice shooting on two challenging tracks.

 

Thanks. I thought it would never happen again as 12 yrs. is a long time and I'm not gettin" any younger. Prairie Bluff is always in good condition and while not super challenging, it still can bite you in the a** if you do not have your A game (which I usually don't).

[zer0]

subbing tonite in work league at sunset valley

sunset valley closing next year for a Rick Jacobson renovation

 

That's good to hear. Any idea what the renovation will entail?

[geochitown]

new drainage, i think new bunkers and putting complexes.

there are details on the website

 

http://www.pdhp.org/sunset-valley-golf-course-renovation/

 

here is some info:

Elements of the proposed renovation plan:

• Course improvements and enhancements will include upgrades to tees, greens, bunkers as well as overall infrastructure, drainage, and storm water management
  
• A new modernized clubhouse and outdoor space to better serve golfers and residents
  
• Improved parking
  

Schedule

Design Development & Public Engagement (March 2016 – July 15, 2016)

Construction Document Phase (July 16, 2016 – September 30, 2016)

Bidding & Negotiating Phase (October 1 – November 30, 2016)

Bid Awarded (December 13, 2016 Board Meeting)

Construction Begins April of 2017

Sunset Valley Golf Course Opens Summer of 2018!

Project Team

Jacobson Golf Course Design

Gewalt Hamilton & Associates

Woodhouse Tinucci Architects

[Argonne69]

Good to hear. Mount Prospect, Wilmette, Glenview, and now Sunset. A few other muni's could use a little redo.

[jimwgt26]

Good to hear. Mount Prospect, Wilmette, Glenview, and now Sunset. A few other muni's could use a little redo.

 

Don't forget Oak Meadows.

[DavePelz4]

Springbrook is redoing the range, practice green (think GCI with more slope) and moving the first tee.

[DavePelz4]

BTW...anyone seen the plaque on the 17th hole at Whisper Creek that references Tom Waddle and the clown?