Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[jimwgt26]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

 

Gary, You have to yell "Baba Booie" when he hits his drive on 1.

[PuttCurseRepeat]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let Lefty through the gates.

 

Let me know if there's a problem, guys. I know a place around back where you can sneak in and probably get in a hole or two before being escorted off the property.

 

Didn't realize you knew Lefty that well.

I probably should have worded differently.

 

You had to go there...

[DavePelz4]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

 

Gary, You have to yell "Baba Booie" when he hits his drive on 1.

 

Without hesitation, that would get us bounced immediately. Will post a write-up tomorrow but will just share that a list of restrictions was provided, several times, and in 6 sentences, the word "no" was used 5 times.

 

I'm really concerned that Lefty will not have the proper clothing to be allowed to play.

[Argonne69]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

 

Gary, You have to yell "Baba Booie" when he hits his drive on 1.

 

Without hesitation, that would get us bounced immediately. Will post a write-up tomorrow but will just share that a list of restrictions was provided, several times, and in 6 sentences, the word "no" was used 5 times.

 

I'm really concerned that Lefty will not have the proper clothing to be allowed to play.

 

Lol. Was "open toe shoes" one of them? Cutoff shorts? Sports jerseys?

[stasek]

Just finished a last second round at Mistwood. Conditions were very good, greens were not the fastest, but still kept you honest. Highlight? 3 birdies. Lowlight? 8 over on 3 holes, including a quad on par 5 8th AND the damn sun. Toasty to say he least.

[DavePelz4]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

 

Gary, You have to yell "Baba Booie" when he hits his drive on 1.

 

Without hesitation, that would get us bounced immediately. Will post a write-up tomorrow but will just share that a list of restrictions was provided, several times, and in 6 sentences, the word "no" was used 5 times.

 

I'm really concerned that Lefty will not have the proper clothing to be allowed to play.

 

Lol. Was "open toe shoes" one of them? Cutoff shorts? Sports jerseys?

Jorts was on the list and that's a staple of CL's golf wardrobe.

[WindyCitySPN]

Played Onwentsia CC yesterday, course is awesome. My game however was not.....

[VNutz]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

 

Gary, You have to yell "Baba Booie" when he hits his drive on 1.

 

Without hesitation, that would get us bounced immediately. Will post a write-up tomorrow but will just share that a list of restrictions was provided, several times, and in 6 sentences, the word "no" was used 5 times.

 

I'm really concerned that Lefty will not have the proper clothing to be allowed to play.

 

Have fun today guys, should be awesome assuming Lefty doesn't get bounced for sneaking in some special brews.

 

 

Played Oak Brook yesterday, under 5 hours with a bunch of high schoolers so I'm pleased with that. Back for more this afternoon, and back to back softball games. I'll be spent by the end of the night. Oak Brook is in pretty nice shape right now, some rough spots but overall good. They must not be mowing every day as the greens were shaggy and pretty slow, not like them. Hopefully they'll be mowed today and actually be rolling a little. Greens were much softer and more receptive than I would have imagined given the recent heat and lack of rain.

[Chicago Joe]

Played Shaumburg Golf Club this morning. 6 A.M. tee time. The twosome that I was supposed to go out with was late so they let me go out alone. Played the Players / Baer combo. The course is in great shape and the greens were quick. Got around in 2 1/2 hours. Had my best round of the year with a 78.

[VNutz]

Oak Brook again yesterday. Was a wind tunnel early on, I flew #1 going 7w, 7w. Had a 2:15 tee time and 2 softball games starting at 6:30, 30 minutes away. Got through 16 before I had to go, busted my Word not allowed to roll in at 6:29, only to find the other team had called in a forfeit, and the park district/league neglected to tell us.

[chrisf60526]

"So Saturday we ended up at The Broadlands in North Prairie, WI. I never heard of the course until then and I would say it's probably a hidden gem, I really enjoyed the round there, course was in pretty good shape. It had a lot of fun holes with some good elevation changes. Some of the holes reminded me of Highlands of Elgin. I would make the trip up there again no questions asked. My golf was so so, had a few doubles in the mix and had some struggles with my irons and wedges (normally the strong part of my game). I managed a nice 78 thanks to my short game once again saving me, but I need to figure the rest out because my short game generally is not enough to save a round."

 

Played that course last week on a whim while in Wisconsin and its outstanding. For $38, it was excellent

[jimwgt26]

Playing Chicago Golf Club tomorrow...only 15 months in the making. Still not convinced they're going to let me through the gates.

 

Gary, You have to yell "Baba Booie" when he hits his drive on 1.

 

Without hesitation, that would get us bounced immediately. Will post a write-up tomorrow but will just share that a list of restrictions was provided, several times, and in 6 sentences, the word "no" was used 5 times.

 

I'm really concerned that Lefty will not have the proper clothing to be allowed to play.

 

Was one of the "No's" posting reviews? What's taking so long?

[DavePelz4]

Chicago Lefty and I played Chicago Golf Club yesterday. It was an interesting day and round to say the least. Prior to playing CL had received a number of emails/texts with the "rules" which included:

 

1. No phones (OK with this one)

2. No photos to be taken whatsoever

3. No GPS to be used

4. No excessive gambling

5. Proper attire, shorts allowed but no cargo shorts (Lefty changed out of his Jorts).

6. Other general rules that you would find at any nice club such as no hats in the clubhouse.

 

Our host for the day met CL's friend Jeff and me at the entrance to the clubhouse. Jeff had come from work and was in a t-shirt and jeans. He was asked if he was planning on changing...which of course he was. The inside of the clubhouse is very understated and traditional. It probably hasn't changed much over the years and it has tons of memorabilia throughout. If you're not aware, the Chicago Golf Club was the first 18 hole club in the country, originally in Downers Grove but moved to Wheaton and one of the 5 founding clubs of the USGA. The lockers were the old school metal lockers and some of them had names that you'd recognize like Ben Crenshaw, Mike Keiser (the golf course architect) or Jay Levine.

 

After a quick lunch, we met our caddies and went to hit a few balls. The caddies didn't come with to the range so you took several clubs and walked across the 18th fairway, which was kind of interesting. The range is basically in the middle of the course. The range balls were Chrome Soft in great condition.

 

We played from the white tees which were around 6,600 yards. The course was in great condition and playing very fast, more on that later. The use of bunkers on the course is very unique. Some of the fairway bunkers played at a diagonal and some were just there to create some visual challenges. On the front 9, the wind was howling at times and at least 25-30 MPH. Greenside bunkers were plentiful, short, long, left or right. Some were 10-15 feet below the greens. Although the fairways are pretty ample, we each found a way to miss a few.

 

The biggest challenge of the course is the green complexes with greens which are square in design. We experienced some holes where the pin was in an extreme position. If you weren't in the right spot you had minimal chance to make a putt. A number of the greens had false fronts and if you didn't throw the ball far enough on the green for chips or pitches, there was a good chance it was coming back to your feet. I experienced that a couple of times. We all experienced approach shots that hit the green and didn't hold the position and going long or coming back off the front. You had to hit the ball in the right spot with the right amount of spin or on a few holes, land the ball short and let it run up. Most of the greenside bunkers were very narrow and truly penal. Getting up and down was next to impossible and I think we all went bunker to bunker on a hole.

 

The opening 3 holes are a beast of a start. The first was a 450-yard par 4, followed by a 440-yard par 4 that played directly into the wind and probably played at 460-470 and then a 220-yard par 3 that also played directly into the wind. None of the 4 of us played very well on the front although Lefty was back with prodigious drives. To validate the speed of the course, on the 9th hole which played around 410 with a pond at 330, I hit driver and was just short of the water, Jeff hit a driver that ended in the water and Lefty hit a 3 wood that one-hopped into the water.

 

At the turn, the wind quieted down a bit, Lefty quaffed a lager and it turned his game around 180 degrees. On the first 5 holes on the back, he had 4 serious looks at birdie putts inside 10 feet, converted two back to back and also threw another in for good measure. He hit the only par 5 on the back which played about 530 with driver, 7 iron. Having played more than a few rounds with him over the years, it's safe to say it's the longest and most consistent he's hit the driver.

 

Although there is no significant gambling allowed, we did play a match. On the front, that drive on the ninth hole which should have led to me winning the front 2 up, ended up rinsed in the pond and the front finished all square...but based on how we played the first 9, it was really "all suck." With the birdie barrage on the back, Lefty finished the round 2 up. The stupid wedge shot ended up being the determining factor in the match.

 

As a point of comparison, I think CL shot at least 12-14 shots lower on the back than the front and finished the inward 9 with a sterling 34. That's as well as he's played in a long time on a course that isn't easy to score on.

 

Post round we all had the specialty drink an "Orange Whip," lots of conversation with our host who is the owner of Mistwood and McQ's, heard the story of the redesign and a lot about the course and business.

 

All in all, it was a great day at a great facility that is all about golf. Having played other private facilities, Chicago Golf Club is very unpretentious and understated but full of class. Although it's not likely given the challenge in getting on the course, we'd probably shoot 5-8 shots less the second time around by knowing where to hit the ball on the greens.

 

Congrats to Lefty on an amazing back 9. Although I tease him at every opportunity, when he shoots lights out it deserves to be recognized!

[Argonne69]

Nice shooting, CL!

[VNutz]

No photos at all?? I was always of the understanding you could take pictures with a real camera, just not a phone.

[DavePelz4]

No photos at all?? I was always of the understanding you could take pictures with a real camera, just not a phone.

 

Here's the irony. Although we were told that photo requests had to "go to the board for approval," one of my college golf buds played CGC last fall and he said they took a ton of pictures of the course. None were allowed inside the clubhouse but they took pics on every hole.

 

Most of the holes are very scenic and with the fescue surrounding the fairways, visually appealing. It would be really nice to show the green complexes and elevation changes as well.

 

If there were any disappointments on the day it would be the lack of pics (kind of like having a date with Kate Upton but not being able to prove it) and the lack of distance measuring devices. While the caddies were good, the level of yardage detail was a bit different. The caddies go off the numbers on the sprinkler heads but I'm not sure those are always right. On 1 hole in particular, Lefty hit a lob wedge from 130 and I hit an 8 iron from 170 and we were both in the back bunker over the green and at least 25 yards over the pin. While Lefty smacks the ball a ton, I'm not sure that a 195 yard 8 iron actually is in my bag. While this is GolfWRX, the home of 210 yard 7 irons, I'm not a member of that club.

[VNutz]

No rangefinders?

[DavePelz4]

No rangefinders?

Nope. The Fitbit was a bit questionable, too.

[Argonne69]

No rangefinders?

Nope. The Fitbit was a bit questionable, too.

 

Keep in mind that the use of distance measuring devices are allowed through a local rule only. Technically, it's within a club's rights to not have the local rule in place. 'Certainly a tad odd in 2016, but not a total shock.

[DavePelz4]

Agree Arg. Don't think they have a rule...just a pre-disposition to maintain golf at it's purest form from many years ago.

[stasek]

So you played with Jim McWethy - cool! I know the fine gentlemen such as yourselves don't talk about money, but did a conversation about how much he put into Mistwood ever come up? Gotta be some serious $$$$.

Speaking of Mistwood, my buddy who happens to be a member there also happens to be Ryan Murphy's uncle (and godfather?). If you watched the NBC's post primetime news, they had a segment from family's home in Lemont - that was my friend's house ?.

[DavePelz4]

So you played with Jim McWethy - cool! I know the fine gentlemen such as yourselves don't talk about money, but did a conversation about how much he put into Mistwood ever come up? Gotta be some serious $$$$.

Speaking of Mistwood, my buddy who happens to be a member there also happens to be Ryan Murphy's uncle (and godfather?). If you watched the NBC's post primetime news, they had a segment from family's home in Lemont - that was my friend's house .

 

Jim was our host. The biggest conversation on money was while I was reaching into my wallet to pay off the lost wager to Lefty.

 

We didn't talk specifically about it but I'm relatively sure that the cost of the course upgrades, clubhouse, performance center etc. was around $15M.

[jimwgt26]

Must be nice to own a nice public track and be a member at one of the most exclusive in the world.

[stasek]

Must be nice to own a nice public track and be a member at one of the most exclusive in the world.

Not sure if it's true, but I heard the Big Run's owner is a member at Butler.

 

[jimwgt26]

Must be nice to own a nice public track and be a member at one of the most exclusive in the world.

Not sure if it's true, but I heard the Big Run's owner is a member at Butler.

 

I've heard that too.

[DavePelz4]

Must be nice to own a nice public track and be a member at one of the most exclusive in the world.

 

He's a member at 5-7 other clubs, too.

[Chicago Lefty]

Awesome day for sure! Certainly a round I'll definitely never forget regardless of the scores. It was an added bonus to suddenly find my game this year on the back 9 of CGC :) Our host was great and had plenty of amazing golf stories...

 

If you can get on CGC, I highly recommend it :P

 

Looks like 15m is an accurate estimate based on this article:

 

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160730/ISSUE01/307309993/this-suburban-golf-club-owner-thinks-he-can-make-money

[jimwgt26]

I just snuck in 18 at Wilmette. It was really humid and drizzled a little. As soon as I got in my car the thunder and lightening got a little ugly. I played fairly well until I got to that stupid 17th hole. Today's big winner were the mosquitos.

[Waterboy]

Lake Bluff this am

 

Course is really good shape. I know that management has changed and maintenance has stayed with the park district but in all the years I've played it. I can honestly say it's in the best condition I've seen.

[jimwgt26]

Originally I had a time at Heritage Bluff this morning. I was going to take a friend whose never played there. Just before I was supposed to leave, I decided to call and ask about course conditions. The guy who answered was honest and said the course is really soaked and swampy. I decided to call an audible, and we headed to HoE instead. The Highlands is in great shape, and we had an excellent time. Playing Stonewall tomorrow.