Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[ldchristopher]

A discussion about course value? Count me in. Prairie View is great. It was measured by a blind man and is nowhere near as long as the card says it is, but that's not a bad thing. The only real problem is that it's run like a Cook County Forest Preserve course so they let groups off the front and back. Timber Pointe is solid but it's always soaking wet. The place just seems to retain water. Oak Grove is awesome and they constantly have specials so the website prices are meaningless. The lack of water on the course is points off. Nobody in Chicagoland can compare to HOE for value, aesthetics, pace, challenge, and on-course variety. There are plenty of other gems, but a lot of them aren't in Illinois. For example, the two courses at Brighton Dale Links in Kansasville, WI and The Brassie in Chesterton, IN come to mind as courses that are nice, challenging, cheap, and walker friendly. If bang for your buck was the only criteria that mattered and the objective was to play 36 as much as possible, you guys wouldn't even be giving Harborside the time of day. But hey, different strokes for different folks.

[jimwgt26]

Balmoral Woods is 20 min south of Harborside, and is a great value.

[apprenti23]

Jesus Christ... You guys have to factor in location before you can really determine a value here.., how many million people are within a thirty minute commute to Harborside? Now how many million to HoE or any of those courses near the Field of dreams you mentioned...

 

 

[zer0]

Jesus Christ... You guys have to factor in location before you can really determine a value here.., how many million people are within a thirty minute commute to Harborside? Now how many million to HoE or any of those courses near the Field of dreams you mentioned...

 

meh, Harborside isn't any closer to the city than Wilmette. Just on the opposite side. I live on the north side of the city and Harborside is more like a 45 minute commute and much longer if I get stuck in traffic coming back.

[zer0]

Considering they already had an extremely inflated self worth and consistently raised prices when the course was beat up and sand-less I think it's a safe assumption that they will hike the prices considerably after the renovation.

 

They'll cite the cost of the renovation while at the same time claiming they are now the premiere public golf destination in the Chicago area, ahead of Dubs. I wouldn't be surprised if they went as high as $150. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they went higher.

 

It doesn't hold a candle to The Highlands of Elgin...at less than half the price.

 

Is there any course in Illinois that can stack up to HOE when you factor in price? Might not be too many courses in the whole USA that can.

 

Oak Grove is right up there...Whitetail Ridge is a great track/value...Blackstone...

 

You lost me on Whitetail Ridge. It's too tight for my liking and I found the price to be reasonable, but nothing I would call a great value.

 

I did enjoy seeing all the senior citizens driving around in their fancy custom golf carts though.

[DavePelz4]

Considering they already had an extremely inflated self worth and consistently raised prices when the course was beat up and sand-less I think it's a safe assumption that they will hike the prices considerably after the renovation.

 

They'll cite the cost of the renovation while at the same time claiming they are now the premiere public golf destination in the Chicago area, ahead of Dubs. I wouldn't be surprised if they went as high as $150. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they went higher.

 

It doesn't hold a candle to The Highlands of Elgin...at less than half the price.

 

Is there any course in Illinois that can stack up to HOE when you factor in price? Might not be too many courses in the whole USA that can.

 

Oak Grove is right up there...Whitetail Ridge is a great track/value...Blackstone...

 

You lost me on Whitetail Ridge. It's too tight for my liking and I found the price to be reasonable, but nothing I would call a great value.

 

I did enjoy seeing all the senior citizens driving around in their fancy custom golf carts though.

 

There's a couple of tight holes on the front but quite a few with ample fairways.

[adschus]

Any find k-sigs at their local Costco?

[VNutz]

Any find k-sigs at their local Costco?

 

DP4 got some at Oak Brook earlier today. My wife just stopped by there and they are sold out.

[dhartmann34]

Costco in LZ said only 3 stores in the Chicago area got em so far and the only one with some left was Orland Park with 85 left of the 300 they git. I don't know how accurate that is of course.

[Soxfan21]

Went to the Orland Costco at around 5:00, they still had a bunch left. While browsing the K-Sig topic, someone posted that they were all sold out late this evening.

[B-Man]

Who need K-sigs when you got these? Came 2nd in a ball comp the other week and this is what I got. Classic. Brand new. Must be over 20 yrs old.

 

 

[dhartmann34]

Who need K-sigs when you got these? Came 2nd in a ball comp the other week and this is what I got. Classic. Brand new. Must be over 20 yrs old.

 

I found a brand new box of titleist professionals in a box while I was cleaning the other day.

[Dickos]

From Crain's online this afternoon:

 

South Side golf course set for $1.7 million renovation

 

 

 

 

The 36-hole, publicly owned Harborside International Golf Center is getting a face-lift as the company that manages it looks to cut maintenance costs and boost revenue.

Northbrook-based KemperSports Management today announced it is beginning a $1.7 million renovation of the pair of courses between Lake Calumet and the Bishop Ford Freeway that will cut in half the acreage of bunkers on the links.

 

The project, which will be done in three phases, is designed to improve drainage on the course and lower the frequency of washouts after it rains. The 14 acres of bunkers on the course were difficult and costly to maintain for KemperSports, which leases the courses from the Illinois International Port District. At least 27 of the holds at Harborside will remain open during the renovation.

"We are confident that this renovation will set Harborside International on a path for continued success," KemperSports CEO Steve Skinner said in a statement. "This project will solidify Harborside's reputation as the finest-conditioned public golf course in the city."

Putting money into the course renovation comes two years after KemperSports made a similar investment to upgrade its clubhouse and dining room.

Reducing maintenance costs and maximizing profit at the 22-year-old course is key for KemperSports, which pays the Port District a management fee of at least $100,000 per year to run the facility. That minimum fee is guaranteed even if KemperSports falls short of it in course profits.

REVENUE SHARING

The arrangement prevents the Port District from taking a loss on the course, but it can make more than the $100,000 fee if profit exceeds that figure.

If it does exceed $100,000, KemperSports gets a management fee of 3 percent of the course's revenue. If the course's profit exceeds $100,000 plus 3 percent of revenue, the next 3 percent of revenue beyond that goes into capital investments at the course.

KemperSports then gets another bonus equal to 1 percent of revenue if there are profits leftover after that. And the Port District and the company evenly split revenue beyond that.

KemperSports originally struck the 10-year deal in 2013 with the Port District, the city-state agency that oversees the Southeast Side complex used by companies that use Chicago's waterway system to transport bulk commodities. Last year, the two sides extended the deal by 10 years, which means Kemper will run the course through 2033.

The company last year paid the Port District around $400,000 in profit and $164,000 for capital investments, according to a KemperSports spokesman. That's a far cry from the annual losses the Port District endured running Harborside before privatizing its operations.

The agency lost $2.4 million on course operations between 2009 and 2011, according to its financial statements.

The spruce-up for Harborside also comes as a nearby public golf course that may compete with it for customers heads toward its own overhaul.

The Chicago Park District is pushing to transform its Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses along Lake Michigan into an 18-hole championship course designed by Tiger Woods with a $30 million renovation. The city even formed a new nonprofit organization, the Chicago Park Golf Alliance, to raise money for the effort to redo the links 7 miles north of Harborside.

 

Helluva first post after 3 years of observing!

 

Why thank you. The financials are quite fascinating.

 

I've enjoyed the regular posters' insights on the local public courses, so my thanks to you all.

[ldchristopher]

Oh, goody. The K-Sig is back to save all of us from the perils of paying too much for urethane balls. I wonder what Euro-only cast-off will be re-branded as the K-Sig this time around?

[hogans71]

After 25 years of living downtown, it looks as if I'm heading back to the NW burbs(Yes, I am prepared for culture shock :lol:) . Having taken a leave of absence from the club I was a member of to figure out exactly how all this plays out, I find myself looking for a course(or courses) to play in the interim. Prior to joining my club, my brothers and I would head in the direction of my folks home (Kildeer) so the old man didn't have to drive all over God's creation. So our rotation consisted mainly of Steeple Chase, Stonewall Orchard, Pine Meadow, Kemper Lakes (when it was public) and Thunderhawk. My question to all who wish to answer is... anything else out this way I should be playing? I enjoy all the ones mentioned but am happy to try something new. Recently, I've gotten a chance to play both HOE and Blackstone and will play those again- anything else?

[geochitown]

White deer run?

[geochitown]

Foxford hills

Chalet hills

Makray (old thunderbird)

 

 

Whisper creek

Bowes Creek

[ctfuzz21]

Anybody looking to play tomorrow morning in the northern suburbs?

[Holy Moses]

Blackstone was pretty dry and in as good as shape as possible. Greens were quick for the season but a bit bumpy.

 

Do any driving ranges have the grass tees open?

[Argonne69]

I made the trek south to Beecher this morning to play Cardinal Creek. 'Certainly nothing to write home about. It's your typical woodland-style course built on slightly rolling terrain. Small greens give it a little teeth, but overall it's pretty benign. It reminded me a lot of Tuckaway. There are three nines, each with three par 5's, and three par 3's. Conditions were soft and shaggy, with standing water in a few places. The green were actually rolling half way decently. The temperature was in the low 50's, but the steady wind put a little chill in the air.

 

Another good round. 9/13 fairways and 11 greens. Given the small size of most of the greens, I was very happy with my iron play. Three birdies helped offset the four bogies. Overall a very nice round on a forgettable course.

 

My ankles are killing me after walking again on the soft turf. Is it ever going to dry out? I'll be at Glencoe tomorrow morning, and then I'm off to Mesquite, NV, and St George, UT for six rounds later in the week. The weather there looks promising.

[VNutz]

Blackstone was pretty dry and in as good as shape as possible. Greens were quick for the season but a bit bumpy.

 

Do any driving ranges have the grass tees open?

 

I hit on grass at oak brook last week, but they're all grass and no mats. With all the rain recently I'm not shocked places have chosen mats over ruining their range already.

[Holy Moses]

I made the trek south to Beecher this morning to play Cardinal Creek. 'Certainly nothing to write home about. It's your typical woodland-style course built on slightly rolling terrain. Small greens give it a little teeth, but overall it's pretty benign. It reminded me a lot of Tuckaway. There are three nines, each with three par 5's, and three par 3's. Conditions were soft and shaggy, with standing water in a few places. The green were actually rolling half way decently. The temperature was in the low 50's, but the steady wind put a little chill in the air.

 

Another good round. 9/13 fairways and 11 greens. Given the small size of most of the greens, I was very happy with my iron play. Three birdies helped offset the four bogies. Overall a very nice round on a forgettable course.

 

My ankles are killing me after walking again on the soft turf. Is it ever going to dry out? I'll be at Glencoe tomorrow morning, and then I'm off to Mesquite, NV, and St George, UT for six rounds later in the week. The weather there looks promising.

 

Playing Johnny Miller's course in St George? It's pretty nice.

[DavePelz4]

Played Randall Oaks yesterday. Grass tees on the range and the course was shockingly dry. Only a few very low spots were wet.

[Argonne69]

I made the trek south to Beecher this morning to play Cardinal Creek. 'Certainly nothing to write home about. It's your typical woodland-style course built on slightly rolling terrain. Small greens give it a little teeth, but overall it's pretty benign. It reminded me a lot of Tuckaway. There are three nines, each with three par 5's, and three par 3's. Conditions were soft and shaggy, with standing water in a few places. The green were actually rolling half way decently. The temperature was in the low 50's, but the steady wind put a little chill in the air.

 

Another good round. 9/13 fairways and 11 greens. Given the small size of most of the greens, I was very happy with my iron play. Three birdies helped offset the four bogies. Overall a very nice round on a forgettable course.

 

My ankles are killing me after walking again on the soft turf. Is it ever going to dry out? I'll be at Glencoe tomorrow morning, and then I'm off to Mesquite, NV, and St George, UT for six rounds later in the week. The weather there looks promising.

 

Playing Johnny Miller's course in St George? It's pretty nice.

 

I'll be playing Sand Hollow and Sky Mountain in SG.

[VNutz]

The ultimate dilemma, play on a gorgeous day or watch the masters. Hmm

[St Jimmy]

DVR is your friend today.

[Scratch2Plus]

The ultimate dilemma, play on a gorgeous day or watch the masters. Hmm

 

I'm Sleeping in and then watching the Masters. :)

[DavePelz4]

The ultimate dilemma, play on a gorgeous day or watch the masters. Hmm

 

I'm Sleeping in and then watching the Masters. :)

 

With who? Or is it whom?

[DavePelz4]

BTW, I can confirm that Chicago Lefty is still alive and showed up at tee time at Randall Oaks.

 

Of course, he changed his mind about playing 3 times in just a few days...I'm in...I'm out...I'm in...maybe this also explains why he said he's going to be a Dad for the 2nd time.

[AUTIGER07]

Played Shepherd's Crook for the first time this morning. Not a bad track at all, especially considering the $30 price. Conditions were tough with how wet everything still is plus the ridiculous wind of between 15-25 MPH but I'll definitely go back to give it another go around. Ended up shooting 78 which wasn't too bad considering that was my first 18 hole round, excluding two scrambles, since May of last year and I had two lost balls on 2nd shots where you just couldn't tell where they plugged.