Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[Argonne69]

Glencoe this morning. The course was better than last week, but not significantly. The greens rolled decently, but the fairways were still quite spongy, and the rough was patchy with plenty of damp spots. The winds were tricky to say the least. The late bloomers were out in force, especially given that cart were allowed on the course for the first time this year. Pace of play was OK, but I already miss the sub-three hour rounds.

 

Mediocre day ballstriking. 'Drove the ball well, hitting 12 fairways, but my irons were off, a few quite badly. I birdied the opening hole with a sweet hybrid to 6 feet, but other than that I didn't really give myself too many good looks at birdie. Oh well, one to forget.

 

'Looking forward to some nice weather in Nevada and Utah.

[ldchristopher]

I played Sportsman's this morning. I couldn't have asked for better weather. The wind helped and hurt pretty equally and it was gusty but very manageable. There was some standing water and there were a few other wet spots, but considering the rain we had last week, I expected much worse. Fairways were in pretty good shape. The greens either hadn't recovered from the punches last fall or were punched about 3 weeks ago so putting was tricky. I managed to roll in a birdie on 15 though. Iron play was brutal. I'm generally very consistent with my 5 and 6 irons but I only hit one or two crisp ones all day. I finished bogey-bogey so I've got to get out this week to wash that sour taste out of my mouth.

[Scratch2Plus]

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?

 

Just me, myself, and I...no drama.

 

Thinking about playing Mt.Prospect Monday morning before work.

[stg099]

Played Maple Meadows yesterday, pace of play was poor, but honestly better than expected given a noonish start time and carts were path only. We did some waiting, especially on par 3's but it was better than I thought it'd be when we started. Course was in good shape but fairways/rough were soft so lots of mudballs. A few bunkers had obviously been washed out as well, so they were really thin with sand. The wind was the story though, such a simple track turns into an entirely different animal when it's gusting and swirling like it was. Overall a fun day on the course (especially for the $30 golfnow hot deal price) and had the DVR set for the masters to watch in it's entirely in the evening.

[MountainKing]

Got out for the 2nd round of the year at Cantigny yesterday. Conditions were what you'd expect but pace of play was awful, teed off at 8:30 and took 5 hours to get around. For some reasons the rangers waited until we were all 15 holes in to start doing something about it, as one said to me the backup out here is causing them to fall behind on the first tee. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for the year. I love the game but I hate watching grass grow, pace is getting to the point where I would gladly pay a premium price to get around in a reasonable time without having to wait shot after shot.

[stg099]

Got out for the 2nd round of the year at Cantigny yesterday. Conditions were what you'd expect but pace of play was awful, teed off at 8:30 and took 5 hours to get around. For some reasons the rangers waited until we were all 15 holes in to start doing something about it, as one said to me the backup out here is causing them to fall behind on the first tee. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for the year. I love the game but I hate watching grass grow, pace is getting to the point where I would gladly pay a premium price to get around in a reasonable time without having to wait shot after shot.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. It seems that these courses are so scared of holding golfers accountable for pace that they have simply stopped even trying.. If this trend continues I can't help but think that it'll be damaging for revenue when golfers get tired of 5+ hour rounds, but then again, most of these slow groups I encounter seem to be guys that are trying to spend the longest time possible away from their wife/kids for the day, so maybe there's enough of them that they don't mind it, and won't stop playing because of it.

 

Even though it's early in the season, I'm going to start playing as early as I possible can to beat the crowds. Nice to get good morning traffic anyway, but just sucks to have to get up at 5:30 in order to have a shot at a round that doesn't take all day

[zer0]

Schaumburg yesterday. Course was in solid shape all things considered, but they are punching the greens today so I'd stay away for a couple weeks.

[adschus]

Masters weekend is always notorious for being amateur hour. Like C&E Christians, there are golfers who will only golf on Masters weekend and never make it out again.

[MountainKing]

Got out for the 2nd round of the year at Cantigny yesterday. Conditions were what you'd expect but pace of play was awful, teed off at 8:30 and took 5 hours to get around. For some reasons the rangers waited until we were all 15 holes in to start doing something about it, as one said to me the backup out here is causing them to fall behind on the first tee. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for the year. I love the game but I hate watching grass grow, pace is getting to the point where I would gladly pay a premium price to get around in a reasonable time without having to wait shot after shot.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. It seems that these courses are so scared of holding golfers accountable for pace that they have simply stopped even trying.. If this trend continues I can't help but think that it'll be damaging for revenue when golfers get tired of 5+ hour rounds, but then again, most of these slow groups I encounter seem to be guys that are trying to spend the longest time possible away from their wife/kids for the day, so maybe there's enough of them that they don't mind it, and won't stop playing because of it.

 

Even though it's early in the season, I'm going to start playing as early as I possible can to beat the crowds. Nice to get good morning traffic anyway, but just sucks to have to get up at 5:30 in order to have a shot at a round that doesn't take all day

 

I hear complaints all over the place about pace on golf courses so I'm trying to figure out if it's a minority of golfers complaining and the rest don't care of if the course is just letting one or two groups get away with it ruining it for the rest because they're afraid of word getting out that they were harsh on slow golfers....

 

My frustration yesterday was the course waiting so long to do something about it that it was backing up the tee sheet, I kind of told the ranger that yesterday as well, like we're 15 holes into this march why are you even bothering doing something you could have fixed back at the turn or earlier. We had 3 groups on the first par 3 yesterday...

[zer0]

Part of the problem might be that Cantigny is too nice a course to be playing at this stage of the season. People go to Cantigny and take the game seriously cause they know they are at a top public course and they want their moneys worth. So they take more time to look at putts or get ready for shots than they might if they were playing a $40 muni. The problem is that at this time of the season everyone sucks so go ahead and add at least a handful of extra shots to everyone's round. Multiply that over all the golfers out there and you get 3 group wait on the first par 3.

 

We flew at Schaumbur even though it was busy because everyone was treating it as a range session and playing very fast.

[Argonne69]

Frankly, I blame the electric carts. When we all kvetch about pace of play, isn't it typically about courses where the majority of players are in carts? I can't recall the last time I had a really slow round on a course that had the majority of the players walking.

[B-Man]

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.

 

Good to hear he's out and about. I told him congrats on being a Dad for the 2nd time about 18mths ago. Apparently, his wife was not impressed.

[B-Man]

Pre-Masters warm-up yesterday at the Par 3 course in La Grange. Greens need a little work.

 

 

[TheBear95]

Frankly, I blame the electric carts. When we all kvetch about pace of play, isn't it typically about courses where the majority of players are in carts? I can't recall the last time I had a really slow round on a course that had the majority of the players walking.

 

Bingo, especially when it is cart-path only.

 

I laugh when guys tell me how walkers slow down pace of play. Completely clueless. Only at courses that are really spread out with hundreds of yards between tee boxes on most of the holes and/or those with very elevated terrain would that be true. And, in the Chicago-area, how many courses could you really say that about?

[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.

 

Good to hear he's out and about. I told him congrats on being a Dad for the 2nd time about 18mths ago. Apparently, his wife was not impressed.

 

You know he doesn't do anything fast...his swimmers apparently follow suit.

[cane700]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

[Scratch2Plus]

Mt.Prospect GC Wednesday and HoE Saturday morning. 8:50 AM still 2 spots open if anyone's interested...

[DavePelz4]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

Highlands of Elgin would best fit your wants...

[cane700]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

Highlands of Elgin would best fit your wants...

Thanks. I'll pay it a visit. I hear good things.

[ldchristopher]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

Highlands of Elgin would best fit your wants...

Thanks. I'll pay it a visit. I hear good things.

I wouldn't call them "links style" but there are a handful of prairie style courses in the Chicago area. The Brassie in Chesterton, IN and the Golf Club of Illinois in Algonquin come to mind as well as Highlands of Elgin, which is more of a faux-links course.

[CMCSGolf]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

Highlands of Elgin would best fit your wants...

 

I guess Highlands of Elgin looks like a links a course and there are a few others. But none that I have seen play anything like a links course. They are just no where near firm enough to play any type of shot that really bounces like the sandy soils of Bandon or Scotland. I suppose if they let a course bake all summer you could get similar conditions and it would be fun, but I've never seen a decent course in the midwest attempt this.

[Holy Moses]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

 

Fast and firm with the foot of rain we've had the last few weeks? As wet as it's been, Blackstone in Marengo is your best bet. Greens are about as fast right now as most courses have them in the summer.

[WindyCitySPN]

Got out for the 2nd round of the year at Cantigny yesterday. Conditions were what you'd expect but pace of play was awful, teed off at 8:30 and took 5 hours to get around. For some reasons the rangers waited until we were all 15 holes in to start doing something about it, as one said to me the backup out here is causing them to fall behind on the first tee. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for the year. I love the game but I hate watching grass grow, pace is getting to the point where I would gladly pay a premium price to get around in a reasonable time without having to wait shot after shot.

 

I also played Cantigny Saturday, cart path only always adds time.

[HighSpeedScene]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

 

Legitimate links? As in, built on dunesland on the ocean? No, I haven't seen any oceans around here

[jimwgt26]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

 

Shepherd's Crook.

[cane700]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

Highlands of Elgin would best fit your wants...

 

I guess Highlands of Elgin looks like a links a course and there are a few others. But none that I have seen play anything like a links course. They are just no where near firm enough to play any type of shot that really bounces like the sandy soils of Bandon or Scotland. I suppose if they let a course bake all summer you could get similar conditions and it would be fun, but I've never seen a decent course in the midwest attempt this.

 

Yeah. That seems to be the issue. The courses around here definitely play soft unless we are in a drought.

[cane700]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

 

Legitimate links? As in, built on dunesland on the ocean? No, I haven't seen any oceans around here

 

Right because there are no large windswept bodies of water nearby and no dunes. Not a single spec of sand. Not anywhere

[stg099]

Anyone play Hilldale recently? I grew up in that area and haven't played it in at least 15 years. Heading out there Sunday (Golfnow hot deal of $28) so it's not like I'm out anything if it's bad, but was hoping they've kept it up decently, as I remember it being a fun track in the past.

[Argonne69]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

 

Nope. I refer to Harborside, et al, as "Prairie Style". As you correctly note, they are anything but fast and firm, and require more of an aerial attack than a bump and run style of play.

 

The closest links course is probably Erin Hills, followed by Lawsonia Links. Some might argue that Golf Club of Illinois is somewhat of a links course. The Brassie is also close.

[stg099]

Are there any legitimate links courses in the Chicago area? I always viewed Harborside, Sanctuary and Mistwood as links courses but all of them have been soft and slow every time I've gone out. Closest I've seen to fast and firm is Green Garden Emerald course which is a 9 hole. Any true fast and firm courses around here?

 

Nope. I refer to Harborside, et al, as "Prairie Style". As you correctly note, they are anything but fast and firm, and require more of an aerial attack than a bump and run style of play.

 

The closest links course is probably Erin Hills, followed by Lawsonia Links. Some might argue that Golf Club of Illinois is somewhat of a links course.

 

Totally agreed, Harborside may "look" the part of a links course, albeit it's a stretch, but it's always soft, so the more typical bump and run play never works out well there. It'd be nice if it was much firmer, as you could keep the ball out of the wind with a bit more confidence that it would release, but have never gotten the timing right to find it in firm condition.