Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[ldchristopher]

I played Brighton Dale Links: Blue Spruce and Thunderhawk today with The Bear. Blue Spruce was in rough shape since, while it dried out after being flooded a month ago, I wouldn't say it's anywhere near fully recovered. There was lots of ground under repair and I'm guessing it won't get back to normal until next season. I was inconsistent on the front and shot a 40 but got it together for a 37 on the back.

 

Thunderhawk was in great shape from tee to green. The greens were alright but were not as smooth as earlier in the year. Still, I never get tired of playing that place. After another front nine 40, I escaped the worst score in golf by shooting a 39 on the back.

 

Bear and I are playing Prairie View and Blackstone on Monday and Chalet Hills and Oak Grove on Tuesday.

[zer0]

No golf for me this weekend. I'll be heading out this evening for a week of actual vacation. Who would have thought? Hit em straight, gents.

 

Sorry...do not understand this post. You're making vacation and golf sound like mutually exclusive events.

 

Lol. You do have a valid point. I've been averaging 7 golf trips a season for the past few years. My train trips are a chance to pack light, and skip the hustle of lugging clubs around. I've considered bringing the clubs on a few trips, but one big drawback of train travel is that there are no rental car companies at the train stations. We take it for granted that one can fly into a city, and be on the road in an hour or so. 'Not so much with rail.

 

My schedule on this trip doesn't really leave a lot of time. Trains arrive late, and leave early the next day. Other than a full day in Toronto, most of my time will be spent looking out of the window of the trains.

 

I'm surprised you haven't petitioned Amtrak to add a putting green car.

[zer0]

Had a lesson with Todd Sones today. He definitely lived up to the hype. Fixed me in about 5 minutes. Changed my grip to give me more of a lever action and also had me add a hinge in my backswing. A couple other minor things and i was instantly hitting the ball better and now the chance of a shank is pretty much gone because I have a totally different club path. Getting more distance which is going to take some time to get adjusted to.

 

 

Played Steeple Chase afterwards, course was in real nice shape. Pace of play was fantastic even with 4somes in front of us. I think having 36 hole/ cheaper/and has a range Countryside right next door funnels all the rif raf away and makes Steeple Chase a really easy course to get around. Committed 100% to the swing changes and it went really well. No shanks all day. Still struggled with club selection and had a few wild shots, but was very excited by the progress.

 

Needing a place to play near Arlington Heights tomorrow so we can meet the in-laws for dinner at 6 I decided on Palatine hills, a course I've never played or heard of. How horrible is it? Is there a range?

[geochitown]

Great to hear that the lesson addressed your needs!

 

Palatine hills has a range, but mats only

 

I like the layout and the greens are challenging

 

Back nine holes 15-18 are in the floodplain and may be in rough shape

 

All in all a solid layout that is hidden away

[geochitown]

Hole 9 tee shot is pretty hokey

 

Very tight

 

You can let rip and let ball go right and typically you'll get a shot into the green

[geochitown]

One more thing

It's a good idea to have a look at 9 and 18 greens before you tee off (easy to do)

 

You can see 9 from practice green by 1st tee, and 18 green is behind the pro shop where you check in

[geochitown]

a nice piece on the Preserve at Oak Meadows

 

Golf360

 

nice drone videos

 

[VNutz]

Played The Preserve yesterday. Nice redesign and some cool holes, great property as the video mentioned. I feel like I'll have to play it again to decide on it for sure. I felt like the combination of hazards and bunkers made some driving holes a little too demanding for the average golfer. Greens were quick, and in some spots too quick for the contours, front right pin on 5 resulted in several putts approaching the hole from below, only to roll back 12+ feet. Greens also weren't receptive of anything and my group was consistently taking a club less and rolling it up. As mentioned in the video, pin placements were tough. I counted about half the holes were tucked above ridges or barely more than a flagsticks length on the green.

Was kind of surprised with the lack of conditioning, some spots of the new course needed time to grow in for sure still. But parts of the previously existing course were pretty choppy, very puzzling considering they didn't need any work, just attention. In hindsight that's probably why they were giving $15 off the stated greens fees.

Overall it looks pretty good and challenging but I'll need another round to decide for sure.

[DavePelz4]

We played at The Preserve yesterday with our group. Giving a free bucket of balls and a discounted rate was a nice touch. The range and practice facilities are much improved and the new Titleist range balls was a good start as well. The addition of the target greens was nice. Very surprised though that with it only being open for a week or so that the turf on the range was in such bad shape.

 

On to the course. Because the course has been mapped but not processed by Garmin, we asked how to know where the pins were since we were walking. It turns out that they have very detailed pin sheets so if you play there, definitely ask for one. It'll save you a few shots. From a layout perspective, the design was great. The incorporation of some of the old holes is a very nice touch. Without the GPS or course knowledge, there were some really tough decisions on where to hit the ball. The second shot on #2, and the tee shot on #4 in particular were tough decisions. It still might take a few rounds to have a better perspective. The course is a great mix of short, medium and long holes.

 

The bunkers were awesome and the tour sand was a huge plus. Fairway bunkers were penal as they should be and the greenside bunkers were very playable.

 

As you'd expect, the new greens didn't hold even if you brought the ball in high. With the size, there are quite a few places to put pins. For this round, some of the pins were in impossible positions and 4 foot first putts turned into 25 feet second putts. I was surprised that for such a new course that there were unfixed ball marks. Just can't understand that.

 

Now to the negative. The course is in pretty tough shape. The tee boxes, starting with #1 were rough, there were numerous areas where the it looked like the old Oak Meadows fairways with patches of missing grass or even just mud. Some of the green complexes had bare spots. I'm sure it's all about the money as usual but the course would benefit from closing for the rest of the year and just letting the course heal itself.

 

You could also see what happens in nature with 2 years of growth. The old 16th island green was still visible but it was just another overgrown marsh-ish area now.

 

Pace of play could be a huge issue here. They've extended the time out to 4:20 for the round but with the forced carries and having to walk around the forced carries, it adds time to the round. Even with the 12 minute tee times, we caught the group in front of us several times and on 15 we waited at least 5-7 minutes for the group in front of us. We talked to one of the rangers on 15 and he said that they're seeing times for the round in the 4:45-5 hour areas.

 

It sounds like the price point for The Preserve is going to be $70 walking which is a tough sell. Really like the layout and can see the potential but there are many other options equal in design at a lesser price. It's maybe a 1-2x course per year at that price.

[geochitown]

V - thanks for your write-up

 

It us a challenging course off the tee for sure

 

I played from the blues 6300) and probably should play from hybrid black blue (6450'ish) or blacks /6600), but I was playing with an older friend, and from studying the course, I knew the difficulty wa there, so u wanted to start play from shorter tees and move back over time

 

I was able to drive over some of the tougher driving hazards when I could

 

Drive on 9 - was able to get past construction at dogleg and had 130 in, where if I was back a bit, I might have decided to lay back of the construction

 

Drive in 14 - bottle hole - fwy bunkers at first in right, then farther up right pinch off the landing area. Fy Blues, I was able to drive over the traps on the right and be in prime position 100 yards out. Where I was the fairway was narrow!

 

Again, if I was playing longer tees, I would likely aim left, unless I had a tailwind, but if you fly the right bunker, the landing area is small

 

Sounds like the greens have dried out a bit from when I played 11 days ago

 

There are training a new maintenance staff and are likely swamped, so who knows if they are keeping up with watering of the greens

 

I was able to hold greens, but most of my approaches were with shorter clubs 8-gw.

 

I only tried for one par 5 in 2 and that was 15

 

Again from the blue tees, I smoked a drive and my bl was just short of the creek in fairway (downhill and alight helping wind and firn'ish fairways

Hit a 6 iron thin and lucky lit it only rolled 5 yards off the back of the green

 

But yes the targets are demanding there

 

We had some pins tucked near green edges but the speeds weren't so bad when we aged that we thought the Lima were so exacting

 

The Blues 6300 play to a 134 slope

 

The entire course, not just the new holes were rebuilt, adding grading changes, so that might be why some of the old holes appeared as they did

 

It's good they are charging less than full rate as an acknowledgement that the course is still in the grow-in phase

 

 

[propman]

I know the reviews for Seven Bridges are mixed but I am playing it this pm (twilight). Being a 14 hcp, assume any I should play from the white tees. Any words of wisdom out there (besides bringing a few extra balls because of the aqua hazards) ?

[geochitown]

I've only played 7 bridges once, and I remember that the back nine holes start out tough and are consistently tough and tight throughout.

 

Front isn't as bad from my recollection.

[geochitown]

Propman, I think you are right, for first time and as a 14, white tees are probably a good way to go.

 

I probably played the whites when I played there.

[geochitown]

We played at The Preserve yesterday with our group. Giving a free bucket of balls and a discounted rate was a nice touch. The range and practice facilities are much improved and the new Titleist range balls was a good start as well. The addition of the target greens was nice. Very surprised though that with it only being open for a week or so that the turf on the range was in such bad shape.

 

On to the course. Because the course has been mapped but not processed by Garmin, we asked how to know where the pins were since we were walking. It turns out that they have very detailed pin sheets so if you play there, definitely ask for one. It'll save you a few shots. From a layout perspective, the design was great. The incorporation of some of the old holes is a very nice touch. Without the GPS or course knowledge, there were some really tough decisions on where to hit the ball. The second shot on #2, and the tee shot on #4 in particular were tough decisions. It still might take a few rounds to have a better perspective. The course is a great mix of short, medium and long holes.

 

The bunkers were awesome and the tour sand was a huge plus. Fairway bunkers were penal as they should be and the greenside bunkers were very playable.

 

As you'd expect, the new greens didn't hold even if you brought the ball in high. With the size, there are quite a few places to put pins. For this round, some of the pins were in impossible positions and 4 foot first putts turned into 25 feet second putts. I was surprised that for such a new course that there were unfixed ball marks. Just can't understand that.

 

Now to the negative. The course is in pretty tough shape. The tee boxes, starting with #1 were rough, there were numerous areas where the it looked like the old Oak Meadows fairways with patches of missing grass or even just mud. Some of the green complexes had bare spots. I'm sure it's all about the money as usual but the course would benefit from closing for the rest of the year and just letting the course heal itself.

 

You could also see what happens in nature with 2 years of growth. The old 16th island green was still visible but it was just another overgrown marsh-ish area now.

 

Pace of play could be a huge issue here. They've extended the time out to 4:20 for the round but with the forced carries and having to walk around the forced carries, it adds time to the round. Even with the 12 minute tee times, we caught the group in front of us several times and on 15 we waited at least 5-7 minutes for the group in front of us. We talked to one of the rangers on 15 and he said that they're seeign times for the round in the 4:45-5 hour areas.

 

It sounds like the price point for The Preserve is going to be $70 walking which is a tough sell. Really like the layout and can see the potential but there are many other options equal in design at a lesser price. It's maybe a 1-2x course per year at that price.

 

Nice write-up DP4.

 

The last time I volunteered, I was asked to place dirt/bentgrass mix on the bare spots on the tee boxes.

 

I spent 3 hrs doing one and a half of the 4-5 tee boxes on #1 (I'm pretty detail oriented, so I may have spent a bit more time, but I think that does speak to the amount of work that there is to be done out there).

 

so a lot of TLC is needed on the course for it to get to where it needs to be...

[chisag]

I know the reviews for Seven Bridges are mixed but I am playing it this pm (twilight). Being a 14 hcp, assume any I should play from the white tees. Any words of wisdom out there (besides bringing a few extra balls because of the aqua hazards) ?

 

 

... 7 Bridges is such a love hate course for me.The front 9 is one of my favorites and there isn't a weak hole. The back 9 is one of my least favorites, especially if it is windy. Lots of holes dictate what to play off the tee and it isn't driver. Water everywhere with roll offs that do not protect slightly errant shots. Overall still an enjoyable course but I would suggest you really appreciate the front and then tolerate the back.

[mci711]

Does anyone ever play Makray? I never see it on this forum.

 

I played it a few seasons ago. Nice course. It has a few too many short holes that take driver out of your hands, but otherwise it was very playable. A bit overpriced, but not terribly so. I'd say it was worth a visit.

Ended up playing Makray yesterday. Really enjoyed it. Firm greens, in good shape no complaints really. That being said had the worst experience. Shot a 37 on the front, paired up with another guy on 9. Par on 10, Pulled my tee shot on 11, and boom. This guy thought it was time to start giving me tips. He critiqued just about every shot from that point on. He stood directly next to me each shot I took and made a comment after. Worst part is, he was well in the double digits for a handicap. I have never experienced something so frustrating. Longest hour and a half 9 I have ever played.

[geochitown]

ugg, there's a reason why some people don't have playing partners...

fortunately, most times people are alright.

that sounds rough

[mci711]

ugg, there's a reason why some people don't have playing partners...

fortunately, most times people are alright.

that sounds rough

 

Yea I don't mind playing with people, dropped off my cart at 10 and walked with him.. What a mistake that was. I have never gone through anything like that. Ruined a great afternoon and round.

[ldchristopher]

Thanks for all the reports on The Preserve. This is about what I expected to read. I'm just gonna give it a full off-season to heal and grow in next Spring. $70 to walk is steep but I saw their twilight will be $35. That's more up my alley.

[chisag]

ugg, there's a reason why some people don't have playing partners...

fortunately, most times people are alright.

that sounds rough

 

Yea I don't mind playing with people, dropped off my cart at 10 and walked with him.. What a mistake that was. I have never gone through anything like that. Ruined a great afternoon and round.

 

... This is when I politely ask them to refrain from giving me advice. If that doesn't work then I invite them to play ahead of me. It is rare, but I have done that with real Word not allowedhats and it was a much more enjoyable round even though they tried to make me feel like a jerk for not playing with them. We played Naperbrook maybe 15 yrs ago and got paired up with with a young idiot that clubbed a muskrat with an iron on 11 and it was trying to swim away to die obviously brain damaged. It was brutal. We told him to go ahead and he tried to tell us how much damage muskrats do to a golf course as we ignored him so he finally gave us the finger with a FU and went ahead alone. The Mrs let another group pass us so she would not be near the guy. These kind of people are so rare to be paired up with on a golf course but every now and then you find one of them.

[mci711]

ugg, there's a reason why some people don't have playing partners...

fortunately, most times people are alright.

that sounds rough

 

Yea I don't mind playing with people, dropped off my cart at 10 and walked with him.. What a mistake that was. I have never gone through anything like that. Ruined a great afternoon and round.

 

... This is when I politely ask them to refrain from giving me advice. If that doesn't work then I invite them to play ahead of me. It is rare, but I have done that with real Word not allowedhats and it was a much more enjoyable round even though they tried to make me feel like a jerk for not playing with them. We played Naperbrook maybe 15 yrs ago and got paired up with with a young idiot that clubbed a muskrat with an iron on 11 and it was trying to swim away to die obviously brain damaged. It was brutal. We told him to go ahead and he tried to tell us how much damage muskrats do to a golf course as we ignored him so he finally gave us the finger with a FU and went ahead alone. The Mrs let another group pass us so she would not be near the guy. These kind of people are so rare to be paired up with on a golf course but every now and then you find one of them.

Wow, that is really terrible. I should have said something, just tried to ignore it, unsuccessfully.

[atn86]

Just got back from the Highlands. Only second time I have played there this year, but was very disappointed that the course was really wet w balls getting only a yard or two of roll. I live near Wrigley, so maybe it's been raining more out West? But in seasons past the course has played very firm and that's a huge part of the appeal and allows for the course to be played the way it was designed. Any one know why it's wet out there?

[dhartmann34]

Played Oak Grove today. Hadn't been there in a few years. Pretty disappointed in the pace. About 5 hours with twosomes and a few foursomes ahead of us. It was pretty brutal. Greens were in decent shape. Very soft, but pretty quick. Rakes in bunkers, if they had one at all, we're bad. Some were splintered into many pieces. Others were falling apart in other ways. Definitely a few splinters in my hands. Range balls were extremely sad. Clubhouse is is rough shape. Very empty. I honestly wonder how long the course will stay open... Maybe a year or two at most is my guess. Certainly not worth the $44 we paid to play there. Won't be back anytime soon.

[TheBear95]

Just got back from the Highlands. Only second time I have played there this year, but was very disappointed that the course was really wet w balls getting only a yard or two of roll. I live near Wrigley, so maybe it's been raining more out West? But in seasons past the course has played very firm and that's a huge part of the appeal and allows for the course to be played the way it was designed. Any one know why it's wet out there?

 

HOE over waters. It's annoying, but many courses do the same thing. Patrons expect a super bright green course, thus the superintendent soaks the place. I hate it as well.

[ldchristopher]

Just got back from the Highlands. Only second time I have played there this year, but was very disappointed that the course was really wet w balls getting only a yard or two of roll. I live near Wrigley, so maybe it's been raining more out West? But in seasons past the course has played very firm and that's a huge part of the appeal and allows for the course to be played the way it was designed. Any one know why it's wet out there?

 

HOE over waters. It's annoying, but many courses do the same thing. Patrons expect a super bright green course, thus the superintendent soaks the place. I hate it as well.

 

Yup. They did the same thing at Thunderhawk. We've had so much rain this year these places could probably get away with watering less than half as much as they currently do. Just once I'd like to see HOE play more like a real links course, but that'll never happen. A handful of courses actually let the fairways dry out and firm up but those are the exception rather than the rule.

[atn86]

What is strange is that over watering was not always the practice at HofE. Wonder what changed?

 

I know Bowes Crrek and The Glen Club typically play firm. For me, it's much more enjoyable to play courses that way.

[ldchristopher]

The first time I played HOE, the guy I was paired with was an employee of the course (patronage work for seniors is never not funny). He said his biggest complaint was that they started over-watering. Most of the people who work there were against the decision to water as much as they do but got overruled.

[jimwgt26]

18 yesterday at Stonehenge in Barrington. Course was in better shape than expected.

 

Bummer to hear HoE isn't up to it's usual standard. And equally bummed to hear the Preserve is rough.

[zer0]

Palatine Hills, what an odd course. I just couldn't seem to wrap my head around how a $50 beat up muni course with overgrown fairways and tee boxes could also have some of the craziest greens I've seen in the Chicago area. I didn't see a straight putt all day and blasted most of them past the hole. Some of the most undulation of any greens I've ever seen. Not a bad course though aside from the awful finishing hole. There's basically a 10 foot area where you can put your drive in order to have a clean shot at the green. #9 isn't much better, but somehow my wife, who's never broke 110, birdied it.

 

I played well, but shot a 91 thanks to awful putting and several instances where I picked the wrong club as I'm getting used to my new distances. Not a single shank and actually hit 12/14 iron shots perfectly.

[PuttCurseRepeat]

Twilight at Village Links last night. Great start for the first 3 1/2 holes, then the wheels came off. I find it hard to engage in polite conversation with my playing partner, rush and play good golf at the same time. The greens were pretty rough. My playing partner was there Friday and said the greens were in better shape then, so it must have been a rough weekend. Shame, really, as the greens are challenging, fair and fun when they are in very good shape. I'd love to see the super let the greens firm up if people aren't going to fix their ball marks.