Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[Holy Moses]

How were the greens for those that played yesterday?

[ldchristopher]

How were the greens for those that played yesterday?

Slow but playable. They had been frozen solid not that long ago and covered in snow, but they weren't soggy. Speed was kind of inconsistent but was probably between 5-7.

[SpeedKills7]

Didn’t get out yesterday so got some work in at Elevation Golf in Willowbrook.

Starting a simulator league there this week.

 

[St Jimmy]

I just walked the front nine at Marengo Ridge. The course was playable and the greens were in surprisingly good shape. They were a little slow, but not to the point to where it was a bother. I think they froze again overnight because they were firm, but still receptive to shots.

 

It was a little soggy and the path was muddy, but I just walked alongside it in the grass.

 

I really enjoyed being out again. Will return if the snow stays away.

[krzeczowskimatt]

I would recommend anyone looking for "good" conditions this winter season go to Sanctuary in New Lenox. I played there saturday and was happily surprised by how well for the time of year the greens rolled and majority of the sand was playable. Overall for the time of year i thought the course was in really good shape. Walked in a nice 3 hours it was great to get out and enjoy the weather!

[AUTIGER07]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

[Holy Moses]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Thinking about it, but I’ve never done it before

[Thunder Dan]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won’t join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don’t do anything about slow play. I’ve never seen anyone punished and I’ve turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can’t help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I’d honestly like to play more but I can’t because it takes up a whole day and isn’t fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

[Holy Moses]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won’t join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don’t do anything about slow play. I’ve never seen anyone punished and I’ve turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can’t help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I’d honestly like to play more but I can’t because it takes up a whole day and isn’t fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

 

Are there rules in place for slow play?

[Thunder Dan]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won’t join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don’t do anything about slow play. I’ve never seen anyone punished and I’ve turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can’t help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I’d honestly like to play more but I can’t because it takes up a whole day and isn’t fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

 

Are there rules in place for slow play?

 

Same rules JB Holmes had on Sunday. Bunch of threats and rules that aren’t enforced.

 

[MountainKing]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won't join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don't do anything about slow play. I've never seen anyone punished and I've turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can't help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I'd honestly like to play more but I can't because it takes up a whole day and isn't fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

 

I've thought about getting in on this before and I consistently hear from people who have that 6 hour rounds are the norm. I'd shoot myself having to wait that much.

[krzeczowskimatt]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won't join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don't do anything about slow play. I've never seen anyone punished and I've turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can't help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I'd honestly like to play more but I can't because it takes up a whole day and isn't fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

 

I've thought about getting in on this before and I consistently hear from people who have that 6 hour rounds are the norm. I'd shoot myself having to wait that much.

Wow I was really looking into possibly doing a few of the tournaments this season but WOW! 5 and 6 hour rounds I just flat out can not do it, I would end up just walking off the golf course. Has anyone heard of the Chicago golf Tour (not 100% sure if that is the name but it is supposed to be similar to the AM Tour but strictly in the Chicagoland area and more affordable) First tournament of the year is at Mistwood i think.

[mci711]

I am looking to join a league this spring/summer. Live in west suburbs, so would have to be anything west. Anyone a part of or know of any good leagues in the area? I was a member of a match-play league before moving to chicago and it was awesome, but haven't found anything like that here. I know they are out there though. Thanks in advance!

[Thunder Dan]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won't join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don't do anything about slow play. I've never seen anyone punished and I've turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can't help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I'd honestly like to play more but I can't because it takes up a whole day and isn't fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

 

I've thought about getting in on this before and I consistently hear from people who have that 6 hour rounds are the norm. I'd shoot myself having to wait that much.

Wow I was really looking into possibly doing a few of the tournaments this season but WOW! 5 and 6 hour rounds I just flat out can not do it, I would end up just walking off the golf course. Has anyone heard of the Chicago golf Tour (not 100% sure if that is the name but it is supposed to be similar to the AM Tour but strictly in the Chicagoland area and more affordable) First tournament of the year is at Mistwood i think.

 

Yes, people do walk off if they aren't in contention. So you pay like $150 to play Harborside for example, and don't even finish the round because play is so slow.

 

Having played on that tour for 3 years (before I was married with a kid,) they could make some minor tweaks to increase speed. Penalize groups who don't waive up on par 3s. Allow the group behind to call the penalty shot. Also, it's a penalty if you mark your ball on the green more than 2x. If you are lining up your 3 footer for a 6 after you just missed your last 2 putts (which guys do), it's an extra stroke. They should also make lost balls and OB laterals. Nothing slows down pace more than the walk back to a tee (with 2 other groups already waiting)

[DavePelz4]

I played in one of those events in 2013. We haven't finished the round yet.

[AUTIGER07]

Is anyone planning on playing the Golfweek Am Tour this year? Tried to play it last year but couldn't due to some additional work occurring that came my way.

 

Be ready for some of the slowest rounds and longest days of your golfing life. I enjoy the competition, but had to stop last year and likely won't join back up this year.

 

Rounds are a minimum of 5.5 hours. Guys grind over 2 footers, and they mark their ball on every occasion. At Cog Hill #4 a few years ago, many just walked off. I finished just to play it all out and it was nearly 6.5 hours. Brutal.

 

The hard talk about slow play on their website is all smoke and mirrors. Rob and the rest of the crew do a great job of organizing but don't do anything about slow play. I've never seen anyone punished and I've turned people in. Sometimes for fairness reasons, they put the D flight off before the championship and A flights which can't help things.

 

Anyway, good events, well run, fun, but ungodly slow. I'd honestly like to play more but I can't because it takes up a whole day and isn't fair to my wife. I wish they would do something about slow play. No reason a foursome of single digit handicaps should take more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

 

That's a letdown. Was hoping to have some decent prep / practice before trying some of the bigger events (CDGA / IL) this summer but 5.5+ hour rounds is not good. Appreciate the heads up though.

[stasek]

If 5+ hour rounds in Weekly Challenge, Golf Channel, Golfweek , etc tours are not your thing, joining a men’s club at (insert any club that has a league) can be quite a bit of fun. I played in Gleneagles Men’s Club for few years and had a blast. Games on Fridays and Sundays, some $$$ on the line (generally blind draw, so no guarantee to win even if you play great), “cheating” was frowned upon to put it nicely, handicap calcluated based on scores from the league only.

The payouts in the 4 or 2 man Calcutta (or as they call it Glencutta) rivaled anything below web.com tour. Good times!

[Holy Moses]

Got my first full bag fitting at Club Champion in Deerfield today. They had a 50% off special, so I took advantage of it. I have never been on a Trackman before, so I didn't know what to expect. All my hoing turned out pretty well. I basically fit myself into the best clubs possible through trial and error and the help of this website without ever being fit. I usually drive the ball 280-300, but the simulators I've been on at the PGA Tour Superstore seemed to underestimate my ballspeed and distance for some reason. My G30 and DI-6X were basically as good as anything currently out there including the TaylorMade M3, the PXG 0811X, the Callaway Rogue, and the Ping G400 LST. The Callaway Rogue game me a few MPHs of higher ballspeed, but the dispersion and spin wasn't where my old faithful G30 was. The PXG 0811X is a spin machine and I lost 15 yards of distance because the darn thing won't go below 3000 spin. For some reason I thought I hit down on the ball, but I actually swing 6* out and a little up. Averaged 160-167 MPH of ballspeed and 305 or so off the tee with 2400 spin with my gamer driver - a good deal more distance and ballspeed than PGA Superstore said I had. The shaft that stuck out to me was the Evenflow Black. Very smooth shaft and feels beautiful at impact.

 

I have a Ping i20 3 iron and while it's a decent club, I'm looking for a bit more height and distance to get to par 5s with an iron on the second shot. The Ping Crossover is a huge club and just a bit clunky. The Srixon 22* driving iron is a beast. Feels good and I hit most 240-250 yards. Unfortunately the Ping G700 isn't out yet and that might be the answer to my problems.

 

Putting was interesting to say the least. The SAM Putting Lab said that I have a huge out to in putting stroke. The reason for this is that my eyes are not over the ball during my setup and I'm aiming 2 feet right of the hole on a ten foot putt and then putting a huge out-to-in stroke on my putts. My putter face was very square to path though. Putting has been my weakness and the key is alignment. The weird thing is that I was draining putts like crazy as the SAM was on me. I made 8/10 10 footers. I guess it doesn't matter how you get the ball to the hole as long as you get it to the hole, but I was shocked to learn my aim was as far off as it was.

 

Shout to to Alex who not only was a good clubfitter, but he's a class A PGA pro and he gave me some swing tips too.

[AUTIGER07]

Is anyone a member or has played Black Sheep? Curious what the thoughts are regarding the course and playing out there. I'm only about 15 minutes now from the course and after comparing their fees to others in the area I would rather try to join there then pay more for stuff I don't need.

 

Found this via Google this morning. Looks like they are running some specials for new members in 2018.

 

https://cgm.cld.bz/B...E-Invitation/12

[geochitown]

If I could I would

 

I have heard great things

[geochitown]

Got my first full bag fitting at Club Champion in Deerfield today. They had a 50% off special, so I took advantage of it. I have never been on a Trackman before, so I didn't know what to expect. All my hoing turned out pretty well. I basically fit myself into the best clubs possible through trial and error and the help of this website without ever being fit. I usually drive the ball 280-300, but the simulators I've been on at the PGA Tour Superstore seemed to underestimate my ballspeed and distance for some reason. My G30 and DI-6X were basically as good as anything currently out there including the TaylorMade M3, the PXG 0811X, the Callaway Rogue, and the Ping G400 LST. The Callaway Rogue game me a few MPHs of higher ballspeed, but the dispersion and spin wasn't where my old faithful G30 was. The PXG 0811X is a spin machine and I lost 15 yards of distance because the darn thing won't go below 3000 spin. For some reason I thought I hit down on the ball, but I actually swing 6* out and a little up. Averaged 160-167 MPH of ballspeed and 305 or so off the tee with 2400 spin with my gamer driver - a good deal more distance and ballspeed than PGA Superstore said I had. The shaft that stuck out to me was the Evenflow Black. Very smooth shaft and feels beautiful at impact.

 

I have a Ping i20 3 iron and while it's a decent club, I'm looking for a bit more height and distance to get to par 5s with an iron on the second shot. The Ping Crossover is a huge club and just a bit clunky. The Srixon 22* driving iron is a beast. Feels good and I hit most 240-250 yards. Unfortunately the Ping G700 isn't out yet and that might be the answer to my problems.

 

Putting was interesting to say the least. The SAM Putting Lab said that I have a huge out to in putting stroke. The reason for this is that my eyes are not over the ball during my setup and I'm aiming 2 feet right of the hole on a ten foot putt and then putting a huge out-to-in stroke on my putts. My putter face was very square to path though. Putting has been my weakness and the key is alignment. The weird thing is that I was draining putts like crazy as the SAM was on me. I made 8/10 10 footers. I guess it doesn't matter how you get the ball to the hole as long as you get it to the hole, but I was shocked to learn my aim was as far off as it was.

 

Shout to to Alex who not only was a good clubfitter, but he's a class A PGA pro and he gave me some swing tips too.

 

Nice write-up and it must have been gratifying to have your own tinkering validated

 

Did you do all of the fittings in one session?

 

What was total time of the fitting?

 

Thanks for sharing your experience

[Holy Moses]

All fittings in one. Took around 3 hours. I got some blisters and I was sweating. You can get worn out.

[geochitown]

I bet! I typically sweat after 30 minutes of range time

[B-Man]

2018 Season

 

For the first time in 10 years or more, since the pre-GolfWRX days, this offseason I didn't purchase any new equipment. Or received any either (thanks kids). And I'm good with that. I came into some great form at the end of last Summer and Fall and have no desire to mess or tinker with anything in my bag. Now I typically play better at the end of each season and because I'm bored or haven't played for a while, I would buy random stuff over Winter and throw it in the bag for the new season. Not this year. No desire to upgrade to the latest and greatest deal or any need to. In fact, at this point in mid-January, I'm feeling for the first time in years that I'll get off to a flying start rather than hitting my peak in July-ish. Why? One little lesson from a pro-friend who I hadn't seen in about 10 years who immediately noticed something that was different from back then. It's a simple feel thing that translated well as a swing thought that clicked almost immediately last July. Now we all get those swing thoughts that work for a week or so or a few rounds before it no longer seems to work, but this small change in a thought process brought back a feel and form exactly like 10-20 years ago and worked all the way through to my last round in November.

 

So coming into the 2018 Chicago golf season, I'm ready to go. There's lots of scramble events early on in the area and if anyone is interested in playing in a few of those, let me know. I'm keen to get out as soon as the ground dries out a bit.

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

PS: That Taylormade Hi-Toe wedge lookes really good!

 

Well that theory/practice didn't last long. 56* was already in the bag but recently found a couple of deals on lob wedges. Below is how you can improve your wedge game in under 20 minutes. Guaranteed! Stamped with famous Australian Rules footballers who were my heroes a long time ago. ChicagoLefty (if he's still around between changing diapers) has been on the wrong side of The Dominator quite a few times.

 

 

[geochitown]

you gotta post up some photos of those thugs (I mean athletes)

[dhartmann34]

Got my first full bag fitting at Club Champion in Deerfield today. They had a 50% off special, so I took advantage of it. I have never been on a Trackman before, so I didn't know what to expect. All my hoing turned out pretty well. I basically fit myself into the best clubs possible through trial and error and the help of this website without ever being fit. I usually drive the ball 280-300, but the simulators I've been on at the PGA Tour Superstore seemed to underestimate my ballspeed and distance for some reason. My G30 and DI-6X were basically as good as anything currently out there including the TaylorMade M3, the PXG 0811X, the Callaway Rogue, and the Ping G400 LST. The Callaway Rogue game me a few MPHs of higher ballspeed, but the dispersion and spin wasn't where my old faithful G30 was. The PXG 0811X is a spin machine and I lost 15 yards of distance because the darn thing won't go below 3000 spin. For some reason I thought I hit down on the ball, but I actually swing 6* out and a little up. Averaged 160-167 MPH of ballspeed and 305 or so off the tee with 2400 spin with my gamer driver - a good deal more distance and ballspeed than PGA Superstore said I had. The shaft that stuck out to me was the Evenflow Black. Very smooth shaft and feels beautiful at impact.

 

I have a Ping i20 3 iron and while it's a decent club, I'm looking for a bit more height and distance to get to par 5s with an iron on the second shot. The Ping Crossover is a huge club and just a bit clunky. The Srixon 22* driving iron is a beast. Feels good and I hit most 240-250 yards. Unfortunately the Ping G700 isn't out yet and that might be the answer to my problems.

 

Putting was interesting to say the least. The SAM Putting Lab said that I have a huge out to in putting stroke. The reason for this is that my eyes are not over the ball during my setup and I'm aiming 2 feet right of the hole on a ten foot putt and then putting a huge out-to-in stroke on my putts. My putter face was very square to path though. Putting has been my weakness and the key is alignment. The weird thing is that I was draining putts like crazy as the SAM was on me. I made 8/10 10 footers. I guess it doesn't matter how you get the ball to the hole as long as you get it to the hole, but I was shocked to learn my aim was as far off as it was.

 

Shout to to Alex who not only was a good clubfitter, but he's a class A PGA pro and he gave me some swing tips too.

Really enjoyed my fitting at Club Champion in Deerfield as well. I had Tim. I did have changes to make to everything but my driver and wedges... including taking some loft off of my putter. I have a little bit of an out to in swing path. Certainly more than one way to roll it in the hole.

[B-Man]

you gotta post up some photos of those thugs (I mean athletes)

 

Legends of the game from http://www.carltonfc.com.au/

 

I'm not sure you see gather enough info from these so when you have a chance sit back and watch this game for a couple of hours:

 

'Jezza' - Alex Jesaulenko

 

 

'The Dominator' - Wayne Johnston

 

 

'The Flying Doormat' - Bruce Doull

 

[geochitown]

I'm guessing those last two photos are 80's era!

 

Jezza is the guy who's airborne in the first photo? #25?

 

crikey!

[geochitown]

so golfers and aussie rules footballers aren't two mutually exclusive groups?

or at least their fans aren't?

[ldchristopher]

2018 Season

 

For the first time in 10 years or more, since the pre-GolfWRX days, this offseason I didn't purchase any new equipment. Or received any either (thanks kids). And I'm good with that. I came into some great form at the end of last Summer and Fall and have no desire to mess or tinker with anything in my bag. Now I typically play better at the end of each season and because I'm bored or haven't played for a while, I would buy random stuff over Winter and throw it in the bag for the new season. Not this year. No desire to upgrade to the latest and greatest deal or any need to. In fact, at this point in mid-January, I'm feeling for the first time in years that I'll get off to a flying start rather than hitting my peak in July-ish. Why? One little lesson from a pro-friend who I hadn't seen in about 10 years who immediately noticed something that was different from back then. It's a simple feel thing that translated well as a swing thought that clicked almost immediately last July. Now we all get those swing thoughts that work for a week or so or a few rounds before it no longer seems to work, but this small change in a thought process brought back a feel and form exactly like 10-20 years ago and worked all the way through to my last round in November.

 

So coming into the 2018 Chicago golf season, I'm ready to go. There's lots of scramble events early on in the area and if anyone is interested in playing in a few of those, let me know. I'm keen to get out as soon as the ground dries out a bit.

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

PS: That Taylormade Hi-Toe wedge lookes really good!

 

Well that theory/practice didn't last long. 56* was already in the bag but recently found a couple of deals on lob wedges. Below is how you can improve your wedge game in under 20 minutes. Guaranteed! Stamped with famous Australian Rules footballers who were my heroes a long time ago. ChicagoLefty (if he's still around between changing diapers) has been on the wrong side of The Dominator quite a few times.

 

 

I've always thought wedges should be exempt from "Bag is set for the season" challenges. They only last about 80 rounds and Titleist did a video last year that showed the difference between wedges that were new, had been played for 40 rounds, and had been played for 80 rounds. It was pretty significant, especially regarding spin. When I see guys swapping out irons, drivers, and putters mid year, I'm reminded that desperation is a stinky cologne. What I'm saying is, last year I got really desperate.