Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[DavePelz4]

Played Blackstone today due to the rain tomorrow. Left my wallet at home, but the manager let me play anyways and I called my credit card in afterward. That was much appreciated. Greens were quick for the spring and the course was dry due to lack of rain. I bogeyed the first five, then shot 34 on the back (my best 9 hole stretch ever!). Shot a 75 in 2 hours and 10 minutes. I started using 2017 ProV1s. Much better than other years in the wind and a few yards further than the older models. Great ball!

 

I have never heard of Blackstone.. Checked out the website, looks decent. Is it worth the hour+ drive from Naperville?

 

Depending on where in NaperHell you are, it's worth the 75 minute drive, too.

[TheBear95]

Booked a Sunday Noon round at Blackstone for $48. Only downside it's middle of nowhere.

 

Perhaps its just me, but I think Blackstone is fairly accessible. Its literally right on Rt. 20 and 5 mins from I-90. From the city, Rt. 20 is a ride, but its all highway.

 

Out in the middle of nowhere, well that's Oak Grove.

[DavePelz4]

Booked a Sunday Noon round at Blackstone for $48. Only downside it's middle of nowhere.

 

Perhaps its just me, but I think Blackstone is fairly accessible. Its literally right on Rt. 20 and 5 mins from I-90. From the city, Rt. 20 is a ride, but its all highway.

 

Out in the middle of nowhere, well that's Oak Grove.

Booked a Sunday Noon round at Blackstone for $48. Only downside it's middle of nowhere.

 

Perhaps its just me, but I think Blackstone is fairly accessible. Its literally right on Rt. 20 and 5 mins from I-90. From the city, Rt. 20 is a ride, but its all highway.

 

Out in the middle of nowhere, well that's Oak Grove.

 

The drive TO Oak Grove in the morning isn't bad at all. Driving home after the round...yikes.

[Eagleman]

Anyone looking to get out tomorrow? The couple guys I play with are working and I’m not a huge fan of playing alone.

[leric90]

Anyone looking to get out tomorrow? The couple guys I play with are working and I'm not a huge fan of playing alone.

 

Hey Eagleman, where and when are you playing if I may ask?

[Eagleman]

Anyone looking to get out tomorrow? The couple guys I play with are working and I'm not a huge fan of playing alone.

 

Hey Eagleman, where and when are you playing if I may ask?

 

I don’t have any preference and I’m willing to drive within reason. I live in Channahon, which is just south of Joliet.

[leric90]

Anyone looking to get out tomorrow? The couple guys I play with are working and I'm not a huge fan of playing alone.

 

Hey Eagleman, where and when are you playing if I may ask?

 

I don't have any preference and I'm willing to drive within reason. I live in Channahon, which is just south of Joliet.

 

Oh shoot, I'm way north - vernon hills... this might not work out sorry!

[Eagleman]

Anyone looking to get out tomorrow? The couple guys I play with are working and I'm not a huge fan of playing alone.

 

Hey Eagleman, where and when are you playing if I may ask?

 

I don't have any preference and I'm willing to drive within reason. I live in Channahon, which is just south of Joliet.

 

Oh shoot, I'm way north - vernon hills... this might not work out sorry!

Yeah you’re about an hour and a half north of me. Well I do appreciate you responding. Hoping to find someone to play with somewhat regularly.

[Argonne69]

I'll be out at Deer Creek (University Park) in the morning with an 8:15 am tee time. Don't ask me why, though. The weather is going to be awful.

[mci711]

Played Blackstone today due to the rain tomorrow. Left my wallet at home, but the manager let me play anyways and I called my credit card in afterward. That was much appreciated. Greens were quick for the spring and the course was dry due to lack of rain. I bogeyed the first five, then shot 34 on the back (my best 9 hole stretch ever!). Shot a 75 in 2 hours and 10 minutes. I started using 2017 ProV1s. Much better than other years in the wind and a few yards further than the older models. Great ball!

 

I have never heard of Blackstone.. Checked out the website, looks decent. Is it worth the hour+ drive from Naperville?

 

Depending on where in NaperHell you are, it's worth the 75 minute drive, too.

 

Awesome, I am going to check it out this summer. I love playing new courses.

[DavePelz4]

Played Blackstone today due to the rain tomorrow. Left my wallet at home, but the manager let me play anyways and I called my credit card in afterward. That was much appreciated. Greens were quick for the spring and the course was dry due to lack of rain. I bogeyed the first five, then shot 34 on the back (my best 9 hole stretch ever!). Shot a 75 in 2 hours and 10 minutes. I started using 2017 ProV1s. Much better than other years in the wind and a few yards further than the older models. Great ball!

 

I have never heard of Blackstone.. Checked out the website, looks decent. Is it worth the hour+ drive from Naperville?

 

Depending on where in NaperHell you are, it's worth the 75 minute drive, too.

 

Awesome, I am going to check it out this summer. I love playing new courses.

 

If you don't mind a bit of a drive, add Oak Grove, Prairie View and Timber Pointe to your list.

[Argonne69]

A less than pleasant morning at Deer Creek. Well, weatherwise anyway. The course is a decent layout. It could use a few more trees, as it was fairly widely open. I wasn't expecting Balmoral Woods, but something resembling a parkland course. It's a fairly old school layout with the par 4's playing relatively long, and only one fairly short one. I thought the par 3's were a good mix.

 

Conditioning was very good for this season. I didn't encounter any wet spots. The greens rolled very nice with moderate speed. The bunkers needed work, as they were mostly dirt.

 

My driver slept in this morning. I only managed 5 fairways, but given the wind and the cold, it wasn't horrible. I hit 11 greens, so the misses off the tees were manageable. Nothing too exciting on the front, but I had a nice stretch of three birdies on 11 through 13. I left a birdie putt 6 inches short on the 14th. Ack.

 

Overall I thought it was a reasonable course. I'm glad I played it this early in the season. I don't think it merits a mid season trip.

[MountainKing]

2nd round of the year a few days back at Water's Edge. Given the awful spring it was in fairly good shape and the greens rolled nicely. I always enjoyed Water's Edge, lots of cool/fun holes. Game is still a bit rough but given the weather and lack of being able to play/practice it's not shocking.

[@_the_crook]

Got an early start running errands all over Cook county and then attempted to make the back yard look less neglected.

Have a laptop to reload and someone needs an escort (read: cart pusher) shortly.

 

Glad to have time tomorrow to abuse a new sleeve of Bridgestones.

 

Another bright light - my longtime pal recently treated for leukemia is in remission, and attempting a round with a group of pals next weekend.

Life can be a see-saw.

[KaBoom21]

Played Bridges at Poplar Creek today in 2:15 as a single. Teed off around 1:00 ahead of an outing and it was wide open all 18. Crazy. First time playing it since it's right near the office. Bunkers were pristine.

[geochitown]

Played Bridges at Poplar Creek today in 2:15 as a single. Teed off around 1:00 ahead of an outing and it was wide open all 18. Crazy. First time playing it since it's right near the office. Bunkers were pristine.

 

widely known, but interesting trivia

 

hole 3 put you next to the building housing obama's items that will go in his presidential library

[ldchristopher]

Brighton Dale White Birch was its usual White B!tch self. The Blue course is not as difficult to score at and it opens with a really easy sub-500 yard par 5. I enjoy a layout that includes a manageable opener to get the confidence going, especially when I'm fresh out of the freezer. White Birch, on the other hand, open with a 420-yard uphill par 4 with water on the left. Factor in the 35 degree temps this morning and, yeah, there were lots of bogies early. I hit a grand total of 2 greens in regulation all day but my wedges were again bailing me out, especially from the sand. White Birch did a bunker renovation project and, even though the sand itself is still not great, it was 1000 times better than it was last year. There was plenty of frost on the first three holes. Did they have a delay? Of course not. Don't be crazy. Carts were out with no restrictions and they were throwing up ice crystals. Considering so few greens were hit, I'll take my 77.

 

Steeple Chase, on the other hand, was fantastic. It was pretty much empty since the greens had been punched about a week ago (small tines) and, with all the water on the course, it felt about 10 degrees colder than the 50 that it got up to. However, my game was really sharp. I only had one birdie - a tap in on 7 that rolled right past the cup and settled 18 inches away - but I hit a ton of fairways and greens on the front. On the back, my wedges got back to work for me and bailed me out of woefully short (read: kind of fat) approaches on 12, 13, and 17. I also ripped off a 280-yard drive on 15 that left me with a nine iron in on a hole that usually kills me. 73.

[golfpromt]

Played Blackstone today due to the rain tomorrow. Left my wallet at home, but the manager let me play anyways and I called my credit card in afterward. That was much appreciated. Greens were quick for the spring and the course was dry due to lack of rain. I bogeyed the first five, then shot 34 on the back (my best 9 hole stretch ever!). Shot a 75 in 2 hours and 10 minutes. I started using 2017 ProV1s. Much better than other years in the wind and a few yards further than the older models. Great ball!

 

I have never heard of Blackstone.. Checked out the website, looks decent. Is it worth the hour+ drive from Naperville?

 

Depending on where in NaperHell you are, it's worth the 75 minute drive, too.

 

Awesome, I am going to check it out this summer. I love playing new courses.

 

If you don't mind a bit of a drive, add Oak Grove, Prairie View and Timber Pointe to your list.

Meeting a buddy tomorrow am at Timber Pointe. Played it late last year for the first time and was pleasantly surprised.

[stasek]

Mt. Prospect this afternoon. I guess I played the course few years ago but didn’t remember it. Course is in great shape (all things considered) and the green are ... what they are:. Played like a donkey - finally lost my ksig4 ( from last round) - didn’t think a 9 on a par 3 was possible”, but I managed to card one. Oh, well.... at least the driver was behaving.

Back to my regularly scheduled life.

 

[Argonne69]

A much nicer morning at Harborside. The Starboard course is in very nice shape. I didn't encounter a single wet spot, and the fairways are greening up nicely. The greens rolled fine. I think I can safely say that the course has the best conditioned bunkers in the area. The bunker renovation was a home run.

 

What a difference a day makes. I fixed my driving woes, and hit 12 fairways. Of course the generous fairways on the Starboard course certainly help. 12 greens and 4 scrambles made for a solid round.

[@_the_crook]

Sportsman's this a.m. - 2 1/2 frost delay..

it did turn out to be a decent round with fairways and greens in good shape.

bunkers well groomed and sand had been refreshed.

that pond on 17 got me again, but I cleared it with determination after the penalty.

 

best to all.

[DavePelz4]

It was a "Brooks" weekend with Spring yesterday and Naper today. Several thoughts to share. As mentioned before, they'd gone to new technology from a reservation system and a POS (and I don't mean piece of...). They have a lot of bugs to work out. Booked both times on line and had issues with both reservations. Yesterday my reservation wasn't there even though I had the email confirmation on my phone. Even though I received the email, they had something funky show up in the account. I'm deep into the back 9 of life and eligible for a senior discount. They had me as a junior...I wish. Today's check in wasn't any better. The last time I posted about playing at Springbrook, I mentioned they're done away with the little card and have a profile built for everyone in a unified system so you get the best deal, etc.. Yeah, that isn't right. When I checked in this morning they asked for my little card and when I said I didn't have it anymore and didn't need it at Springbrook, the pro said that was wrong. Oh well.

 

On to the courses.

 

I've played both courses for 25+ years. Can't believe I'm saying this but Naper was in exponentially better condition than Spring. Fairways were very shaggy at Spring and it doesn't seem they've done much with the greens other than a quick cut and possible roll. Naper's fairways were much faster, they've grown the rough to probably 2 inches and the greens at Naper were in outstanding condition. The tee boxes at Spring were in very tough shape as well.

 

Both courses continue to take out copious amounts of trees. The Emerald ash borer caused a lot of trees to be removed but they took down oaks as well as pines. Both courses are much more wide open and you can spray the ball off the tee and still be easily in play. If there's a benefit to this it's an improved pace of play. Yesterday was 3:45 and today was just under 4 hours which is perfect on a Sunday afternoon.

 

The other big change for both courses is they have marshalls...actually doing some marshalling. Yesterday we were a 3 some behind a very slow 4 some playing the tips. The marshall came up to us, asked if we were waiting a lot and he set it up for us to play through the group. Pretty much shocked by that one.

[Thunder Dan]

A much nicer morning at Harborside. The Starboard course is in very nice shape. I didn't encounter a single wet spot, and the fairways are greening up nicely. The greens rolled fine. I think I can safely say that the course has the best conditioned bunkers in the area. The bunker renovation was a home run.

 

What a difference a day makes. I fixed my driving woes, and hit 12 fairways. Of course the generous fairways on the Starboard course certainly help. 12 greens and 4 scrambles made for a solid round.

 

Played there Saturday morning. It was 38 with a nice 18mph breeze when I teed off. Coolest round I’ve ever played but finished in 2 hours and 20 minutes, my kind of round. Greens were nice but excited for them to speed up

[SpeedKills7]

Played The Preserve today at noon. Got there early to hit some balls to find out they had a frost delay this morning. No big deal, 20 extra mins. 5 and a half hours later, we were done.

Not sure what was going on but waited on every tee shot and most approach shots. Put a decent back 9 together after posting 2 triples on the front for a 92.

 

Some of the fairways looked horrible. Greens rolled pretty good and the course was really hard.

For $70 in April was expecting a little better.

[adschus]

Blackstone was a treat. It’s not brutally difficult until you get to the greens and WOW did they have character. Elevated, multi tiered, false fronts, etc. Talk about an emphasis on shot placement for your approach. I was blinded out twice after good drives. It’s either have 120 blind or 150 but over a side green bunker with little green to work with. That was hole 16 I believe. Fun round and totally worth the 52 minute drive from Naperville.

[Jazzmastafish]

Mt. Prospect this afternoon. I guess I played the course few years ago but didn't remember it. Course is in great shape (all things considered) and the green are ... what they are:. Played like a donkey - finally lost my ksig4 ( from last round) - didn't think a 9 on a par 3 was possible", but I managed to card one. Oh, well.... at least the driver was behaving.

Back to my regularly scheduled life.

 

I played Mt Prospect for the first time Saturday as well. The greens were firm, running fast as hell and well, it's gonna take a few rounds there to figure them out. Wow. Which hole did you make that 9 on? I effed up the par 3 12th, left one in the bunker and then one of my 6 three jacks for a 6. Lost the hole to a 5 lol. It's only 135 from the silvers. Oy.

 

Anybody trying to get out tomorrow, Monday the 30th? There's a hot deal I'm looking at Harborside, and I'd rather not play completely alone. Feel free to PM if interested.

[stasek]

Mt. Prospect this afternoon. I guess I played the course few years ago but didn't remember it. Course is in great shape (all things considered) and the green are ... what they are:. Played like a donkey - finally lost my ksig4 ( from last round) - didn't think a 9 on a par 3 was possible", but I managed to card one. Oh, well.... at least the driver was behaving.

Back to my regularly scheduled life.

 

I played Mt Prospect for the first time Saturday as well. The greens were firm, running fast as hell and well, it's gonna take a few rounds there to figure them out. Wow. Which hole did you make that 9 on? I effed up the par 3 12th, left one in the bunker and then one of my 6 three jacks for a 6. Lost the hole to a 5 lol. It's only 135 from the silvers. Oy.

 

Anybody trying to get out tomorrow, Monday the 30th? There's a hot deal I'm looking at Harborside, and I'd rather not play completely alone. Feel free to PM if interested.

 

16.... wormburner off the tee, chunked 60 into the bunker right under the lip, hit the lip and stayed in the bunker, from the bunker over the green behind an evergreen, “little” too strong flop shot that didn’t flop and over the green into the hazard, drop, on the green, 2 putt...

 

[Holy Moses]

I’m planning on playing Friday afternoon. Anyone else up for a game?

[chisag]

I've played both courses for 25+ years. Can't believe I'm saying this but Naper was in exponentially better condition than Spring. Fairways were very shaggy at Spring and it doesn't seem they've done much with the greens other than a quick cut and possible roll. Naper's fairways were much faster, they've grown the rough to probably 2 inches and the greens at Naper were in outstanding condition. The tee boxes at Spring were in very tough shape as well.

 

The other big change for both courses is they have marshalls...actually doing some marshalling. Yesterday we were a 3 some behind a very slow 4 some playing the tips. The marshall came up to us, asked if we were waiting a lot and he set it up for us to play through the group. Pretty much shocked by that one.

 

 

... WOW, what a difference a few days make! Played Naperbrook last week and I would say the greens were the worst i have ever experienced there, and I played it the first day it opened. HUGE tine holes and very slow shaggy greens. How those holes filled in so quickly, especially since they barely top dress is nothing short of a miracle as I figured it would be 2-3 weeks before I went back. As a senior with a Brooks card it is only $19 to play and it is the closest course to my house so I am a regular there. Especially days I don't plan on playing but the bug hits me by early afternoon and I can just run over and play before high school groups tee off. And I cannot remember the last time I saw a ranger at Naper. Thanks for the heads up.

[DavePelz4]

I've played both courses for 25+ years. Can't believe I'm saying this but Naper was in exponentially better condition than Spring. Fairways were very shaggy at Spring and it doesn't seem they've done much with the greens other than a quick cut and possible roll. Naper's fairways were much faster, they've grown the rough to probably 2 inches and the greens at Naper were in outstanding condition. The tee boxes at Spring were in very tough shape as well.

 

The other big change for both courses is they have marshalls...actually doing some marshalling. Yesterday we were a 3 some behind a very slow 4 some playing the tips. The marshall came up to us, asked if we were waiting a lot and he set it up for us to play through the group. Pretty much shocked by that one.

 

 

... WOW, what a difference a few days make! Played Naperbrook last week and I would say the greens were the worst i have ever experienced there, and I played it the first day it opened. HUGE tine holes and very slow shaggy greens. How those holes filled in so quickly, especially since they barely top dress is nothing short of a miracle as I figured it would be 2-3 weeks before I went back. As a senior with a Brooks card it is only $19 to play and it is the closest course to my house so I am a regular there. Especially days I don't plan on playing but the bug hits me by early afternoon and I can just run over and play before high school groups tee off. And I cannot remember the last time I saw a ranger at Naper. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I saw your post last week and was honestly concerned about what I'd find. As mentioned, such a shocking surprise...and the rangers, unheard of!

 

The greens at Springbrook were still recovering from aeration by Naperbrook's were really good. Pretty sure they've rolled them a couple of times and cut them as well.