Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[geochitown]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1438099409' post='12034826']
Just got word from the wife that she was able to get all day Friday off so looks like another weekend getaway in Green Lake! Gonna give a new course a try, Whispering Springs in Fon Du Lac. Its about 45 minutes away from Green Lake, supposed to be a pretty decent course. I'll follow that up with a couple rounds at Lawsonia..excited to try out my new and improved cross handed putting grip on their greens.
[/quote]

Cool, a Bob Lohmann designed course.

I played Blackstone last Friday and as usual enjoyed despite the beating I normally get there (another Lohmann design).

[jimwgt26]

I played George Dunne in 3.5 hrs today. We teed off at 3, done at 6:30. No traffic, made a pit stop at Tufano's for take out, and in my house on the Northside by 7:30. Where is everyone?

I played pretty well, even with two doubles on the front. Needed par on 18 to break 80. Unfortunately, I made a triple. It was a fun round, but really hot, especially walking.

[zer0]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1438099545' post='12034866']
[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1438099409' post='12034826']
Just got word from the wife that she was able to get all day Friday off so looks like another weekend getaway in Green Lake! Gonna give a new course a try, Whispering Springs in Fon Du Lac. Its about 45 minutes away from Green Lake, supposed to be a pretty decent course. I'll follow that up with a couple rounds at Lawsonia..excited to try out my new and improved cross handed putting grip on their greens.
[/quote]

Nice. Have you played Sentry World since the redo? Also, how's the new hybrid working out? Get rid of the fade yet?
[/quote]

Haven't gotten up to Sentry World yet. It looks to be about 1.5 hours north of Green Lake which is out of my range if I'm up there with the wife and dog. I've got it on the agenda for next year as part of a guys trip.

I seem to be figuring out the 5H, was hitting it pretty straight on Sunday. There's a 175 yard par 3 at the Links course, looking forward to giving it a go there.

[zer0]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438129659' post='12038092']
I played George Dunne in 3.5 hrs today. We teed off at 3, done at 6:30. No traffic, made a pit stop at Tufano's for take out, and in my house on the Northside by 7:30. Where is everyone?

I played pretty well even with two doubles on the front. I needed par on 18 to break 80. Unfortunately, I made a triple. It was a fun round, but really hot, especially walking.
[/quote]

You go lake left or trap/woods right off the tee on 18?

3.5 hours at twlight on a tuesday sounds about right for GD. That's essentially the only time you can fly through that place.

[jimwgt26]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1438131552' post='12038296'][quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438129659' post='12038092']
I played George Dunne in 3.5 hrs today. We teed off at 3, done at 6:30. No traffic, made a pit stop at Tufano's for take out, and in my house on the Northside by 7:30. Where is everyone?

I played pretty well even with two doubles on the front. I needed par on 18 to break 80. Unfortunately, I made a triple. It was a fun round, but really hot, especially walking.
[/quote]

You go lake left or trap/woods right off the tee on 18?

3.5 hours at twlight on a tuesday sounds about right for GD. That's essentially the only time you can fly through that place.[/quote]

Pulled my tee shot, and it wasn't solid. Hybrid from the drop zone was just a little to the right, so I had tree trouble for my 4th shot. Hit a 90 yard low running 5 iron just over the back. Then a tricky down hill chip. Two putts later equals 7.

I play GD weekday afternoons all the time. This was the fastest pace I can remember.

[B-Man]

Village Links tomorrow arvo with Lefty and some "clients". And when I say clients I mean schmoozing for business. And when I say schmoozing I mean we already have them on the books. And when I mean business I mean an excuse to play midweek!

[apprenti23]

I've played GD in 3-3.5 hours many times! Usually it's been the front nine only though!

[Argonne69]

[quote name='apprenti23' timestamp='1438173972' post='12040250']
I've played GD in 3-3.5 hours many times! Usually it's been the front nine only though!
[/quote]

No kidding. I haven't been back there since my 5:45 round in September 2012. The round prior to that was 5:30.

[Argonne69]

What's the deal with Midlane? I'm looking to play there for the first time on Saturday morning, and the tee sheet is more or less wide open. There are openings for 4somes at 8:10, 8:40, 8:50, 9:10, 9:20, 9:30, 9:40, and 9:50. This obviously send off warning bells. Is this a hidden gem, or an empty goat track?

[jimwgt26]

Anyone play Water's Edge this year?

[DZ1454]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438182291' post='12041132']
Anyone play Water's Edge this year?
[/quote]

I played it early this year. Can't exactly remember when probably April/Mayish. It was in great shape at the time. A lot of the greens in the area were playing like crap and if I remember they were the only decent ones.

I haven't played it since but I've always enjoyed the course as a tough but fair challenge.

[zer0]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438182291' post='12041132']
Anyone play Water's Edge this year?
[/quote]


Fool me once, shame on you, fool me everytime since the town of Worth went broke in 2008, shame on me.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438182291' post='12041132']
Anyone play Water's Edge this year?
[/quote]

Goose sh*t, poor drainage, spotty conditioning, poor pace of play. What's not to like? I always though the layout was decent and challenging, but too many other factors work against it.

[jimwgt26]

Years ago WE was a nice track. I haven't played there in years. Too bad it's no longer worth it.

[zer0]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438186516' post='12041614']
Years ago WE was a nice track. I haven't played there in years. Too bad it's no longer [b]worth[/b] it.
[/quote]

If that was intentional, well done.

[apprenti23]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438186516' post='12041614']
Years ago WE was a nice track. I haven't played there in years. Too bad it's no longer worth it.
[/quote]

It really is a fun layout. Being that it's built on the same sludge material that Harborside is, it's make it extremely difficult to maintain, constantly have to keep wet or turf won't survive. Unfortunately for WE they had to charge a premium and then needed to call in BCG for help. Not many can cut like BCG can cut! I used to play out there once a year for their Superintendents Revenge tournament. Was always an awesome time!

[jimwgt26]

[quote name='apprenti23' timestamp='1438187203' post='12041706'][quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438186516' post='12041614']
Years ago WE was a nice track. I haven't played there in years. Too bad it's no longer worth it.
[/quote]

It really is a fun layout. Being that it's built on the same sludge material that Harborside is, it's make it extremely difficult to maintain, constantly have to keep wet or turf won't survive. Unfortunately for WE they had to charge a premium and then needed to call in BCG for help. Not many can cut like BCG can cut! I used to play out there once a year for their Superintendents Revenge tournament. Was always an awesome time![/quote]

I would've never guessed WE and Harborside share similar construction. One's on a river bank, and the other's an old garbage dump. But, it explains a lot.

I used to like everything about it, except the walk from the 1st green to the 2nd tee, and 17 back to 18. It's pretty close to the city, fun course, nice grass range and the price was fair. Too bad:(

[zer0]

agree on Waters Edge. Used to play it a lot close to 10 years ago. Back then, the course was in great shape, there was GPS in the carts, kids would come out to the 18th green and clean your clubs. Then the recession hit and the place went to crap. They even yanked all the GPS screens out of the cart...never heard of anyone doing that before. I imagine that once you have the equipment it doesn't cost that much to maintain it which is a pretty good indicator of just how broke the course is.

Funny story from WE...years ago was there and a buddy of mine had about 7 hard lemonades and it was real hot that day. Afterwards we go to Portillos on Harlem and he passed out in the middle of the restaurant while carrying his tray of food to the table. From about 3 feet away he basically threw his tray onto the table and then fell into the chair..large drink and food spilled all over the table and his seat and then he just drops in the chair, makes a nice splash of coke go flying and the proceeds to grab a burger and start eating it as if its no big deal..while basically sitting in a puddle of coke and fries and probably his own filth at that point.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438188989' post='12041932']

I used to like everything about it, except the walk from the 1st green to the 2nd tee, and 17 back to 18. It's pretty close to the city, fun course, nice grass range and the price was fair. Too bad:(
[/quote]

I had a run in with the pro shop at WE a few years back because they insisted I couldn't walk in the AM on the weekends. They tried the 'ol "slows down play" trick, but I was having none of it. Finally, they admitted it was all about the cart revenue. When I agreed to pay the cart fee, they let me walk. Of course, I was the first on the green on 90% of the holes. 'Really left a sour taste in my mouth, which is another reason I don't play there more often.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1438189923' post='12042050']
agree on Waters Edge. Used to play it a lot close to 10 years ago. Back then, the course was in great shape, there was GPS in the carts, kids would come out to the 18th green and clean your clubs. Then the recession hit and the place went to crap. They even yanked all the GPS screens out of the cart...never heard of anyone doing that before. I imagine that once you have the equipment it doesn't cost that much to maintain it which is a pretty good indicator of just how broke the course is.

[/quote]

I think they were pioneers in this regard. With the popularity of handheld GPS devices, and now lasers and smartphone apps, few courses are offering GPS in the carts. I don't think it's the cost of the equipment so much as the licensing fees. I'm guessing that they pay a yearly fee to the GPS vendor.

I can only think of a handful of courses that still offer GPS on the carts.

[B-Man]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1438194984' post='12042712']
[quote name='jimwgt26' timestamp='1438188989' post='12041932']
I used to like everything about it, except the walk from the 1st green to the 2nd tee, and 17 back to 18. It's pretty close to the city, fun course, nice grass range and the price was fair. Too bad:(
[/quote]

I had a run in with the pro shop at WE a few years back because they insisted I couldn't walk in the AM on the weekends. They tried the 'ol "slows down play" trick, but I was having none of it. Finally, they admitted it was all about the cart revenue. When I agreed to pay the cart fee, they let me walk. Of course, I was the first on the green on 90% of the holes. 'Really left a sour taste in my mouth, which is another reason I don't play there more often.
[/quote]

I had that same problem at Bloomingdale one year. We walked off and played elsewhere. Sh.itty policy as it wasn't listed at the time.

[VNutz]

I've posted this in other threads, but I'll include it here as well. My brother worked as an Assistant Pro at WE for several years, until Kemper lost it to Billy Casper, at which time Casper offered him the "opportunity" to work more hours for far less money, money (and hours) that were already well below what anyone here would deem acceptible, despite promises for better the future...

As has been mentioned above, the course was built on an old dump, leading to frequent issues with drainage and other problems. Over time it was plagued by that poor drainage, locals (and town officials) that walked and at times destroyed the course (ATVs and carts in lakes), a revolving door of head pros, more than a few that stole from the company and customers, and supers and employees that were good at their job, but not great enough to fix the problems, mainly the horrible greens. At the time it was built, the mid to late 90s when golf was booming, it was seen as an answer for the town as to what to do with a worthless piece of property, make the town more attractive and make money at the same time. It began as a fantastic course and a great idea, but quickly was under consistent pressure from the town to be more profitable, lest it be bulldozed under for a series of mini malls that town officials wanted. It originally was run by Kemper Sports, the same company that built and runs Bandon Dunes, and for a while it was worthy of their name. But as the years went by they had to skimp on costs to meet the towns' profit demands, and when the economy took a dump and the opportunity arose, late 2009 I believe the town ditched Kemper and went with the lower cost of operation that Casper offered. When Casper came in they instantly laid off nearly the entire staff, down to a skeleton crew. As expected, conditions worsened and the quality of golf suffered. The GPS carts, which were rented out on a yearly basis, were dropped in an effort to cut costs while keeping prices the same. The restaurant and bar were emphasized more as a way to increase revenue and sales. In the end, the town is happy, Casper is happy to be making money, Kemper is happy they don't have to deal with the scum at Worth anymore, and the golfers suffer. Such happens when the emphasis is on profitability. IMO it's a shame that the company of Casper bears his name.

It's truly a shame as the course layout is incredibly unique for the area and actually a lot of fun IMO. It has a ton of potential to be a great course, but that doesn't seem to be what the town of Worth wants.

[VNutz]

Got out again this morning in MI at Macatawa Legends in Holland. Decent course, nothing spectacular. Driver was missing this morning, everything else was ok again, irons are getting dialed in nicely, hit a few tight. Came in at +6 again, with 2 doubles, gotta stop that trend.

[Scratch2Plus]

Itasca CC tomorrow and HoE on Saturday...Have a comp'd invite to Dubs Sunday but cant make it happen. Dang that hurts.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='VNutz' timestamp='1438198062' post='12043026']
I've posted this in other threads, but I'll include it here as well. My brother worked as an Assistant Pro at WE for several years, until Kemper lost it to Billy Casper, at which time Casper offered him the "opportunity" to work more hours for far less money, money (and hours) that were already well below what anyone here would deem acceptible, despite promises for better the future...

As has been mentioned above, the course was built on an old dump, leading to frequent issues with drainage and other problems. Over time it was plagued by that poor drainage, locals (and town officials) that walked and at times destroyed the course (ATVs and carts in lakes), a revolving door of head pros, more than a few that stole from the company and customers, and supers and employees that were good at their job, but not great enough to fix the problems, mainly the horrible greens. At the time it was built, the mid to late 90s when golf was booming, it was seen as an answer for the town as to what to do with a worthless piece of property, make the town more attractive and make money at the same time. It began as a fantastic course and a great idea, but quickly was under consistent pressure from the town to be more profitable, lest it be bulldozed under for a series of mini malls that town officials wanted. It originally was run by Kemper Sports, the same company that built and runs Bandon Dunes, and for a while it was worthy of their name. But as the years went by they had to skimp on costs to meet the towns' profit demands, and when the economy took a dump and the opportunity arose, late 2009 I believe the town ditched Kemper and went with the lower cost of operation that Casper offered. When Casper came in they instantly laid off nearly the entire staff, down to a skeleton crew. As expected, conditions worsened and the quality of golf suffered. The GPS carts, which were rented out on a yearly basis, were dropped in an effort to cut costs while keeping prices the same. The restaurant and bar were emphasized more as a way to increase revenue and sales. In the end, the town is happy, Casper is happy to be making money, Kemper is happy they don't have to deal with the scum at Worth anymore, and the golfers suffer. Such happens when the emphasis is on profitability. IMO it's a shame that the company of Casper bears his name.

It's truly a shame as the course layout is incredibly unique for the area and actually a lot of fun IMO. It has a ton of potential to be a great course, but that doesn't seem to be what the town of Worth wants.
[/quote]

Sad story. Is WE a muni? I don't think there are many muni's out there that actually turn a profit, as their primary purpose is to provide recreation for the local community.

[VNutz]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1438200639' post='12043326']
Sad story. Is WE a muni? I don't think there are many muni's out there that actually turn a profit, as their primary purpose is to provide recreation for the local community.
[/quote]

It's owned by the town and operated under contract by another company, so call it what you will. Usually such courses are for recreation, but very few munis are courses built within the past 20 years or so, most are long paid off. Perhaps a modern day muni if you want to call it that, it does offer discounts to Worth residents. But it certainly has been operated with revenue streams in mind, probably to meet expectations and costs, and also as an added revenue stream they expected, hence the pressure to increase numbers lest it be turned into mini malls. Town officials often frequented it as if they personally owned the place, many used it as their own amusement park.

[jimwgt26]

I'm paying for bragging about pace of play and no traffic yesterday. My plan after work, in the loop, is to go hit a bucket at Diversey. I've been stuck on Michigan Ave for 45 minutes. They're setting up Lollapalooza, you can't get through Grant Park. UGHHH

[dhartmann34]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1438179847' post='12040852']What's the deal with Midlane? I'm looking to play there for the first time on Saturday morning, and the tee sheet is more or less wide open. There are openings for 4somes at 8:10, 8:40, 8:50, 9:10, 9:20, 9:30, 9:40, and 9:50. This obviously send off warning bells. Is this a hidden gem, or an empty goat track?[/quote]
Usually in pretty good shape.... But rounds are usually 5+ hours.

[DavePelz4]

The two Naperville courses both run at nice profit...and that's after paying performance bonuses to the GM's, etc. Of course, they're both in the top 5 in the state as far as annual rounds.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='dhartmann34' timestamp='1438204209' post='12043672']
[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1438179847' post='12040852']What's the deal with Midlane? I'm looking to play there for the first time on Saturday morning, and the tee sheet is more or less wide open. There are openings for 4somes at 8:10, 8:40, 8:50, 9:10, 9:20, 9:30, 9:40, and 9:50. This obviously send off warning bells. Is this a hidden gem, or an empty goat track?[/quote]
Usually in pretty good shape.... But rounds are usually 5+ hours.
[/quote]

Ugh. I'll take a pass.