Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[mci711]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> > @mci711 said:

> > > @DavePelz4 said:

> > > > @DeeBee30 said:

> > > > Arrowhead yesterday (finally...permanent tee times have never felt more temporary). The few fairways that I graced with my presence were wet but not soggy, but the 50-75 yard areas in from of many greens were a little pluggy. Several mud balls in the rough, and the bunkers were firm with a little loose at sand as the top layer. Greens were rolled, firm and running great, but there’s some residual sand that I was told is from last fall.

> > > >

> > > > Well, off to Stonebridge this morning for a “member recruiting” outing, then up to Wisconsin tonight for a rematch against Mammoth Dunes and his SV big brother tomorrow. Feels a little like Christmas Eve today.

> > >

> > > We're heading to SV on Friday morning and look forward to your feedback on the conditions. If everything works out perfectly, we're SV early Friday afternoon, The Sandbox light permitting afterwards and then Sentry World on Sat.

> >

> > I am really on the fence about maybe going to SV tomorrow morning. 70 degrees, $160 for 2 rounds. Tough to beat.

>

> What's the hesitation?

 

Booked it. I'm not teeing off til 9. So I may only play Mammoth tomorrow. I guess I could tee off as late as 3 and probably finish a 2nd round. But not sure if I will be doing that or not.. Maybe the sandbox.

[VNutz]

> @DeeBee30 said:

>

> DP: I'll give a scouting report on SV. Heads up...I havent found an app that has the courses mapped, so either use the hole images from the website or buy the yardage book (which uses the exact same images).

>

>

>

 

Thanks for the heads up. I'm kind of surprised it's taken so long to map for being such a destination course.

 

Interestingly I found the Garmin watch I use has both courses available to download and have done so, but my GolfBuddy GPS doesn't have it. We'll see if the Garmin works when I get there.

 

[SpeedKills7]

> @Shriner said:

> Yep, Players is the only one that is completed. However, they did not fix the issue with hole #6 and golf balls going into oncoming traffic on Roselle Road. It is a disaster waiting to happen, if it has not already. I have no idea how a municipal course can be so nice; some of the nicest greens and fairways in the Chicago metro area. I love playing there because you know the conditions are going to be perfect.

 

Was playing with a guy who got someone's windshield. Dude pulled in and ran over to the tee box. We played as a 2some the rest of the round.

[Argonne69]

Bridges of Poplar Creek on Saturday. It's been eight years since I played the course. I assume walking is allowed on weekend mornings?

 

TPC Northbrook on Sunday morning. First time there this season.

[DavePelz4]

Walking is allowed but they make you pay for a cart, regardless. The city of HE is going to get your $$$ one way or the other.

[Argonne69]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> Walking is allowed but they make you pay for a cart, regardless. The city of HE is going to get your $$$ one way or the other.

 

Complete. Utter. Bullsh-t.

[DavePelz4]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @DavePelz4 said:

> > Walking is allowed but they make you pay for a cart, regardless. The city of HE is going to get your $$$ one way or the other.

>

> Complete. Utter. Bullsh-t.

 

Yep. We played there a couple of years ago and right next to the clubhouse they had a big sign encouraging family fitness. They didn't appreciate me bringing that to their attention.

[Shriner]

 

> @Argonne69 said:

> Bridges of Poplar Creek on Saturday. It's been eight years since I played the course. I assume walking is allowed on weekend mornings?

>

> TPC Northbrook on Sunday morning. First time there this season.

 

Can't wait to hear what you think of Poplar! I've probably got roughly 200 rounds there since it was my home course back in high school ('95-'99). I've played it twice this year . Usually in excellent condition but the conditions aren't up to par yet for what the greens and fairways normally are. Such a challenging start on holes 1 and 2. Good luck!

[TheBear95]

Played Shepherds Crook yesterday morning. Course was in good shape and with a light wind from the north, no garbage smell.

[DavePelz4]

> @Shriner said:

>

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > Bridges of Poplar Creek on Saturday. It's been eight years since I played the course. I assume walking is allowed on weekend mornings?

> >

> > TPC Northbrook on Sunday morning. First time there this season.

>

> Can't wait to hear what you think of Poplar! I've probably got roughly 200 rounds there since it was my home course back in high school ('95-'99). I've played it twice this year . Usually in excellent condition but the conditions aren't up to par yet for what the greens and fairways normally are. Such a challenging start on holes 1 and 2. Good luck!

 

The second green is such a tease. Have watched more than a couple players putt off the green when the pin is front right. Deceptively sloped.

[@_the_crook]

> @Argonne69 said:

> Bridges of Poplar Creek on Saturday. It's been eight years since I played the course. I assume walking is allowed on weekend mornings?

>

> TPC Northbrook on Sunday morning. First time there this season.

 

what time you going off?

[Marlo989]

Got out at Blackstone this afternoon. First time I've played there. Made a point of it based on its reputation and the quality of fairways and greens lived up to it. Tee boxes were fine but seemed like a mismatch from quality of other turf. Course was drying out nicely but you could tell it had taken a ton of rain.

For layout, it was interesting playing a subdivision course with only 8% of a subdivision built. Lack of houses added to experience. The number of forced carries / forced layups isn't my ideal but the course is a great deal for the quality.

Played in 3 hours which was excellent (caught groups on 10 but they were moving along.)

[Argonne69]

> @"@_the_crook" said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > Bridges of Poplar Creek on Saturday. It's been eight years since I played the course. I assume walking is allowed on weekend mornings?

> >

> > TPC Northbrook on Sunday morning. First time there this season.

>

> what time you going off?

 

7:45 am.

[DavePelz4]

> @Marlo989 said:

> Got out at Blackstone this afternoon. First time I've played there. Made a point of it based on its reputation and the quality of fairways and greens lived up to it. Tee boxes were fine but seemed like a mismatch from quality of other turf. Course was drying out nicely but you could tell it had taken a ton of rain.

> For layout, it was interesting playing a subdivision course with only 8% of a subdivision built. Lack of houses added to experience. The number of forced carries / forced layups isn't my ideal but the course is a great deal for the quality.

> Played in 3 hours which was excellent (caught groups on 10 but they were moving along.)

 

Interesting perspective...have never thought of Blackstone as a subdivision course.

[MountainKing]

Since it seems a lot of courses are still recovering from the terrible spring we're gonna save some cash and risk our lives and go play the Champ on Sunday morning. Not expecting much for the $30. I may try to sneak out Saturday afternoon as well at Oak Brook or Willow Crest. After only getting in 6 rounds last year and missing half the season with an injury the year before I made it a goal to get a lot of rounds in this year but we all know the weather so far....

[VNutz]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> > @Marlo989 said:

> > Got out at Blackstone this afternoon. First time I've played there. Made a point of it based on its reputation and the quality of fairways and greens lived up to it. Tee boxes were fine but seemed like a mismatch from quality of other turf. Course was drying out nicely but you could tell it had taken a ton of rain.

> > For layout, it was interesting playing a subdivision course with only 8% of a subdivision built. Lack of houses added to experience. The number of forced carries / forced layups isn't my ideal but the course is a great deal for the quality.

> > Played in 3 hours which was excellent (caught groups on 10 but they were moving along.)

>

> Interesting perspective...have never thought of Blackstone as a subdivision course.

 

It certainly doesn't feel like it, even though the plans are clearly in place there. Eventually more homes will be built and it might change the feel a little bit, but for the 5+ years I've been playing there not much progress has been made. And thankfully on those few holes that feature homes, they're located far enough off the course to not make it feel like a subdivision course. A better balance than courses from the 80s/90s like Klein Creek.

[mci711]

> @VNutz said:

> > @DavePelz4 said:

> > > @Marlo989 said:

> > > Got out at Blackstone this afternoon. First time I've played there. Made a point of it based on its reputation and the quality of fairways and greens lived up to it. Tee boxes were fine but seemed like a mismatch from quality of other turf. Course was drying out nicely but you could tell it had taken a ton of rain.

> > > For layout, it was interesting playing a subdivision course with only 8% of a subdivision built. Lack of houses added to experience. The number of forced carries / forced layups isn't my ideal but the course is a great deal for the quality.

> > > Played in 3 hours which was excellent (caught groups on 10 but they were moving along.)

> >

> > Interesting perspective...have never thought of Blackstone as a subdivision course.

>

> It certainly doesn't feel like it, even though the plans are clearly in place there. Eventually more homes will be built and it might change the feel a little bit, but for the 5+ years I've been playing there not much progress has been made. And thankfully on those few holes that feature homes, they're located far enough off the course to not make it feel like a subdivision course. A better balance than courses from the 80s/90s like Klein Creek.

 

The house near 8 green 9 tee box has been for sale for 2 years. There is nothing out there, I couldn't imagine living there. But I haven't lived in the Chicago area that long, I am sure the same thing could have been said about Elgin in the not so distant past?

[geochitown]

playing for first time in 3 weeks tonite in league at Mt Prospect.

the practice area was dry yesterday.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the course is.

[mci711]

> @geochitown said:

> playing for first time in 3 weeks tonite in league at Mt Prospect.

> the practice area was dry yesterday.

> It will be interesting to see how the rest of the course is.

 

Anything with decent drainage should be fine. Seven Bridges was off the path last night and their drainage is just ok, not great by any means.

[DavePelz4]

> @mci711 said:

> > @VNutz said:

> > > @DavePelz4 said:

> > > > @Marlo989 said:

> > > > Got out at Blackstone this afternoon. First time I've played there. Made a point of it based on its reputation and the quality of fairways and greens lived up to it. Tee boxes were fine but seemed like a mismatch from quality of other turf. Course was drying out nicely but you could tell it had taken a ton of rain.

> > > > For layout, it was interesting playing a subdivision course with only 8% of a subdivision built. Lack of houses added to experience. The number of forced carries / forced layups isn't my ideal but the course is a great deal for the quality.

> > > > Played in 3 hours which was excellent (caught groups on 10 but they were moving along.)

> > >

> > > Interesting perspective...have never thought of Blackstone as a subdivision course.

> >

> > It certainly doesn't feel like it, even though the plans are clearly in place there. Eventually more homes will be built and it might change the feel a little bit, but for the 5+ years I've been playing there not much progress has been made. And thankfully on those few holes that feature homes, they're located far enough off the course to not make it feel like a subdivision course. A better balance than courses from the 80s/90s like Klein Creek.

>

> The house near 8 green 9 tee box has been for sale for 2 years. There is nothing out there, I couldn't imagine living there. But I haven't lived in the Chicago area that long, I am sure the same thing could have been said about Elgin in the not so distant past?

 

One of their biggest challenges is no industry/tax base to support the area. One of the guys in our group has a great house and piece of land closer to Marengo and it comes with a huge tax bill. Maybe the new truck stop they're building off 90/20 will help with that.

[VNutz]

> @mci711 said:

> > @VNutz said:

> > > @DavePelz4 said:

> > > > @Marlo989 said:

> > > > Got out at Blackstone this afternoon. First time I've played there. Made a point of it based on its reputation and the quality of fairways and greens lived up to it. Tee boxes were fine but seemed like a mismatch from quality of other turf. Course was drying out nicely but you could tell it had taken a ton of rain.

> > > > For layout, it was interesting playing a subdivision course with only 8% of a subdivision built. Lack of houses added to experience. The number of forced carries / forced layups isn't my ideal but the course is a great deal for the quality.

> > > > Played in 3 hours which was excellent (caught groups on 10 but they were moving along.)

> > >

> > > Interesting perspective...have never thought of Blackstone as a subdivision course.

> >

> > It certainly doesn't feel like it, even though the plans are clearly in place there. Eventually more homes will be built and it might change the feel a little bit, but for the 5+ years I've been playing there not much progress has been made. And thankfully on those few holes that feature homes, they're located far enough off the course to not make it feel like a subdivision course. A better balance than courses from the 80s/90s like Klein Creek.

>

> The house near 8 green 9 tee box has been for sale for 2 years. There is nothing out there, I couldn't imagine living there. But I haven't lived in the Chicago area that long, I am sure the same thing could have been said about Elgin in the not so distant past?

 

Elgin was always something on its own I believe before sprawl filled in up to it. Marengo is just out there IMO. I love the idea of getting away from the burbs a bit and having some freedom and land, but if I'm making an effort to be that far away from people I'm not going to choose to live on a golf course where there's people in my backyard all day every day.

[propman]

Played Heritage Bluff today. Just a great day to play. Course was in good condition. My front was decent but wheels fell off in the last 3 holes.

[DeeBee30]

Got back late last night after 36 at Sand Valley - Mammoth Dunes in the am and SV in the afternoon. First thing: remind me to NEVER walk 36 on the same day on courses like that...my body feels like I went a few rounds with Mike Tyson. We drove up the night before and stayed at the lodge: double room which was very spacious, and a bathroom with a separate toilet closet so one guy can use the crapper while another uses the bathroom. The weather yesterday was an absolute delight: around 70 and mostly sunny all day, with a mild breeze. We started stripping off layers within the first two holes after our 7:20am start and soon started getting warm. The sand base really soaks up the warmth and makes the course feel warmer than the surrounding air.

 

On to the golf. MD was just as much fun as it was a couple weeks ago: a lot of beautiful holes with dramatic visuals and multiple ways to play them. The conditioning was excellent from tee to green, though the fairways weren't providing as much runout as you'd expect given the topography, sand base and fescue. There were a number of tee shots that ended up on severe slopes when it seemed they would have run down to a flatter area. I'm sure they'll speed up as the weather bakes ground a bit more. The grees were pure but not super quick, either. Overall, a good, playable speed considering the lag putting sometimes required by massive they are.

 

We were able to grab a bite at Craig's Porch, which is the halfway house located near SV's 1st and 10th tees. I'd read great things about getting an excellent burger there, but all they had were street tacos and a taco bowl. Oh well...we didn't go there for the food.

 

Sand Valley in the afternoon was an entirely different animal than MD. Visually, there are many more shades of sandy brown than green, and even the fairways & greens have more of a sand-colored tint than MD. The fairways were so much "sandier" than MD that we often were able to spot where drives landed by seeing the splash of sand in the middle of the fairway. All that sand meant the greens and fairways ran a bit faster, and we experienced that expected runout on good driver shots to the fairway. Also, where MD has massive, 100+ yard wide fairways, SV demands that you be a bit more precise with your tee shots. There's not nearly as much room for error, and wayward shots off the fairway are often punished by crappy lies in the sandy scruff, often with a lone tuft of grass directly behind or in front of the ball. SV also seems to suffer from a little of a personality disorder with regards to the green complexes - some have runup areas that transition smoothly from the fairway and surrounding areas (so you can more easily putt onto them), while others are raised and crowned like Ross greens. It's fine that different greens require you to play them differently, but it just seemed odd and inconsistent.

 

Overall, I'm a car fan, so I'll use a car analogy. Mammoth Dunes is like a fun modern sports car that you drive with the top down and wind in your hair. You have to pay attention to the road, but it's more fun than work. Sand Valley is like a classic muscle car that goes fast but requires you to muscle it around the track. No power steering or brakes, and no creature comforts. Still fun, but you feel like it was more of a struggle to have fun.

 

Both are awesome courses, and I'd play either of them multiple times over without tiring of them. BUT...I really love Mammoth Dunes, while I just like Sand Valley.

 

 

Sunrise over The Sandbox outside our room:

 

 

 

Mammoth Dunes:

 

 

Sand Valley:

 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

The tacos at Craig's are fantastic. You have to try them next time.

 

I agree with your assessment. MD is just plain fun. SV is work.

 

[DeeBee30]

In hindsight, sorry for the wall of text about SV. Guess I was still feeling a little gushy.

 

And the tacos were fine...

[geochitown]

thanks for the report from MD/SV.

gotta get up there at some point

Mt Prospect last night was great

The course is playing firm and fast, lots of runout on drives and it allowed for fun runup shots to the greens.

The greens were running fast and true.

[VNutz]

Great to see those pics of SV/MD in the sunshine, thank you. Pretty sure I won't see that the next 2 days when I'm there.

[DeeBee30]

FYI, here's a nice writeup on how to play several of the holes at MD...I found this useful my first time since the best lines aren't immediately identifiable from the tees: https://golficity.com/all-hail-sand-valleys-masterpiece-mammoth-dunes/.

 

OK, I'm off of SV and back to Chicago golf. Bartlett Hills coming up Sunday for a group outing. Don't have the fondest memories, but it's been a while. Any recent intel on the course?

[Shriner]

I played Bartlett Hills back on April 20th; like many courses it had not grown in but I didn't really have any complaints. I'm sure it will look much better now since there are alot of trees on the course. Greens were slow but rolled fairly true. Obviously you can't go in with the mindset that you are playing Mistwood. It is a nifty little course, not long at all. Hopefully you don't have a five hour round like I did though!

[chisag]

... After playing virtually every day in Phoenix, I am back in Bolingbrook and didn't play for 13 days due to travel and weather. Evidently Spring decided to skip Illinois. Finally got out Wednesday and played Prairie Bluff. Greens are perfect with very few ball marks (that will change soon, sigh) rolling better than I have ever seen them, very smooth and reasonably fast for all the rain so I had 4 birdies and lipped out 2 more. On the flip side, the rough is like a US Open and I have never seen it so long and thick and I carded 6 bogies. 10 is such an easy hole and I pulled my drive a hair using a 2 iron and even though it was 3" off the fairway we almost didn't find it. 3 more times I made it about an inch or two into the rough and had a hard time finding the ball. They also put in a new longer tee on 14 making a tough hole even more difficult. So those that think Prairie Bluff is not enough of a challenge, you should try it this weekend and I think you might be surprised. But they aerate the greens Monday so the window to play the US Open version is only 3 days.