Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[DavePelz4]

20 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Yup, 18 has been up front or back right literally on the sides of those slopes when of course moving it 2-3 feet would be a flat area effected by slope but playable, as it should be. I was pin high just to the right of the green in 2, which is rare for me but 20mph wind aided and killed my chip into the fringe and it tricked over the edge and still ran 8 feet past. For someone that can't normally reach in 2 and being 12 feet from the hole with no chance of stopping the ball is just silly. The worst though has been 17 where they insist on putting it either high on that one big slope or near the bottom but still on the slope. If you are on the other side you have no chance and even worse a good shot to the dead center of the green is either going to hit the hole or roll anywhere from 6 - 15 feet depending on high or low pin placement. 15 is hard enough without putting a pin right on that slope too. That green is HUGE so no need to put a pin there. Same for #8. 

 

That back right area on 18 is SOOOO small...need to hit a perfect approach to even have a chance. Great job in getting there in 2 though!

[VNutz]

70s was fun while it lasted, back to reality. Had just enough time to get a quick bike ride in last night before the storm. As I approached my turnaround I could see the storms coming. Got home about 2 minutes before everything hit, was lucky I cut it short.

 

Didn't get a chance to play this weekend, might push my luck Friday or Saturday as it doesn't look too awful.

[ME27]

Played Mistwood Monday for the last nice weather round of the year. Same great conditions as always and I always seem to play well here, 75 with two birdies. Going to be rough going back to playing in the 40's after this last week of great weather. 

[mci711]

2 hours ago, ME27 said:

Played Mistwood Monday for the last nice weather round of the year. Same great conditions as always and I always seem to play well here, 75 with two birdies. Going to be rough going back to playing in the 40's after this last week of great weather. 

 

We have some decent days in the mid to high 50s on the 10 day forecast! Don't give up hope now 😂

[ldchristopher]

I dropped off my daughter with the grandparents today and played Heritage Bluffs and Ruffled Feathers. Bluffs was in pretty good shape. The greens still had visible punch marks but they were running smooth. Some spots were a little chewed but overall it handled yesterday's rain just fine. There's something about Heritage Bluffs but I can't go lower than mid to high 70's. Today that's about what I expected and sure enough, I finished with a birdie-free 77. With the cold air (real-feel was about 27-32 degrees for the front nine) the ball wasn't flying all that far but I was still able to scratch out 13 pars. 

I'd never played Feathers before since it was always overpriced. However, when I asked if they had a Fall walking rate the guy in the pro shop said he could give me the $29 rate. So I guess the carts there are worth $30 for a pancake-flat 6.5 mile course. I'm sure he gave me the rate because they weren't booked too heavily today  but I wasn't complaining. Anyway, I was told to expect a lot of target golf and to be ready to hit mostly fairway wood off the tee. That scouting report was spot on. The greens were good (no punching yet) and there are quite a few nice holes. I enjoyed all the par 3's but the short 5's on the back both need about 50-70 more yards that just aren't available on the property. One birdie on 12 and lots of looks, especially on the back. 74. 

[oldpalchamp]

On 11/9/2020 at 11:27 AM, chisag said:

 

... Yup, 18 has been up front or back right literally on the sides of those slopes when of course moving it 2-3 feet would be a flat area effected by slope but playable, as it should be. I was pin high just to the right of the green in 2, which is rare for me but 20mph wind aided and killed my chip into the fringe and it tricked over the edge and still ran 8 feet past. For someone that can't normally reach in 2 and being 12 feet from the hole with no chance of stopping the ball is just silly. The worst though has been 17 where they insist on putting it either high on that one big slope or near the bottom but still on the slope. If you are on the other side you have no chance and even worse a good shot to the dead center of the green is either going to hit the hole or roll anywhere from 6 - 15 feet depending on high or low pin placement. 15 is hard enough without putting a pin right on that slope too. That green is HUGE so no need to put a pin there. Same for #8. 

Agree that 18 at Naperbrook is a very difficult green, but, to play devil's advocate, it is a reachable par 5, and the green serves as a form of protection.  Even if you can't get home in two, you should have a very short shot into the green.

 

It will be interesting to see what the new green looks like after they redo the hole.

Edited November 12, 2020 by oldpalchamp

[chisag]

27 minutes ago, oldpalchamp said:

Agree that 18 at Naperbrook is a very difficult green, but, to play devil's advocate, it is a reachable par 5, and the green serves as a form of protection.  Even if you can't get home in two, you should have a very short shot into the green.

 

It will be interesting to see what the new green looks like after they redo the hole.

 

 

... I agree that a reachable par 5 or short par 4 should have difficult greens. I have no problem with the undulations and depending on where your second shot lands, you can have a difficult putt. Say you are back right or back left and the pin is 2 feet from the bottom of either slope a really putt will go 2 feet past the hole but you have a straight uphill next putt. My complaint was if that pin is literally on that slope, a really good putt will roll 4 feet past and your next putt will have to navigate the slope the pin is on which sometimes rolls just left/right/short and then rolls back at you. And what makes me mad is hitting an approach shot to 5 feet left/right of a pin set right on the slope I cannot hit a putt up the slope hoping it falls in on the way back down because it will roll 6 feet away, so after a great approach having to aim 2-3 feet below the hole from 5 feet just isn't any kind or risk reward way to play the game. 

... Naperbrooks greens are HUGE and very difficult pin placements are fine on 6 of the holes, just not impossible pin placements when moving the pin a mere 2-3 feet off the slope makes it difficult but fair. I am playing today and the Superintendent sent me an email saying he talked to the staff and they will no longer place pins ON slopes. Near them yes, but not ON them and he said it was never their intention to do so or make holes impossible. We shall see... 

[DavePelz4]

Looks like they've made a decision on Calumet Country Club...https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-homewood-logistics-park-st-1113-20201112-j4buk7rf2jahxjnemadz4ssq6u-story.html

[ldchristopher]

Bear and I played Inwood today. After a 1 hour frost delay we teed off at 9:30. Cold, windy conditions and on the front the wind was either right in our face or directly at our back. The greens were super bumpy and still had visible punch marks and the bunkers were rock hard on the surface but for $30 it was fine. There’s some challenging holes on the back and man, do the Joliet munis like their long par 3’s. Two that play 215 at Wedgewood and today’s back pin had 14 at Inwood playing 220. Bear hit it very well but I struggled off the tee. Might need a lighter driver shaft for cold weather. Something easier to load. 77.  

[@_the_crook]

Yesterday at SV was a combination of extremes.

the 7:40 start was delayed until 10:00. obviously it was cold and windy.

course layout meant most of the breeze was in our faces 'cept for the crosswinds at 10 and 11.

my shot at number four landed about five feet from the stick and stayed.

the group coming up three gave me a shout out.

got looser after the turn, parred nasty twelve, and nutted one onto

the long (for me) par three at fourteen for a birdie.

smooth all the way thru the finish and I can't tell you how much we all enjoyed the day together.

shame to think that the season is pretty much beaten up and done.

hope you all got your games in, today's wind might have caused quite the struggle.

best to all.

[DavePelz4]

Played Schaumburg, Players/Baer yesterday.  Have played a fair number of rounds there and don't remember the course ever playing as fast and firm as it did. Clearly the drainage updates through the redesign accomplished the goals despite the rains of earlier in the week. 

[TheBear95]

I played yesterday, because I'm stupid. The winds were crazy stupid as well.

 

Hit a course that I knew would be open, good old St. Andrews. Hell they would still be open if the four horsemen of the apocalypse came raining down on beautiful West Chicago.

 

I'm hardily shy about playing in poor conditions, but the winds yesterday were by far the worst I've ever play in. I actually carried instead of pushed, because I was worried that the winds would blow over my ClicGear. That was a smart call, as the strongest gusts were blowing around objects much heavier than my light Jones bag on my cart. I saw a large steel drum picked up with ease by Andrews maintenance area and come tumbling across the 17th fairway. Impressive.

 

Even with the winds, I hit it well. Struggled putting, as it is always difficult to hit your lines when being pushed around. For Andrews and for being November, the greens were in very nice shape.

Edited November 16, 2020 by TheBear95

[mci711]

Mistwood on Friday, weather looks about perfect for November. 

[VNutz]

Not sure why, but I never think to even consider Mistwood. It's like that forgotten course in my mind. Solid deals right now, surprisingly few times left this week.

[chisag]

3 minutes ago, VNutz said:

Not sure why, but I never think to even consider Mistwood. It's like that forgotten course in my mind. Solid deals right now, surprisingly few times left this week.

 

... I don't think I would enjoy playing Mistwood with 21 mph winds like expected Thursday. Friday looks much better with 8 mph winds but no tee times til 2 pm. 

[VNutz]

6 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I don't think I would enjoy playing Mistwood with 21 mph winds like expected Thursday. Friday looks much better with 8 mph winds but no tee times til 2 pm. 

Yeah that par 5 over the water could be miserable depending on the wind direction. Damned daylight savings crushing afternoon rounds nowadays.

[geochitown]

it's tough, gotta get those reservations in place days beforehand!

[mci711]

I love Mistwood, but also agree, I kind of forget about it which is surprising with my history there. I had a hole in 1 on 14 like 7 years ago. Craziest round of my life. Holed out from off the green on 8-9-10 for birdie (1 was a putt, 1 was a chip, 1 was a bunker shot) then a hole in 1 on 14. I was awful on the other 14 holes lol.  

Edited November 17, 2020 by mci711

[VNutz]

34 minutes ago, SHowington20 said:

Mistwoods location.......

 

When this course was built, it was in the middle of nowhere. All those houses and neighborhoods to the East surrounding the course (Behind hole #10 and down the right side on #11, and #12) did not exist, and the traffic on Renwick was non-existent. Its a course that is off the beaten path, which is a possible reason why people may forget about it from time to time. 

Interesting that you mention that. Given the location I think remember when it was being built, and at the time you could see it from 55 as neighborhoods were going up around it. Now that those neighborhoods are finished it's hidden and out of sight out of mind.

[ME27]

3 hours ago, VNutz said:

Not sure why, but I never think to even consider Mistwood. It's like that forgotten course in my mind. Solid deals right now, surprisingly few times left this week.

I play there 4-5 times a year and I still tell myself I need to get there more! Lol.

[ME27]

9 minutes ago, SHowington20 said:

Sometimes I wonder if they should have kept the original routing where #3 was your 9th hole of the day. I also think about how cool of a finishing hole that one would be with the big new beautiful clubhouse right there in front of you.

Ideal finishing hole in my opinion. 

[B-Man]

Village Links this coming Saturday. Haven't played it in less than 30mph winds in a while.

[chisag]

54 minutes ago, SHowington20 said:

Yes the area has really grown since it was originally built back in 1998. Nothing you see down Weber Road for example was there, it was all corn fields. There was nothing except for maybe a gas station or two right at the 55 exit, the Links of Carillon, and the gated community that surrounded that golf course.

 

... When I first played Carillon there was that one Condo being built at the tee on #11 and a trailer in a gravel parking lot. NO house anywhere and we walked, several times thinking we took a wrong turn but got through a cornfield and finally found a tee box on the other side. 

[VNutz]

20 minutes ago, SHowington20 said:

Great layout, haven't played it in nearly 20 years due to stepping away from the game for a long time. Now that I'm back into it, how is it condition wise? I Know a while back they renovated some of the holes such as #18.

18 is @B-Man's favorite.

[B-Man]

Sure is. Flew it on the fly into the water last week into a 50mph gust.

 

😉

Edited November 17, 2020 by B-Man

[Shriner]

I dont think Mistwood is so much of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind deal as it is a price deal.  Most people on here play a decent amount of golf and aren't forking over $110 a round once a week.  It is easily one of my favorite public courses in IL but just like Cantigny, I can play two rounds at Blackstone or two rounds at Stonewall or two rounds at Bowes, etc. for roughly the same amount.  I make it a point to try to play Mistwood once per year though, amazing course.

[VNutz]

Maybe it's just me then. In my mind, Mistwood is waaaay out there, when in reality it's not far down the street from Prairie Bluff which I play usually once or twice a year. It never registers to me that it's nearby, but admittedly I'm rarely on that end of town to notice.

[chisag]

23 minutes ago, Shriner said:

I dont think Mistwood is so much of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind deal as it is a price deal.  Most people on here play a decent amount of golf and aren't forking over $110 a round once a week.  It is easily one of my favorite public courses in IL but just like Cantigny, I can play two rounds at Blackstone or two rounds at Stonewall or two rounds at Bowes, etc. for roughly the same amount.  I make it a point to try to play Mistwood once per year though, amazing course.

 

... Amen. I play 4-6 times a week and Prairie Bluff is just a left turn on Renwick instead if a right turn and I play there so much they give me resident rates so I can play there 3 times for the cost of 1 round at Mistwood. Naperbrook is even less expensive. But like you, I also make it a point to turn right and play Mistwood at least once a year too.  👍

[DavePelz4]

54 minutes ago, VNutz said:

18 is @B-Man's favorite.

 

Thought that was 1 at Tanna?

[B-Man]

Just now, DavePelz4 said:

 

Thought that was 1 at Tanna?

 

That's just the sloping, green-like tee box.