Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[geochitown]

All 3 nines got re-do's on bunkering as part of the renovation.  

Players 9 might have been the last of the 3 nines to be re-worked.

 

I'm playing there for the first round of the year and first time period on Sunday am, on the same 9's you mentioned.

Edited April 27, 2021 by geochitown

[Shriner]

Long rounds at Schaumburg is the norm, they have no issues getting rounds booked so you normally have a full course with alot of holes side by side.  I would say 4:30 is pretty average for 18 holes on any given day at Schaumburg. 

 

The tournament was the last nine to be re-worked.

[Holy Moses]

Blackstone is playing like a pool table. I was pin high on 16 after my drive and drove it 65 yards past the bunker on 12. Never been in those spots before. The greens are drying out and getting splotchy like you saw at the US Open or the Masters this year. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Holy Moses

[@_the_crook]

3 hours ago, Shriner said:

Long rounds at Schaumburg is the norm, they have no issues getting rounds booked so you normally have a full course with alot of holes side by side.  I would say 4:30 is pretty average for 18 holes on any given day at Schaumburg.

 

shame for the rangers not to move faster players into the gaps.

there are many players that can't take an entire day to play a round of golf.

with the back and forth and a short meal break - you've described a 6+ hour day.

 

 

[@_the_crook]

7 hours ago, TheBear95 said:

I can't believe I'm saying this after the Noah's Ark springs of the past few years, but our area needs some rain. Especially in the north and northwest 'burbs. If the dry times continue and May gets hot, the courses are going to have their hands-full with their turf. Getting flashbacks to 2012 at the minute.

 

the extended forecast for May shows little rain. time to bust out the sprinklers. any benefit from snow melt had faded. trees and other budding growth really need some soak time.

[cpeck12]

Village Links today. Conditions were great, pace of play was horrendous. We got off at 240pm and it was fine through 5, then it was bad news bears. 4some in front of us never had less than 2 holes open in front of them (we were a 4some as well) and they didn't give 2 sh*ts. Best part is that I played with 2 of the guys last year when I joined as a single, so I knew we were in trouble when I recognized them.

 

I had a battle with the shanks (hopefully my one battle of the year) to be at +6 through 3 holes... finished with an ugly 84, but I'll take it.

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by cpeck12

[SpeedKills7]

On 4/26/2021 at 12:30 PM, disk said:

Anyone have any instructor recommendations in the SW/W burbs? Looking at the various instructors at Cog, Mistwood and Cantigny if anyone has experience with instructors there I would love to hear it. Additionally would love to know if anyone has worked with Jake Thurm in Hillside, he's a bit out of my price range but I'm in La Grange so he's close.

 

Really looking for a tune-up after a few years of on and off golf because of shoulder problems.

Checkout Mike at Elevation golf in Burr Ridge. Also teaches outdoors at Ruffled Feathers. Great instructor and a great indoor facility. 

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, @_the_crook said:

 

shame for the rangers not to move faster players into the gaps.

there are many players that can't take an entire day to play a round of golf.

with the back and forth and a short meal break - you've described a 6+ hour day.

 

 

 

I don't understand why the ranger was sitting in his cart on the 16th teebox instead of driving around the course. By the time a slow group gets to the 16th it's too late. 

[Holy Moses]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I don't understand why the ranger was sitting in his cart on the 16th teebox instead of driving around the course. By the time a slow group gets to the 16th it's too late. 

They don’t care. They would rather make a player wait and piss them off than piss off a slow player. Courses are packed so if a group gets mad for waiting and plays somewhere else, another group will easily pick that tee time up.

 

Only negatives were that some greens hadn’t healed from the fall aeration and that there’s still no bunker rakes (Blackstone has thumbed their nose at the state’s mask policy from the get-go, so why aren’t there rakes on the course?). 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Holy Moses

[DavePelz4]

17 hours ago, geochitown said:

All 3 nines got re-do's on bunkering as part of the renovation.  

Players 9 might have been the last of the 3 nines to be re-worked.

 

I'm playing there for the first round of the year and first time period on Sunday am, on the same 9's you mentioned.

 

Players was the first updated, then Baer and Tournament was the last and opened 2 seasons ago.

 

BTW, we're fairly sure that VNutz was the last person on the Tournament 9 to make an Ace as he made his HIO on #3 on the Saturday before Tournament closed.

[B-Man]

Heritage Bluffs yesterday. Probably the worse condition I've ever seen it in. Bumpy aerated greens. Bunkers in terrible condition. Green surrounds in ordinary shape. Disappointing. Two highlights though. When you finally catch a drive downwind on the par-5 540yrd 14th and then follow it up running a 4-iron close, then take another 2 shots to get it in the hole with putts of 6 feet and 1 inch. FFS, explain this to me again? Ah well, might bring me back for another game next week somewhere!

 

[propman]

Need some recommendations for a golf instructor in or around Naperville. 

Looking for outdoor, on turf instruction for senior 16 capper (me).

Thanks

[ME27]

George Dunne yesterday, weather was great and warm but playing in 25 mph steady winds was tough. The standard 5 hour round did occur here as the course was jammed. Course is definitely in better shape than the last two years but still nothing to write home about. Fairways were nice and greens in better shape than the past but bunkers were horrible hard and not manicured at all. 18 was one of the few holes playing downwind and hit a great drive and cleared the water by plenty leaving only 40 yards in. Never been that close to the green after my drive on that hole especially since it almost always plays into the wind. Squeaked out an 80 in tough conditions I'll take it. 

 

Also played Ruffled Feathers on Saturday and course was in good shape. Greens were rolling nicely, Fairways in good shape, and bunkers in pretty good condition. One thing they have to do is fix the tee boxes on all the par 3's they are all atrocious. Couldnt make a putt to save my life and had plenty of birdie chances inside 12 feet. Had 120 into the par 5 15th after a nice drive and missed a 7 footer for eagle. They really need to think about making that a long par 4 as even a decent drive leaves a mid iron in . Carded a 78 without making any putts oh well. Lets see where this weekend brings me. 

[VNutz]

3 hours ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

Players was the first updated, then Baer and Tournament was the last and opened 2 seasons ago.

 

BTW, we're fairly sure that VNutz was the last person on the Tournament 9 to make an Ace as he made his HIO on #3 on the Saturday before Tournament closed.

We'll know for sure if they ever put the hole in one plaques back up. Would be just my luck to do that and suddenly they're "lost".

[C-Keith]

2 hours ago, propman said:

Need some recommendations for a golf instructor in or around Naperville. 

Looking for outdoor, on turf instruction for senior 16 capper (me).

Thanks

John Platt at Mistwood Golf Club.  He does lessons at the Mistwood Golf Dome in Bolingbrook during the Winter too.

[propman]

3 hours ago, C-Keith said:

John Platt at Mistwood Golf Club.  He does lessons at the Mistwood Golf Dome in Bolingbrook during the Winter too.

Thanks for the rec. I've heard of him. Also looked at his rates . Yikes! Hoping to get somebody a little more reasonable $ wise. 

 

[@_the_crook]

1 hour ago, propman said:

Thanks for the rec. I've heard of him. Also looked at his rates . Yikes! Hoping to get somebody a little more reasonable $ wise. 

 

 

my thoughts:

 

Is $150/$125 per hour more than a top rated instructor is worth? depends on your needs.

 

the PGA pros I've checked seem to charge in that range and the PGA apprentices are at $100.

 

what I found was - work with one level of instruction to get the basics straight and the uppers when you're accomplished enough to need fine tuning.

 

you stated you are a mid teens cap, so use your lesson budget wisely.

hopefully, your flaws are consistent and the swing diagnosis should be pretty straightforward.

 

the best part is finding out what you need to work on and making improvement.

 

 

[propman]

I had some serious medical issues at the beginning of 2020. That combined with old age saw my hcp go from 13 to 16. 

Never been a big hitter but better than average but have lost yds with all clubs. Just not making good contact.

I noted the other instructors at mistwood are in area of $90/hr.

Anyone familiar with them or any others in western burbs?

[Woodridge]

I took a couple of 30 minute lessons from John at the Golf Dome this winter. Very nice guy and easy to work with. He used video and showed me my swing compared to another player who did not have the issue that I did. He gave me a few drills to make the change that he felt that my swing needed. I planned on continuing, but life got in the way a bit and I haven't been able to hit enough balls to make additional lessons worthwhile.

 

Honesty, I think 30 minutes a lesson is enough for the average guy. It's enough time to warm up a bit, hit some balls and have the instructor give you something to work on and feedback. Then, you take it on your own until the next lesson. No instructor is going to fix you quicker just because you're seeing him for an hour as opposed to 30 minutes. You have to put the time in between lessons on your own.

[propman]

35 minutes ago, Woodridge said:

I took a couple of 30 minute lessons from John at the Golf Dome this winter. Very nice guy and easy to work with. He used video and showed me my swing compared to another player who did not have the issue that I did. He gave me a few drills to make the change that he felt that my swing needed. I planned on continuing, but life got in the way a bit and I haven't been able to hit enough balls to make additional lessons worthwhile.

 

Honesty, I think 30 minutes a lesson is enough for the average guy. It's enough time to warm up a bit, hit some balls and have the instructor give you something to work on and feedback. Then, you take it on your own until the next lesson. No instructor is going to fix you quicker just because you're seeing him for an hour as opposed to 30 minutes. You have to put the time in between lessons on your own.

I totally agree about 30 minute lessons. 

[mci711]

Greg at Cantigny. John at Mistwood is who I used before switching to Greg. Both are good, but I wanted a different view tried Greg and thought the experience and his vision were much preferred. He is a little younger, and I really enjoyed his approach. He didn't try to tear my entire swing down and start over to create a "perfect" swing. He also fixed things in my first session that somehow John never mentioned and things that made a massive difference in my consistency. 

[geochitown]

On 4/28/2021 at 1:05 PM, VNutz said:

We'll know for sure if they ever put the hole in one plaques back up. Would be just my luck to do that and suddenly they're "lost".

Congrats!

 

It's hard to find layouts on line for Schaumburg.

Do they have them on the scorecards at the course?

Well, I'll find out Sunday morning.

 

Here is a diagram from the planning phase.

 

Arg, do the bunkers look like they do in real life on the Players 9?

 

Looks like on the plan it was one bunker on Players 1 (Hole 19), whereas on Google Earth (and by your report) it shows that there are two fairway bunkers on the left.

 

 

[Argonne69]

24 minutes ago, geochitown said:

Congrats!

 

It's hard to find layouts on line for Schaumburg.

Do they have them on the scorecards at the course?

Well, I'll find out Sunday morning.

 

Here is a diagram from the planning phase.

 

Arg, do the bunkers look like they do in real life on the Players 9?

 

Looks like on the plan it was one bunker on Players 1 (Hole 19), whereas on Google Earth (and by your report) it shows that there are two fairway bunkers on the left.

 

 

 

Yes, the scorecard has the layout. It appears that the scorecard and plan are right and wrong. There was definitely two fairway bunkers on the left side of the Player's 1st, and the scorecard shows them both. If I recall there was two bunkers (left and right) on the Player's 9th, as shown on the plan. The scorecard shows a pair of right-hand bunkers on the finishing hole.

 

The scorecard shows a fairway bunker in the layup are on Tournament 1, but the satellite view shows no bunker. I recall a bunker there, because I clubed back on the 2nd to avoid hitting it if I recall correctly. There's also a right-hand fairway bunker on Tournament #5. 'Could be the satellite photo was taken before the Tournament course was renovated?

 

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Argonne69

[geochitown]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yes, the scorecard has the layout. It appears that the scorecard and plan are right and wrong. There was definitely two fairway bunkers on the left side of the Player's 1st, and the scorecard shows them both. If I recall there was two bunkers (left and right) on the Player's 9th, as shown on the plan. The scorecard shows a pair of right-hand bunkers on the finishing hole.

 

 

 

I was going to post up a screenshot from Google Earth but haven't figured it out.

 

Luckily, I got slotted in with a permanent tee time three-some, so they should be able to guide me ok.

 

Interesting that the as-built does not seem to be accurately reflected on the scorecard or your gps.

[Shriner]

Geotown - You definitely won't need a guide at Schaumburg.   Everything is right in front of you.  I can only think of two holes where the landing area isnt perfectly visible and even then, you just aim down the fairway.   It is a subdivision course so avoid the houses and you'll be fine 🙂

[Symphonize]

Attended my first live sporting event since the pandemic started. Our club hosted a US Women’s Open championship qualifier today, 36 holes of stroke play with 2 advancing to Olympic Club. 
 

It was great watching them around Kish, making way better shots then we do but also struggling in the same spots we do. 
 

There was a 5 Purdue girls out there, was able to follow a few around, 2 finished as the first and second alternative (T-3) and two more finished solo 5th and T-9. Great showing by them. 
 

weather was decent out there. Some light showers and a little chilly in the morning. But sun came out later in the AM and throughout the afternoon. Got to put my brand new rain jacket to the test, it seemed to work out well. It didn’t pour rain at all though. 

[Holy Moses]

Love the Fields pick!

[Argonne69]

Well, that's more like it. Fun, but challenging morning at Glencoe. The winds seemed to be coming from all directions. The course is in great shape. Fairways were a little soft given the recent rain. A handful of teeboxes had been aerated, but still playable. The rough was in the process of being cut, so it was a good length on the front, but a tad thick in spots on the back. Bunkers were groomed, and nearly perfect. Greens looked great, but a little wet and slower than expected. I'd say 8 to possibly 9. Overall it's probably the nicest I've seen the course this early in the season.

 

Pace was wonderful. I appeared to be the first one out, so once again I had an open course to myself, minus the swarm of grounds crew. Walking an early morning round on an empty course never grows tiring. Sure beats the death marches.

 

Oy. Only downside of the morning was my dreadful play. At times I couldn't string two good shots together. I let the wind and the grounds crew get in my head too many times. I did manage two birdies, but way too many "others". I made a total mess of the third and seventh holes with triples on both. Oh well. I finished the month off with 13 rounds, which is a record for April. A few too many rainouts and cold mornings, but I'll definitely take this start to the local season.

 

Good luck to those of you teeing it up tomorrow. The temps will be nice, but the 20 to 30 mph winds are going to be a bear. Don't recall having this much wind in April.

 

[DavePelz4]

15 hours ago, Holy Moses said:

Love the Fields pick!

I'd be happier if it was Mrs. Fields.

[@_the_crook]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Good luck to those of you teeing it up tomorrow. The temps will be nice, but the 20 to 30 mph winds are going to be a bear.

 

we early birds don't see the benefit of warmer temps for while yet.

tomorrow starts at 43* / 25mph winds , so it's a three layer top. LOL

by dinner - shorts and a polo.