Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[ldchristopher]

1 hour ago, MountainKing said:

Oh yeah,  where are the damn water coolers?  Looks like a lot of courses are done with them. 

The courses all claim there are no coolers because of Covid but since pretty much every course is very loose with which restrictions they choose to abide by and which they ignore, getting rid of coolers is just a cash grab which also slows down pace of play. I’ve been packing a cooler with water bottles, a lined water bottle and Gatorade since last season and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. 

[MountainKing]

34 minutes ago, chrisf60526 said:

 

That's the problem with Willowcrest (and all of the west suburban courses in my area).  The lack of supply and thats what you get.  Willowcrest is not the easiest track and I always see 4 somes playong the tips.  It's 3 miles from my house and I only play it when i get a deal or in the fall.  Otherwise, they want like $80 for a round that can get quite backed up

 

I'm about the same distance.  5 minutes away give or take.   If they had reasonable rates or a reasonable membership I'd be there a ton more. We only go when we find a hot deal.  

 

The big issue there is people look at 6400 and think it's doable without looking at the big picture.  If you turn two of those par 3s into par 4s that 6475 quickly becomes a 6900 yard course.  These guys should have been playing from the front tees, at least then they'd have a shot at being up by a green in regulation.  The rangers don't help,  they should be stopping that before it even starts.

[MountainKing]

17 minutes ago, ldchristopher said:

The courses all claim there are no coolers because of Covid but since pretty much every course is very loose with which restrictions they choose to abide by and which they ignore, getting rid of coolers is just a cash grab which also slows down pace of play. I’ve been packing a cooler with water bottles, a lined water bottle and Gatorade since last season and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. 

Yeah it's bullxxxx, especially since we're supposed to be fully open.   We started doing the same with the cooler. Cog Hill and  Prarie Bluff gave us a hard time but both finally gave in.  I forgot my cooler today,  and the cart girl only popped up on 1, 9 and 17. 

Edited June 15, 2021 by MountainKing

[TheBear95]

19 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

Yeah it's bullxxxx, especially since we're supposed to be fully open.   We started doing the same with the cooler. Cog Hill and  Prarie Bluff gave us a hard time but both finally gave in.  I forgot my cooler today,  and the cart girl only popped up on 1, 9 and 17. 

I have only had one course (cough... Bartlett Hills) give me a hard time about having a cooler. And, I'm happy to let the starter and/or ranger take a look inside to see what I have. I understand the liability involved if guys are bringing their own beer. Water is a completely different story.

[MountainKing]

No alcohol, but both Cog and PB were trying to tell us since they sold water/Gatorade/Arnold Palmers that we couldn't bring the cooler out.  They gave in after we pushed about the lack of coolers on the course.

[DavePelz4]

The no water on the course isn't about COVID it's about the $$$. Guessing we've played about 20 different courses so far this year and everyone has higher greens fees, cost of range balls and beverages. They'll eventually price themselves out of the game as all the alternatives to golf are back open.

[Argonne69]

Oak Brook is the only course that I recall having water jugs on the course. Glencoe has a water filling station near the 10th tee, so it's not as big a deal.

 

[Argonne69]

Beautiful morning at ThunderHawk. 'Couldn't ask for nicer weather. It's been so long since I played it I had forgotten how good it is. Like Pine Meadows, you have a real sense of isolation, although the adjacent traffic can be heard on a few holes, and the light aircraft buzzing out of Waukegan Airport is annoying. The back nine was much tighter than I remember.

 

Conditions were similar to Maple Meadows. Fairways were a little brown in spots, but an early morning watering had them pretty soft. Rollout was decent, but not great. The rough was quite patchy. It was a mix of different lengths, so one's lie was a real coin flip. Bunkers were wet, but they had been groomed, so lies were good. The greens looked fine, but once again speeds were on the slow side. 9 at best. The pace was good, but could have been much better. I joined a twosome and we were trailing a threesome that was flying. That ground to a screeching halt on the 8th tee when we ran into a slow threesome. They poked around leisurely, and we finished in 3:30, having to wait on every shot. Loving these early groups that drag their feet.

 

Much better day ballstriking today with the lighter winds. Two birdies and five bogies. Highlight of the day was sticking a 6 iron to 2 feet on the par 3 13th. Also hit a couple of fairway woods on the par 5s from awkward side/down hill lies that turned out great.

 

Can't really complain about the $60 rate. If Harborside Port made it on to the best muni in the country list, I don't see how ThunderHawk doesn't get a spot. If it wasn't so far from downtown I'd definitely play it on a regular basis.

 

[chisag]

5 hours ago, DavePelz4 said:

The no water on the course isn't about COVID it's about the $$$. Guessing we've played about 20 different courses so far this year and everyone has higher greens fees, cost of range balls and beverages. They'll eventually price themselves out of the game as all the alternatives to golf are back open.

 

 

... Once I read the article on how nasty most golf course coolers really are, I have never used them again. I know one ranger at Prairie Bluff would sanitize coolers on his watch but said other rangers just did a quick rinse and refill. I always bring my own. 

[zer0]

hey fellas, hope all is well.   No golf for me this year.  Have to have back surgery #8 (this time getting a fusion) after hurting my back again playing hockey last November.

 

Hopefully back on the course next year.

[ldchristopher]

I had a work function in suburbia so I picked up a twilight round at Big Run. I have a soft spot for it and will miss Big Fun when it’s homes in like two years but it was also literally the only course with tee times. There are weeds in a lot of fairways but that’s a drought byproduct. The bunkers could use some more sand, the greens were absurdly slow and it needs tree trimming that I doubt will actually happen. But $35 is a fair price, it’s nice that they offer a walking rate, and it’s a great course when things are super dry. I played from the white tees but on a bunch of holes, including 9 and 15, the whites were literally one pace in front of the tips. One birdie on 4 and some good looks on 7, 8, 10, 13 and 17. Pace was not good. 4:10 for an evening twilight where I didn’t tee off until 4:40 was not a lot of fun. Too much waiting on literally every tee. 76. 

[MountainKing]

On 6/15/2021 at 2:33 PM, zer0 said:

hey fellas, hope all is well.   No golf for me this year.  Have to have back surgery #8 (this time getting a fusion) after hurting my back again playing hockey last November.

 

Hopefully back on the course next year.

 

Good luck!  Hope to see you posting about your ventures again soon. 

[mci711]

On 6/15/2021 at 2:33 PM, zer0 said:

hey fellas, hope all is well.   No golf for me this year.  Have to have back surgery #8 (this time getting a fusion) after hurting my back again playing hockey last November.

 

Hopefully back on the course next year.

 

Was just about to reach out and see if you wanted to join me at Whistling Straits! 

 

Jokes aside, best of luck with the recovery, hopefully you'll be at Lawsonia in no time! Rest up. 

[ReinyDays]

i played blackberry oaks out in bristol the other day. WATER JUGS were out. course was in great shape but the greens were very slow. a course where you can leave the driver in the bag the entire round if you want which i found out the hard way out driving the fairway on 9 and 10 into the water. there was nobody on the course and took us a little over 3 hours to play and found a good deal online but i would not recommend hitting balls on the driving range to warm up because it was quite beat up 

[@_the_crook]

On 6/15/2021 at 1:10 PM, chisag said:

but said other rangers just did a quick rinse and refill.

Yuck.

[mci711]

On 6/15/2021 at 1:10 PM, chisag said:

 

 

... Once I read the article on how nasty most golf course coolers really are, I have never used them again. I know one ranger at Prairie Bluff would sanitize coolers on his watch but said other rangers just did a quick rinse and refill. I always bring my own. 

 

Yea, I never drink out of course coolers. Usually filled with a hose in the cart barn and never thoroughly cleaned 

[Holy Moses]

I had someone cancel on me today. Anyone want to play with me today at Mt Prospect at 2:10? $20 plus cart.

[St Jimmy]

Made the trip to Bittersweet this morning.  I haven't played there in 20 years, but I remember it being two things:  Target golf and a tough walk.  Both remain true although it's a bit more open then I remember.  They must've removed some trees because it wasn't as brutally tight.  

I decided on playing a split tee to keep my blood pressure down and eventually I started playing very conservative and aiming away from any danger.  I moved up when the shot didn't fit my eye and moved back when the holes were a bit more open.

It's actually not that bad from the white tees hitting a hybrid.  I wasn't scoring, but I had a few looks at bird and managed to avoid the really high numbers.  

 

The course was in great shape.  

-Fairways were fast

-greens rolled true and were very receptive to full swings

-bunkers were fluffy 

 

It's a fine establishment and a beautiful course, it's just not for me.  I recommend to all who haven't played, but I like a little more space and maybe less stress of losing a ball on every shot.  

 

[chisag]

8 minutes ago, St Jimmy said:

I decided on playing a split tee to keep my blood pressure down and eventually I started playing very conservative and aiming away from any danger.  I moved up when the shot didn't fit my eye and moved back when the holes were a bit more open.

 

I wasn't scoring, but I had a few looks at bird and It's a fine establishment and a beautiful course, it's just not for me.  I recommend to all who haven't played, but I like a little more space and maybe less stress of losing a ball on every shot.  

 

 

 

... That's awesome, I love picking a tee by danger! I wish more courses would have combo tees on their scorecard but it is easy enough to create your own. At 68yrs, 6900 is just too long for me these days and 6200 is too short as I still like a challenge and prefer to use al my clubs. One of the courses I play offer these 2 choices and I either combo 9 from white and 9 from silver for a 6497 yard course or play the 3/5's from the whites and 4's from the silvers for a 6521 yd course. Depending on the wind and my playing partners. 

[TheBear95]

1 hour ago, St Jimmy said:

Made the trip to Bittersweet this morning.  I haven't played there in 20 years, but I remember it being two things:  Target golf and a tough walk.  Both remain true although it's a bit more open then I remember.  They must've removed some trees because it wasn't as brutally tight.  

I decided on playing a split tee to keep my blood pressure down and eventually I started playing very conservative and aiming away from any danger.  I moved up when the shot didn't fit my eye and moved back when the holes were a bit more open.

It's actually not that bad from the white tees hitting a hybrid.  I wasn't scoring, but I had a few looks at bird and managed to avoid the really high numbers.  

 

The course was in great shape.  

-Fairways were fast

-greens rolled true and were very receptive to full swings

-bunkers were fluffy 

 

It's a fine establishment and a beautiful course, it's just not for me.  I recommend to all who haven't played, but I like a little more space and maybe less stress of losing a ball on every shot.  

 

A few years ago Bittersweet made a few changes to make the course a bit more friendly. For example, the landing area off the tee for #11 was increased, same goes for #9 and I believe #15 too. 

 

I'm with you though. Still way too much target golf. And, honestly, the only tough holes on the front 9 are #2 and #8 (if you're playing smart off the tee). The back 9 is a good challenge though. It's a once-a-year kind of course for me too.

[@_the_crook]

two Lake County friends could always be counted on for an afternoon meet-up at BS.

nice views and easy to get there.

 

 

 

[DavePelz4]

Our group played a comp round at Oak Brook.  Haven't played there in quite a few years and certainly didn't remember that much slope in the greens.  If you were above the hole, good luck.  You could use the slopes though to help get the ball into a good position.  Guessing this was their US Open set up as many holes had pins in some extreme positions. The traps had deep sand we saw some really ugly near buried lies. Overall, the conditions were really good and the greens were extremely fast but receptive.

 

The range had washed, Callaway balls and the area is large enough that you can hit balls in pretty much any directions that you choose to see the effects of the wind. Nice to see that range is no longer a flood waiting to happen.

 

Made a mistake of walking yesterday. Coming off a sprained ACL this wasn't the smartest first round back walking.  With a brace, the knee held up well but the heat wa borderline oppressive and at times, there was some brain fog. They had water on the course and the cart girl was around regularly. Post round one of the guys had a double vodka/cranberry and it was $6.00, very fair.

 

Our group was paired up with an interesting single. Nice guy, also walking but he had to be coaxed to play when it was his turn.  We shared on the first tee that we play ready golf but probably on 7-10 holes, we had to encourage him to putt, in some cases even after we had all holed out.  Maybe another case of heat related brain fog.

 

Probably the shock of the day was the starter on 1 ENCOURAGING players to hit a breakfast ball if their opening shot was less than favorable.  Can't say I've ever seen that before.

Edited June 20, 2021 by DavePelz4

[ldchristopher]

1 hour ago, DavePelz4 said:

Our group played a comp round at Oak Brook.  Haven't played there in quite a few years and certainly didn't remember that much slope in the greens.  If you were above the hole, good luck.  You could use the slopes though to help get the ball into a good position.  Guessing this was their US Open set up as many holes had pins in some extreme positions. The traps had deep sand we saw some really ugly near buried lies. Overall, the conditions were really good and the greens were extremely fast but receptive.

 

The range had washed, Callaway balls and the area is large enough that you can hit balls in pretty much any directions that you choose to see the effects of the wind. Nice to see that range is no longer a flood waiting to happen.

 

Made a mistake of walking yesterday. Coming off a sprained ACL this wasn't the smartest first round back walking.  With a brace, the knee held up well but the heat wa borderline oppressive and at times, there was some brain fog. They had water on the course and the cart girl was around regularly. Post round one of the guys had a double vodka/cranberry and it was $6.00, very fair.

 

Our group was paired up with an interesting single. Nice guy, also walking but he had to be coaxed to play when it was his turn.  We shared on the first tee that we play ready golf but probably on 7-10 holes, we had to encourage him to putt, in some cases even after we had all holed out.  Maybe another case of heat related brain fog.

 

Probably the shock of the day was the starter on 1 ENCOURAGING players to hit a breakfast ball if their opening shot was less than favorable.  Can't say I've ever seen that before.

Odd with the other guy needing to be prodded a bit. In my experience, some guys get on the golf course and really want to make their time away from whatever it is they otherwise would be doing count. Others have absolutely no idea what ready golf is. Most of the latter play in carts though. 

[Argonne69]

Breezy, but otherwise pleasant morning at Glencoe. Luckily the winds weren't nearly as bad as forecast, blowing maybe 10 mph. The course was wet, but playable. I had to take two drops from casual water, but otherwise the green stuff was in nice shape. Fairways were lush. Rough was a nice height. Sadly bunkers were quite wet, with half of them containing small lakes. Greens looked great, and were rolling 9 to 10. Pace was decent at 3:30. Courses are definitely getting more crowded during weekday mornings.

 

Very nice round with one birdie and four bogies. The driver was a little off to start the round, but it settled down on the back. Finally made a putt on the 11th, but otherwise I didn't give myself many birdie chances. Wet fairways weren't getting much rollout, and I was hitting one to three more clubs into most of the greens.

 

[Argonne69]

Splendid morning at Lost Marsh. Plenty of sunshine, mild temps, and a steady west wind made it very comfortable. Another course that won't let you book a walking round on their website, but they were kind enough to offer me a walking rate in the pro shop, senior rate at that, so I was happy with the $32.50. 

 

Conditions were decent for the most part. Fairways looked good, but were soft and a little wet. Combined with the wind there wasn't a lot of rollout on the shots into the breeze. I couldn't reach the 9th or 18th in regulation after two solid drives. Rough was cut to a good height. Bunkers had enough sand to be playable. Greens were very soft, but were still rolling at 10 or so. Waaay too many unrepaired ballmarks. Some holes looked like no-man's land on the Western Front. Frustrating. 

 

I got really lucky with the pace. Half the outbound lanes on the Dan Ryan were closed this morning due to an accident. The starter said many people were calling in to tell them that they were running late. The twosome I was scheduled to play with was a no show, and the starter was going to hold me back. I wasn't having any of that, as the tee sheet was booked solid behind me. I told him I'd follow the two foresomes in front of me, and wait for the twosome to show up. Reluctantly he let me go. As I was standing on the 2nd tee I could see the group two in front of me on the 3rd tee. The group ahead of them was on the 4th Green. Uh oh, this could be a very long round. I got to the third tee 25 minutes into the round, and the group ahead asked me to play through. No complaints by me. I wouldn't want a single on my tail. I caught the slow pokes on the 5th tee, and they let me through. Thank goodness. It was clear sailing after that. I never saw anyone directly in front of me, although I did see a twosome on the 11th green while I was teeing off on the 8th. Had the twosome I was playing with showed up, I'm sure it would have been a 4:30 round at a minimum. 

 

Solid round in the soft conditions. One birdie on the 4th, and four bogies. Highlight of the day was barely clearing the cross-cutting PA on the 3rd with a 9 wood. I blocked my tee shot right into the rough, and had a sidehill lie. No way I was going to reach the green into a hurting wind, but I didn't want to lay up short, also known as the smart play. My wood got up into the wind and barely cleared the water. Made a good bogie. Lowlight of the day was nearly killing two knucklehead maintenence workers on the par 5 14th. I was in my swing when these two bozos came out of the trees on the right without stopping, cutting in front of the teebox 75 yds out. I hit a stinger that barely cleared their cart. Hope they like their new haircuts. 

 

Speaking of the 14th, they've cleared some trees in the front left part of the green. With a big drive over the corner of the dogleg it becomes a little more reachable, although I still think it's a little too risky. 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2021 by Argonne69

[ldchristopher]

Not Chicago area but Bear and I played two rounds in Southwest Michigan today in South Haven. Round one was at Beeches, which really benefited from the recent rains. They were in a pretty nasty drought but got about 4-5 inches of rain and greened up nicely. It was soggy in spots on the back since 10-18 are built on clay but the front is built on sand so that was in fine shape. Beeches is a monstrous piece of property and is about a 7.5 mile walk but we played in 2:40. I drove the ball well but my iron play was awful. Still managed a 78 with some good wedge play. 
 

Round two was at Hawkshead. It was in phenomenal shape and drains exceptionally well. The greens were running at about a 10-10.5 and everything is always well manicured there. I started hot and shot even on the front but started to tire on the back. Waking up at 3:30 AM and walking 15+ miles will do that. There was a 12-15 mph breeze that felt a lot stiffer since the course is so wide open. 75. 
 

The Medalist and Angel’s Crossing tomorrow. 

[MountainKing]

21 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Splendid morning at Lost Marsh. Plenty of sunshine, mild temps, and a steady west wind made it very comfortable. Another course that won't let you book a walking round on their website, but they were kind enough to offer me a walking rate in the pro shop, senior rate at that, so I was happy with the $32.50. 

 

Conditions were decent for the most part. Fairways looked good, but were soft and a little wet. Combined with the wind there wasn't a lot of rollout on the shots into the breeze. I couldn't reach the 9th or 18th in regulation after two solid drives. Rough was cut to a good height. Bunkers had enough sand to be playable. Greens were very soft, but were still rolling at 10 or so. Waaay too many unrepaired ballmarks. Some holes looked like no-man's land on the Western Front. Frustrating. 

 

I got really lucky with the pace. Half the outbound lanes on the Dan Ryan were closed this morning due to an accident. The starter said many people were calling in to tell them that they were running late. The twosome I was scheduled to play with was a no show, and the starter was going to hold me back. I wasn't having any of that, as the tee sheet was booked solid behind me. I told him I'd follow the two foresomes in front of me, and wait for the twosome to show up. Reluctantly he let me go. As I was standing on the 2nd tee I could see the group two in front of me on the 3rd tee. The group ahead of them was on the 4th Green. Uh oh, this could be a very long round. I got to the third tee 25 minutes into the round, and the group ahead asked me to play through. No complaints by me. I wouldn't want a single on my tail. I caught the slow pokes on the 5th tee, and they let me through. Thank goodness. It was clear sailing after that. I never saw anyone directly in front of me, although I did see a twosome on the 11th green while I was teeing off on the 8th. Had the twosome I was playing with showed up, I'm sure it would have been a 4:30 round at a minimum. 

 

Solid round in the soft conditions. One birdie on the 4th, and four bogies. Highlight of the day was barely clearing the cross-cutting PA on the 3rd with a 9 wood. I blocked my tee shot right into the rough, and had a sidehill lie. No way I was going to reach the green into a hurting wind, but I didn't want to lay up short, also known as the smart play. My wood got up into the wind and barely cleared the water. Made a good bogie. Lowlight of the day was nearly killing two knucklehead maintenence workers on the par 5 14th. I was in my swing when these two bozos came out of the trees on the right without stopping, cutting in front of the teebox 75 yds out. I hit a stinger that barely cleared their cart. Hope they like their new haircuts. 

 

Speaking of the 14th, they've cleared some trees in the front left part of the green. With a big drive over the corner of the dogleg it becomes a little more reachable, although I still think it's a little too risky. 

 

 

 

Glad they're opening it up.  They absolutely should give you a look at that green for the 2nd shot to tempt you.  You pretty much need a perfect shot, and if you don't hit that green you're in for a very difficult up and down or a lost ball.  Even with a short iron it's not a forgiving green.  Forcing it into being a 3 shot hole, the way it is with the trees,  kind of takes some of that thinking away and forces you to play it safe.

[Mandatory Golf Friday]

Annual buddies trip about to kick off, this year will be a Midwest Chicago/Wisco circuit.  Opener at Champaign CC tomorrow.  Head north Friday to Stonebridge CC.  Saturday at Edgewood Valley with caddies, followed by Forest Hills on Sunday.  Monday morning we head up to cap it all off at Erin Hills.

 

[BTee17]

On 6/9/2021 at 8:34 PM, Shriner said:

Honestly, I think the reason is pretty simple, most people on a golf message board are fairly knowledgeable about the courses/availability/locations/pricing.  Arrowhead is $$$$ and we just happen to have a plethora of options in IL for less that are comparable or better courses.   Ever notice no one really mentions Cantigny or Seven Bridges either?   For over $100, you can play some amazing courses twice before playing those courses once!

 

Good point about Seven Bridges as well.  I live nearby and it's a great course, but for what they want is it really worth it?  I end up going elsewhere time and time again.

[DavePelz4]

6 hours ago, Mandatory Golf Friday said:

Annual buddies trip about to kick off, this year will be a Midwest Chicago/Wisco circuit.  Opener at Champaign CC tomorrow.  Head north Friday to Stonebridge CC.  Saturday at Edgewood Valley with caddies, followed by Forest Hills on Sunday.  Monday morning we head up to cap it all off at Erin Hills.

 

 

Will be interesting to hear about Edgewood...rarely have played it but thought the conditioning was always impeccable.