Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[ldchristopher]

I have to come clean. Earlier this year I said Bear and I walked 54 (Bonnie Brook, Oak Grove and Brae Loch). However, I actually only played 52 that day since I was late for my tee time at BBrook. With the weight of that misinformation hanging around my neck, I was again told by wife to have a golf day. That meant walking 54. It’s a silly self-challenge, made even less impressive since some guy in Switzerland just walked 252 holes in one day. But, onto yesterday’s rounds. 
 

Pine Meadows for round one. There’s so much to like about that course. Great layout, only one ho hum hole (10 goes along the range and even that isn’t awful), lots of tees and a combos well as large greens that in theory should allow the course to play differently depending on the setup, and an affordable weekday walking rate. However, their insistence on keeping the the blue/green dye industry afloat by drenching the course in dye is so, so aggravating. With the dye, Ghettos always just plays slow regardless of the setup. It gets on my fingers, under my nails, and all over my clubs. And for what? So the course will look bright green from April to November? So what? If I rolled around on those fairways I’d get up looking like the Incredible Hulk. Anyway, my game was very sharp. 11 fairways and 12 greens, with birdies on 4 and 13 and bogies on 3, 7 and 12 for a 73 from the Blue/Gold combo. 
 

Round two was at Chalet Hills. That’s a scary course for a 10:40 tee time but the people playing were very cool. I played through 5 groups (4 on the front and 1 on the back) and was careful not to disrupt anyone else’s pace of play. Once I got past group 5 on 12, I was home free and ended up playing in a shade over 3 hours. That’s probably not, in theory, the best place for a 54 hole day but I know exactly how to play every hole there and it’s a very draw-friendly layout. It helped that I had probably the best ball striking round of my life. 11 fairways and 16 greens. One birdie on 7 and two bogies on 5 and 16 for a 74.  
 

Bear joined me for round three at Countryside Prairie. We teed off at 3:20 and barely had to wait at all. I only hit 6 fairways but that’s not a place where one needs to be in the fairway to make par and I managed 12 greens, which is the stat that matters most anyway. There’s not much teeth from the blue tees but that was fine by me all things considered. One birdie on 14 and one bogey on 11 for an even par 72. 
 

Now, given the fact that I hit 40/54 greens, one would think I’d make more birdies. But here’s the problem: the putter sucks. It’s definitely NOT me. Quick aside: Am I the only person who now is more intrigued by a Cobra RadSpeed since Bryson’s comments? 

Edited July 17, 2021 by ldchristopher

[@_the_crook]

this morning I stayed conscious of keeping my upper sleeves tucked as to keep my arms attached to my chest during the backswing.

this well known tip helped me duckhook a few drives, chunk some recovery shots from the rough, and short so many chips I think the guys had the impression a demon had overtaken me.

 

so much for the instruction tips on Golf Digest.

 

 

[Symphonize]

Afternoon round at Crystal Woods. First time out there. Always nice to enjoy the change of scenery. Some fun elevation changes. 
 

98 today. Was really feeling the new driver on the range, even had a fairway with it on 1. But it went downhill with it after. Really all my clubs, I kept pulling left. Irons, hybrid, and driver. Not sure what was going on. Good think my chipping was able to keep me alive. 

[taylorx300]

Played all 27 at Black Sheep today. Surprised but all 3 nines look a little different with layout and bunkering. Green are huge and you would have to play there a lot to figure them out. If you get an invite to play go check it out. 

[DavePelz4]

Our comp ventured to Whittaker Woods yesterday.  Interesting day weather wise.  Had intermittent cells of rain and didn't see the sun til the drive home.  Hadn't played there in years and didn't remember much of the course.  In general, the conditions were as good as possible with the rain. With 1 exception, the bunkers were in surprisingly good condition. Greens were in great shape and only saw a few extra ball marks to repair. Fairways were good but minimal roll out. Pace was good, right around 4 hours although we had to wait a few times for the group in front of us.

 

Not remembering the layout, I made several mistakes off the tee which cost me.  Also not a fan of a hole where you split the fairway and they end the fairway and you're in a unkept area. For the most part, the green complexes were fair and you could play a variety of shots.

 

Will challenge them on a couple of things.  First, it's clearly a money grab.  The same food at the little spot in between 9s charged more for the same hot dog and beer than they did in the clubhouse. Maybe it's just "situational pricing." I had called on Wednesday and decrease our group size from 7 to 6.  Just to cover my bases, I asked for an email confirmation of the change which they did. When I checked in, the gentleman in the pro shop debated that with me. He wanted to charge for 7 but when I showed him the email confirming the 6 he got a little snotty with me and said that email should never had been sent.  Hmmm...OK. When we got to the first tee  around 9:25 for our 9:30 tee time, there were 2 other groups waiting to go.  Per the starter, who was really funny BTW, people just showed up to play so they put them out right away. 

 

Not sure if it's a $110 course, with balls, but I'd play it again as for the most part, the layout was very good.

[Woodridge]

46 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

Our comp ventured to Whittaker Woods yesterday.  Interesting day weather wise.  Had intermittent cells of rain and didn't see the sun til the drive home.  Hadn't played there in years and didn't remember much of the course.  In general, the conditions were as good as possible with the rain. With 1 exception, the bunkers were in surprisingly good condition. Greens were in great shape and only saw a few extra ball marks to repair. Fairways were good but minimal roll out. Pace was good, right around 4 hours although we had to wait a few times for the group in front of us.

 

Not remembering the layout, I made several mistakes off the tee which cost me.  Also not a fan of a hole where you split the fairway and they end the fairway and you're in a unkept area. For the most part, the green complexes were fair and you could play a variety of shots.

 

Will challenge them on a couple of things.  First, it's clearly a money grab.  The same food at the little spot in between 9s charged more for the same hot dog and beer than they did in the clubhouse. Maybe it's just "situational pricing." I had called on Wednesday and decrease our group size from 7 to 6.  Just to cover my bases, I asked for an email confirmation of the change which they did. When I checked in, the gentleman in the pro shop debated that with me. He wanted to charge for 7 but when I showed him the email confirming the 6 he got a little snotty with me and said that email should never had been sent.  Hmmm...OK. When we got to the first tee  around 9:25 for our 9:30 tee time, there were 2 other groups waiting to go.  Per the starter, who was really funny BTW, people just showed up to play so they put them out right away. 

 

Not sure if it's a $110 course, with balls, but I'd play it again as for the most part, the layout was very good.

I hate the idea that I'm being taken advantage of, so the 'halfway house' price gouge would rub me the wrong way as well. It's also amazing to me how many of these golf course employees feel like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. It seems like you guys almost run into more rude course employees than nice ones.

 

Your comment on price had me thinking of a couple questions....

 

1. Which public IL courses over $100 leave you feeling like you got your money's worth? It might be too long of a list, but I'm curious as to what you guys think.

 

2. What's the high water mark for an IL 18 hole public golf round? I can't imagine that it would be as much as $200, but it's possible I guess.

 

 

[DavePelz4]

10 minutes ago, Woodridge said:

I hate the idea that I'm being taken advantage of, so the 'halfway house' price gouge would rub me the wrong way as well. It's also amazing to me how many of these golf course employees feel like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. It seems like you guys almost run into more rude course employees than nice ones.

 

Your comment on price had me thinking of a couple questions....

 

1. Which public IL courses over $100 leave you feeling like you got your money's worth? It might be too long of a list, but I'm curious as to what you guys think.

 

2. What's the high water mark for an IL 18 hole public golf round? I can't imagine that it would be as much as $200, but it's possible I guess.

 

 

 

The guy in the pro shop was the only one that was anything less than nice.  As shared, the starter was awesome, the cart girls were sweet and  cute, the young ladies in the clubhouse post round did a great job taking care of us. 

 

Great question on the $100 courses and have had the same thought. Here's a few that cross my mind:

 

Cantigny

Dubs

The General although BMan said the conditions sucked recently

Mistwood - $99.99

Stonewall

 

VNutz and I have talked about this several times and since COVID, it seems like there has been a general 25% increase in the rate to play.  Econ 101, supply and demand is basically where it's gone to. When you see courses like Whitetail Ridge, which we used to play on weekends for $35 now charging $98 to $103 and requiring carts, it's clearly a great time to own a golf course. 

 

 

 

 

[Woodridge]

Thanks for the great reply and it's good to hear that the rude people are not the majority.

 

I played Bolingbrook once years ago with a former boss and it was over $100 with cart. I didn't enjoy the course. It could have been $40 and it wouldn't have matter. But, it didn't seem worth the $100+.

 

I paid almost $100 for Seven Bridges and felt that it was worth it. 

 

My wife and I spent last Thanksgiving in Galena at Eagle Ridge resort where the General is located. Looked like a great layout, but it was too cold to play and only one golf course was open that time of the year and it wasn't The General.

 

 

[postfold]

3 hours ago, DavePelz4 said:

Our comp ventured to Whittaker Woods yesterday. 

 

Not sure if it's a $110 course, with balls, but I'd play it again as for the most part, the layout was very good.

 

Wait, wait Whittaker Woods is $110?!  Wow.  Guess I can scratch that one off our group's prospective course list.

[chrisf60526]

Bolingbrook and Oakbrook are way overpriced IMO.  That being said, I live near Oakbrook and its packed....alot.  You also get a 5 1/2 round there as well.

[MountainKing]

Afternoon round at Highlands of Elgin.  A steal at $60 imo.  Course was overall in good shape.  Not wet at all like it normally is.  Greens were fast and a bit bumpy given we were playing at the end of the day.   There was no shortage of ballmarks for those who really enjoy fixing them or playing around them.  Pace was okay at 4:20.  I really love the course,  it just looks amazing. 

 

My game bounced back,  has a weird start going birdie, bogey,  birdie, birdie,  bogey.  Ended up with 4 birdies on the front but couldn't do better than a 35 thanks to the bogies.   The back was a different story,  couldn't take advantage of either par 5, both playing down wind.   Drove it up by 13 and only ended up with a par.  A few three putts, a penalty stroke and a 40 coming in. 

 

 

 

 

[MountainKing]

11 minutes ago, chrisf60526 said:

Bolingbrook and Oakbrook are way overpriced IMO.  That being said, I live near Oakbrook and its packed....alot.  You also get a 5 1/2 round there as well.

 

They sell a lot of memberships to the retired crew.  

[Holy Moses]

On 7/17/2021 at 11:02 AM, ldchristopher said:

I have to come clean. Earlier this year I said Bear and I walked 54 (Bonnie Brook, Oak Grove and Brae Loch). However, I actually only played 52 that day since I was late for my tee time at BBrook. With the weight of that misinformation hanging around my neck, I was again told by wife to have a golf day. That meant walking 54. It’s a silly self-challenge, made even less impressive since some guy in Switzerland just walked 252 holes in one day. But, onto yesterday’s rounds. 
 

Pine Meadows for round one. There’s so much to like about that course. Great layout, only one ho hum hole (10 goes along the range and even that isn’t awful), lots of tees and a combos well as large greens that in theory should allow the course to play differently depending on the setup, and an affordable weekday walking rate. However, their insistence on keeping the the blue/green dye industry afloat by drenching the course in dye is so, so aggravating. With the dye, Ghettos always just plays slow regardless of the setup. It gets on my fingers, under my nails, and all over my clubs. And for what? So the course will look bright green from April to November? So what? If I rolled around on those fairways I’d get up looking like the Incredible Hulk. Anyway, my game was very sharp. 11 fairways and 12 greens, with birdies on 4 and 13 and bogies on 3, 7 and 12 for a 73 from the Blue/Gold combo. 
 

Round two was at Chalet Hills. That’s a scary course for a 10:40 tee time but the people playing were very cool. I played through 5 groups (4 on the front and 1 on the back) and was careful not to disrupt anyone else’s pace of play. Once I got past group 5 on 12, I was home free and ended up playing in a shade over 3 hours. That’s probably not, in theory, the best place for a 54 hole day but I know exactly how to play every hole there and it’s a very draw-friendly layout. It helped that I had probably the best ball striking round of my life. 11 fairways and 16 greens. One birdie on 7 and two bogies on 5 and 16 for a 74.  
 

Bear joined me for round three at Countryside Prairie. We teed off at 3:20 and barely had to wait at all. I only hit 6 fairways but that’s not a place where one needs to be in the fairway to make par and I managed 12 greens, which is the stat that matters most anyway. There’s not much teeth from the blue tees but that was fine by me all things considered. One birdie on 14 and one bogey on 11 for an even par 72. 
 

Now, given the fact that I hit 40/54 greens, one would think I’d make more birdies. But here’s the problem: the putter sucks. It’s definitely NOT me. Quick aside: Am I the only person who now is more intrigued by a Cobra RadSpeed since Bryson’s comments? 

The blue “dye” is most likely part of a fungicide to protect the turf from the adverse effects of UV radiation. Did they just spray?

[Holy Moses]

Played Chalet Hills. Hadn’t been there in a while because it’s sooooo slow even though I really like the course. It’s just too hard for the average player. 5:30 round yesterday afternoon. 

[Argonne69]

I'd add The Glen Club to the list of $100+ courses worthy of playing. Of course it's not $100 in the summer, but rather $199 to walk on the weekends. The cheapest rate is $115 (M - Th, <9 am and >3 pm). I generally play it in the fall when rates are $100 or less.

 

[Argonne69]

Mostly pleasant morning at Wilmette (again). Could have used with a little less humidity, but at least there was a light northeast breeze cooling things down a bit. With the high dewpoint, the course was quite damp. The fairways were in the process of being cut. The rough was just nasty. Spent more than a few minutes searching for balls just off the fairway. Bunkers need grooming. The greens continued to be quite speedy. At least 11. I should have been happy with the 3:30 pace, but the single I was paired with bailed after nine holes, and it's just no fun following a bunch of foursomes around. 

 

Decent day scoring with one birdie and four bogies. Driver was a little off, missing left a few more times than needed. Irons were solid. My new irons should be arriving this week, and I can't wait to get them out on the course.

 

I have to be out in Crown Point tomorrow, so I'll likely tee it up at Summertree. I believe it's a bit of a goat track, but I'll be able to check off another area course. For $18 I'm not expecting much.

 

[TheBear95]

10 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Mostly pleasant morning at Wilmette (again). Could have used with a little less humidity, but at least there was a light northeast breeze cooling things down a bit. With the high dewpoint, the course was quite damp. The fairways were in the process of being cut. The rough was just nasty. Spent more than a few minutes searching for balls just off the fairway. Bunkers need grooming. The greens continued to be quite speedy. At least 11. I should have been happy with the 3:30 pace, but the single I was paired with bailed after nine holes, and it's just no fun following a bunch of foursomes around. 

 

Decent day scoring with one birdie and four bogies. Driver was a little off, missing left a few more times than needed. Irons were solid. My new irons should be arriving this week, and I can't wait to get them out on the course.

 

I have to be out in Crown Point tomorrow, so I'll likely tee it up at Summertree. I believe it's a bit of a goat track, but I'll be able to check off another area course. For $18 I'm not expecting much.

 

I played Summertree over 10 years ago. It seemed on the verge of closing then. Somewhat surprised it is still open. I honestly can't remember much about the course. 

[Argonne69]

26 minutes ago, TheBear95 said:

I played Summertree over 10 years ago. It seemed on the verge of closing then. Somewhat surprised it is still open. I honestly can't remember much about the course. 

 

Summertree appears to be owned/operated by Heagan Golf. The Pheasant Valley course looks like it closed. 'Not sure about Indian Ridge, but the reviews are awful. Oak Knoll looks like it has new owners.

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by Argonne69

[TheBear95]

6 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Summertree appears to be owned/operated by Heagan Golf. The Pheasant Valley course looks like it closed. 'Not sure about Indian Ridge, but the reviews are awful. Oak Knoll looks like it has new owners.

 

I like this line from the Hegan Golf website... "Built in early 1970s, Summer Tree Golf Club in Crown Point Indiana is another Hegan masterpiece." 

 

A masterpiece. Boy, I really didn't pay attention when I played it.

 

Played Pheasant Valley once. I have never played a course with more blind tee shots. 

[TheBear95]

As I eat my lunch, I'm going to give a shout-out to Bonnie Brook in Waukegan. With courses jacking up rates and nickel and diming customers, hard to find a solid value these days. Well, I think Bonnie Brook is the best value up in Lake Co.

 

I played Bonnie Brook Saturday morning. The rate to walk is $37. Try to beat that rate on a weekend morning at any course, let alone, a solid layout like BBrook. And, IMO, the traditional parkland layout of Bonnie Brook is equal or better than the other Route 41 parkland courses. And, the course conditions have been excellent the past few years, and that was the case Saturday as well. 

[stasek]

Mistwood Saturday afternoon.   The course, as usual, is in great condition.  The only “problem” we’re the spike marks around the flags, but that’s to be expected at that time.  
Another case of few too many bad swings.  
On a bright note, the “Kelpie’s Korner” was really good to me this time.  Stuck a 7i to 3 feet on 14,  cut the corner on 15 and had 195 to the pin.  Smooth 6i later, I was pin high above the hole and 2 putted for a birdie.  Ho hum par on 16 and a little mishap on 17 (bogey), but I don’t remember the last time I played this stretch 1-under.  
 

Our annual match play (2 vs 2 scramble) yesterday at Broken Arrow.  Unfortunately I lost (couple stupid bogeys and bulky putter), but overall our team came out victorious 6.5 - 2.5.  Course was in very good shape.  
 

Unless I sneak out during the week to Ruffled, looks like next round will be at Palmira.  

[DavePelz4]

Anyone see that Bolingbrook is hosting the "Forme Tour" starting tomorrow for a 72 hole event and $115K in a prize pool?  Yeah, me neither.  They actually have a handful of recognizable names like Chase Koepka, Jordan Niebrugge, Andy Zhang, Dru Love,Dylan Meyer, Cristian Demarco and the guy I'll be pulling for, Byron Meth.  Poor dude.

Edited July 19, 2021 by DavePelz4

[@_the_crook]

15 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

I'd add The Glen Club to the list of $100+ courses worthy of playing. Of course it's not $100 in the summer, but rather $199 to walk on the weekends. The cheapest rate is $115 (M - Th, <9 am and >3 pm). I generally play it in the fall when rates are $100 or less.

 

 

I've got a free round coming for TGC that ought to be fun to use. benefit of working the ESI tournament earlier this year.

still impressed at what was built on that site.

days gone by, we watched GNAS flights from the runway terminus at Willow Road.

 

 

[Argonne69]

8 hours ago, @_the_crook said:

 

I've got a free round coming for TGC that ought to be fun to use. benefit of working the ESI tournament earlier this year.

still impressed at what was built on that site.

days gone by, we watched GNAS flights from the runway terminus at Willow Road.

 

 

 

I spent 6 years in the Navy Reserve, and did my weekend drills at Glenview Naval Air Station. Yeah, every time I stand on the course I remember back to standing on the tarmac in front of the old hangar looking out at the flat runway. They sure moved a lot of dirt. Our squadron's maintenance shop on the north end of the hangar is now a nail salon I believe. Lol. 

[VNutz]

Getting caught up after a busy weekend as I'm no longer a part of the 30s crowd here, but as DP4 said Whittaker Woods this past Saturday for the first, and likely last time. Generally I don't like to complain about the cost of golf as I've come to accept it, but I'm getting tired of feeling gouged this year. Course was just fine, but for $107 with a small bucket of balls was underwhelming. I haven't paid that much to play golf in IL in a long time, I believe Mistwood, Cantigny and Dubs are the only ones I've paid that much for, and this isn't on the same level. Clearly targeting the New Buffalo vacationer crowd. Course was in fine shape, albeit very narrow and winding in spots. For a first timer playing there you really don't have much of a clue what's going on, even with the GPS on the cart. A couple hard doglegs around trees proved troublesome, a par 5 on the front just being in the short grass wasn't enough as you needed to be on the far left of the narrow and lined fairway with a layup just to no have a blocked approach, and my favorite, a par 5 (2nd hole I think) with a forced layup and then a fairly long forced carry on your second. Guy in my group doesn't carry it very far, especially off the deck and was forced with pitching 75 yards to lay up closer or trying a nearly impossible carry, didn't end well for him. Other than that condition was fine, greens ran surprisingly quick given all the rain they received that morning. May have finally figured out something with the driver part way through the round and the 43-37 split showed.

 

Funny moment of the day, again highlighting the pricing, a playing partner and I both ordered a brat and a beer at the turn. He kindly slapped my card away and said he'd pick it up, throwing down a $20 bill. There was a moment of hesitation from the girl working there before she explained that it would $28.

 

As DP4 also mentioned, the starter was a nice and fairly dry humored gentleman which helped ease our concern of the 1st tee being 2 groups behind at 9:30 in the morning. And curiously he was wearing a hat from the ND Warren course. I'm not the type that says you don't wear stuff from another course elsewhere as I've heard that before and think it's pretty ridiculous, but for an employee that stood out to me as an odd choice, especially one that will be interacting with every player that comes through, and a course that's a fairly nearby option.

[geochitown]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I spent 6 years in the Navy Reserve, and did my weekend drills at Glenview Naval Air Station. Yeah, every time I stand on the course I remember back to standing on the tarmac in front of the old hangar looking out at the flat runway. They sure moved a lot of dirt. Our squadron's maintenance shop on the north end of the hangar is now a nail salon I believe. Lol. 

 

We want you, we want you, We want you as a new recruit!

Edited July 20, 2021 by geochitown

[Argonne69]

Interesting morning at Summertree in Crown Point. I don't think the humidity could have been any higher. When I walked up to the elevated 1st green it looked like a sheet of ice. The dew on the putting surface was reflecting the rising sun, and it looked almost pure white. Let's start with the positive. They charged me $15 to walk 18. 'Can't beat that. The property is a wonderful piece of terrain for a golf course. It reminded me a bit of Longwood and Palmira. No flat farmland here. It's a combination of parkland and prairie style. A few holes are lined with dense trees, but others are a bit more open. There are a handful of ponds, aka mosquito hatcheries. Oy, they were wicked. Saw plenty of wildlife, including two hawks. There are a good mix of long and short par 4s. The 3s are on the long side, but I moved up one teebox on two of them to take my hybrid out of my hand. There are no outstanding holes, but there are also no bad or gimmicky holes. It's a layout I could easily play regularly if conditions were better. The only gripe is that you hear the constant din of I-65 to the west. 'Almost as bad as Deerfield on the front nine. The back is a little better, but you still hear the traffic. 

 

Conditions? Oh boy. The first clue if the big 'For Sale' sign at the entrance to the course. Like Big Run, I think they're barely keeping the course playable while they try to sell it to a developer to build houses. Shaggy is an understatement. To their credit the fairways were green. There was more crabgrass and clover than turfgrass, but I could hit off the stuff. Guess I'll have to cut Wilmette a little slack. It had been cut recently, but it was still taller than one would expect. On the 10th hole I hit a very nice drive that appeared to curve back to the center of the fairway. When I got to the landing area I couldn't see my ball, so I thought that maybe I had caught a tree branch, and fell down into the rough. After a few fruitless minutes searching, I dropped a ball a yard off the rough. As I was about to hit I saw the top off a ball in the middle of the fairway a few yards up. Yup, my ball was sitting down in the fairway with just the top exposed. Sheesh. The rough was brutal. Wet and thick. It cost me one lost ball, and a few strokes where I tried to go for the green, but should have hit no more than an 8 iron. Nasty stuff. The bunkers were a surprise. A mix of sand and dirt, but there was enough fluff to play a proper bunker shot. The greens sadly were unplayable. I've putted on recently aerated greens that could hold a line better than these. Besides the numerous bare patches there appeared to be some type of rot. They were uber bumpy, and rolling no more than 8 by the end of the round. The dew on the greens at the start of the round were creating bigger rooster tails than you'd see at the hydrofoil race.

 

Pace was fantastic. I was the first one in the parking lot, and the woman in the pro shop had told me when I called that she doesn't arrive until 8 am, so I should simply head out, and pay at the turn. I had the course to myself.

 

Pretty rough day scoring. My driver was a bit off, and the rough simply ate me up. One birdie, five bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was getting a little help from the golf gods on the 16th. I pushed my teeshot, and I was going to wind up in the cabbage, err rough, again. I openly asked the golf gods to hit the cart path, and sure enough it hit the asphalt, and took a huge bounce left into the fairway. Picking up an extra 20 yards was a bonus. Lol. 

 

It's a real pity that such a nice layout suffers from neglect/disinterest. They could double the greens fee, sink a little bit of money into the greens, and they'd have a very playable course. 

 

Par 3 17th playing 215 yds

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by Argonne69

[ldchristopher]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Conditions? Oh boy. The first clue if the big 'For Sale' sign at the entrance to the course. Like Big Run, I think they're barely keeping the course playable while they try to sell it to a developer to build houses. Shaggy is an understatement. To their credit the fairways were green. There was more crabgrass and clover than turfgrass, but I could hit off the stuff. Guess I'll have to cut Wilmette a little slack. It had been cut recently, but it was still taller than one would expect. On the 10th hole I hit a very nice drive that appeared to curve back to the center of the fairway. When I got to the landing area I couldn't see my ball, so I thought that maybe I had caught a tree branch, and fell down into the rough. After a few fruitless minutes searching, I dropped a ball a yard off the rough. As I was about to hit I saw the top off a ball in the middle of the fairway a few yards up. Yup, my ball was sitting down in the fairway with just the top exposed. Sheesh. The rough was brutal. Wet and thick. It cost me one lost ball, and a few strokes where I tried to go for the green, but should have hit no more than an 8 iron. Nasty stuff. The bunkers were a surprise. A mix of sand and dirt, but there was enough fluff to play a proper bunker shot. The greens sadly were unplayable. I've putted on recently aerated greens that could hold a line better than these. Besides the numerous bare patches there appeared to be some type of rot. They were uber bumpy, and rolling no more than 8 by the end of the round. The dew on the greens at the start of the round were creating bigger rooster tails than you'd see at the hydrofoil race.

I played Summertree years ago and the conditions were about the same. I played it with my dad in the 90’s and it was actually pretty decent, but that’s quite a while ago. It’s too bad given the property. With The Brassie closed, there really are only a handful of courses in NWI worth playing without driving either all the way to South Bend or to West Lafayette. White Hawk, Aberdeen, Palmira, umm…err…River Pointe? Scherwood? I guess Lost Marsh. 

[@_the_crook]

9 hours ago, VNutz said:

He kindly slapped my card away and said he'd pick it up, throwing down a $20 bill. There was a moment of hesitation from the girl working there before she explained that it would $28.

Tournament pricing

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

I played Summertree years ago and the conditions were about the same. I played it with my dad in the 90’s and it was actually pretty decent, but that’s quite a while ago. It’s too bad given the property. With The Brassie closed, there really are only a handful of courses in NWI worth playing without driving either all the way to South Bend or to West Lafayette. White Hawk, Aberdeen, Palmira, umm…err…River Pointe? Scherwood? I guess Lost Marsh. 

 

It really is surprising how few decent courses there are in the area. The Crown Point area continues to grow, but the quality mid to upper end courses are practically nonexistent.