Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[ldchristopher]

I needed a course that allowed me to take advantage of Lake Shore Drive being so open midday with Lollapalooza going on, available times and low rates since I didn’t feel like spending much money. That meant slumming it a bit at Scherwood in Shererville, IN. $19 to walk. Dunzo. Anyway, the course has plenty of rough edges, there isn’t much difference between the rough and the fairway since the rough is quite thin, and it always plays long. A par 71 that’s over 6800 yards where all the length is in the par 4s. It plays 2.5 strokes over par for a reason. However, the greens were really good. Not super fast but smooth and mark free. In late July that’s becoming very rare. Ball striking was pretty solid, though I cooled off down the stretch and had to do some scrambling. 3 birdies on the front on 6, 7 and 9 and four bogies on 1, 5, 13 and 18 for a 72. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by ldchristopher

[Argonne69]

12 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

I needed a course that allowed me to take advantage of Lake Shore Drive being so open midday with Lollapalooza going on, available times and low rates since I didn’t feel like spending much money. That meant slumming it a bit at Scherwood in Shererville, IN. $19 to walk. Dunzo. Anyway, the course has plenty of rough edges, there isn’t much difference between the rough and the fairway since the rough is quite thin, and it always plays long. A par 71 that’s over 6800 yards where all the length is in the par 4s. It plays 2.5 strokes over par for a reason. However, the greens were really good. Not super fast but smooth and mark free. In late July that’s becoming very rare. Ball striking was pretty solid, though I cooled off down the stretch and had to do some scrambling. 3 birdies on the front on 6, 7 and 9 and four bogies on 1, 5, 13 and 18 for a 72. 

 

There's always Wicker Park Memorial. Not sure if they allow walking though.

 

[St Jimmy]

Not sure if this belongs in the Chicago thread, but I ventured north to Hawk's View last night after work.  Course was in great shape minus the ball marks all over the greens after what was propabaly a busy Friday.  

 

I played really well on the front nine making the turn at +2 with two birds.  We ended up skipping 11 because the foursome in front of us was two holes behind and the sun was setting fast.   We really rushed after that to try to get all the holes in and between the darkness and my hurried focus, the score on the back was poor.  

But I closed out par par after a great bunker shot on 17 and a 10 foot uphill putt on 18.  

I hope to get back there again this year.  

[MountainKing]

1 hour ago, St Jimmy said:

Not sure if this belongs in the Chicago thread, but I ventured north to Hawk's View last night after work.  Course was in great shape minus the ball marks all over the greens after what was propabaly a busy Friday.  

 

I played really well on the front nine making the turn at +2 with two birds.  We ended up skipping 11 because the foursome in front of us was two holes behind and the sun was setting fast.   We really rushed after that to try to get all the holes in and between the darkness and my hurried focus, the score on the back was poor.  

But I closed out par par after a great bunker shot on 17 and a 10 foot uphill putt on 18.  

I hope to get back there again this year.  

 

I'm trying to understand the concept of teeing off 4 and half hours prior to sunset, paying good money, and then just going out and screwing around to the point where you and anybody behind you would finish before the sun goes down.  

[St Jimmy]

1 hour ago, MountainKing said:

 

I'm trying to understand the concept of teeing off 4 and half hours prior to sunset, paying good money, and then just going out and screwing around to the point where you and anybody behind you would finish before the sun goes down.  

 

 

Yeah, it was a bit annoying.  We were putting out on ten and they were teeing off on 11.  Then as we were walking to the carts they were standing around talking and looking at each other's phones.  I thought they were going to let us play through.

Then as we pulled up they looked up and jumped in the carts and drove off.  I just followed behind them and kept going to twelve when they stopped by their balls.   

[Ryan3773]

7 hours ago, St Jimmy said:

Not sure if this belongs in the Chicago thread, but I ventured north to Hawk's View last night after work.  Course was in great shape minus the ball marks all over the greens after what was propabaly a busy Friday.  

 

I played really well on the front nine making the turn at +2 with two birds.  We ended up skipping 11 because the foursome in front of us was two holes behind and the sun was setting fast.   We really rushed after that to try to get all the holes in and between the darkness and my hurried focus, the score on the back was poor.  

But I closed out par par after a great bunker shot on 17 and a 10 foot uphill putt on 18.  

I hope to get back there again this year.  

Have you played the short course there? 
 

wondering if its worth the drive for a 36 hole day 

[St Jimmy]

1 hour ago, Ryan3773 said:

Have you played the short course there? 
 

wondering if its worth the drive for a 36 hole day 

Yes, many times.  It’s a fun little course  that’s good for working on you’re iron game.  Very easy walk.

 

 

I do think Hawk’s View is worth the trip.  I love Como Crossing.  Maybe expand it for a weekend and hit Geneva National too?

[ldchristopher]

15 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

There's always Wicker Park Memorial. Not sure if they allow walking though.

 

The Mrv? I’ve played it a couple of times. Definitely a dog track. Scherwood isn’t great (it’s actually not even very good) but in my opinion it’s better than Wicker Park. 

[ldchristopher]

Cinder Ridge and Heritage The Bluffs today. Bear and I got paired with Juniors at both courses and it's probably a good thing since otherwise we would have been right on the heels of whoever was in front of us. Waiting around on every shot is no fun but the tempo today was great on the front. The back, not so much. Neither one of us were too wild about playing Cinder again but it was the only course with available mid-morning times. The problem with dropping my daughter off with grandma and grandpa is we can't do so at 5:30 AM, but a 4:20 pace with a 9:27 tee time wasn't awful. Tee to green Cinder was in okay shape but the greens were pretty chewed. I made one birdie by stuffing my tee shot to 2 feet on 6 but bogied 1, 4 and 10 for a 74. 

 

I don't know what happened at The Bluffs, but when they lost the Heritage (maybe in a card game to the owner of the course formerly known as Sportsman's?) the maintenance went downhill. The fairways and bunkers were alright but the tee boxes were very chewed up as were the greens, which had unrepaired marks all over them, visible foot traffic, and were running as if they hadn't been rolled in days. The holes and tee markers clearly don't get moved very often and when a course combines that with slow greens the results are not good. It was disappointing since it looks like they're spending money on other aspects of the course, such as the new clubhouse. I hit the ball pretty well but made no birdies despite hitting ten greens, dumped approach shots into greenside bunkers on four holes (4, 6, 11 and 18) and made four bogies. I need to tighten up my sand game. Or just not put shots in bunkers. That sounds easier. 76. 

 

90 holes in 3 days. Almost 40 miles walked. My feet are a little sore. 

[@_the_crook]

9 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

the course formerly known as Sportsman's

locals have discussed venue nicknames.

 

ideas include:

 

Shady Acres

Cranberry Juice Farms

The Place for Dad on Dundee

Elder's Bluff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MountainKing]

After reading about "The Bluffs" kind of glad we bailed.  Looks like an afternoon round up at Maple Meadows.

[St Jimmy]

11 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

Cinder Ridge and Heritage The Bluffs today. Bear and I got paired with Juniors at both courses and it's probably a good thing since otherwise we would have been right on the heels of whoever was in front of us. Waiting around on every shot is no fun but the tempo today was great on the front. The back, not so much. Neither one of us were too wild about playing Cinder again but it was the only course with available mid-morning times. The problem with dropping my daughter off with grandma and grandpa is we can't do so at 5:30 AM, but a 4:20 pace with a 9:27 tee time wasn't awful. Tee to green Cinder was in okay shape but the greens were pretty chewed. I made one birdie by stuffing my tee shot to 2 feet on 6 but bogied 1, 4 and 10 for a 74. 

 

I don't know what happened at The Bluffs, but when they lost the Heritage (maybe in a card game to the owner of the course formerly known as Sportsman's?) the maintenance went downhill. The fairways and bunkers were alright but the tee boxes were very chewed up as were the greens, which had unrepaired marks all over them, visible foot traffic, and were running as if they hadn't been rolled in days. The holes and tee markers clearly don't get moved very often and when a course combines that with slow greens the results are not good. It was disappointing since it looks like they're spending money on other aspects of the course, such as the new clubhouse. I hit the ball pretty well but made no birdies despite hitting ten greens, dumped approach shots into greenside bunkers on four holes (4, 6, 11 and 18) and made four bogies. I need to tighten up my sand game. Or just not put shots in bunkers. That sounds easier. 76. 

 

90 holes in 3 days. Almost 40 miles walked. My feet are a little sore. 

 

 

That's impressive.  I enjoy walking, but multiple rounds are a no go for me.  

I started attending cross fit classes last week with the goals of weight loss, flexibility, and stamina.   I have about 40 extra pounds I want to shed and then next year I can try 36 in a day too.  

[TheBear95]

2 hours ago, MountainKing said:

After reading about "The Bluffs" kind of glad we bailed.  Looks like an afternoon round up at Maple Meadows.

You didn't miss anything. The greens were bad, maybe the worst I've played all season. It sucks when you realize that the only way you're making a birdie is to stuff your approach to 3 feet, because putts won't stay online due to the greens.

 

As much as golfers are to blame for ballmarks, many times, the course is to blame as well. That was the case yesterday at "The Bluffs". When ALL approach shots are leaving moon craters, I don't care how meticulous guys are in fixing their marks, the greens are going to get beat up. The greens were way, way too soft for all the play they are getting. 

 

As ld noted, "The Bluffs" or more like the taxpayers of Channahon are dumping cash into the course. New clubhouse, new cart paths, new incredibly lame branding, etc. But, what's the point if the greens blow? I guess its time for another feasibility study, lol. 

 

[B-Man]

George Dunne in decent shape yesterday.

 

Dontcha love it when you have a little too much spin on your gap wedge hitting into the 4th green then make the 60 footer for birdie from the front edge. But then you hit your tee shot on 5 well right and your opponent goes, "Ha! Suffering from PBS eh? Post-Birdie Syndrome" But then you find your ball sitting pretty 100 out and knock it to 10 feet and make that one. Another 12-point birdie sweep. And then they watch as your eagle chip on the 5th from 30yrds is tracking straight at the hole only to turn right in the last foot and lip out to a few inches. Then you hold up an 8-iron against the wind on the 7th and it finishes 6" behind the hole. Then you get unlucky on the 8th when your shot into the green just catches the rough on the edge and you play a delicate chip that finishes dead in the heart 6" short. At this point I turned to my opponent and say, "Well you were almost right. I guess I suffered from Post-Birdie-Birdie-Birdie-Birdie Syndrome!" 😄

[MountainKing]

Nice weather today for a round a Maple Meadows.  The staff out there is always great.   Course was in okay shape but the greens were a mess.  Looked like moon, people were clearly dragging their feet,  on top of the typical late afternoon wear. Pace was okay at 4:20, crazy tho that you pretty much need to tee off by 3:30 to get in before dark. 

 

Game was solid,  hit it well.  Chipping and bunker game was good,  I just couldn't make a damn putt, and the greens didn't help.   Several birdie putts inside of 10 feet, lots of chips within 5 feet,  and couldn't get a single one in.   Walked away with a 76, I'd like to think I could have been closer to even if the greens were decent.

[DavePelz4]

Beautiful day on Saturday at Prairie View. Might have been the best day of the year condition wise. They continue to make improvements to the practice area and have taken a ton of trees out as well to open the course up. My one issue on the practice area is that we had to hit off mats.  Not a fan of that and there is ample room for them to expand the teeing area to increase the ability to hit off turf.

 

The course conditions were great as usual, and the pace was wonderful...except on 8.  The group before us teed off at least 20-30 minutes before we did and we were sailing until catching them on 8. Once we got to the tee box, there were 3 group on that hole.  Wasn't sure of why the slow down until after our group's 14 putts on that hole.  The pin was in an impossible place if you were anything but right of the hole. We watch one putt stop on the lip and then roll back to at least 20 feet away.  I can see that pin placement in an "Super's Revenge" event, etc. but that has no business being there on a Saturday.

 

Apparently on the trip there, I lost the ability to hit a driver.  After a few nice weeks off the tee, I had no idea of where the ball was going and missed as often left as I did right.  Sheesh. 

 

Was paired up with 2 really nice guys that made it an even more enjoyable round. After a few holes I thought they were both + handicaps as they each had stretches of back to back birdies. They couldn't have been any nicer and we thanked the one originally from Cleveland for giving the Sox help at 2nd base for basically nothing.

 

You also know you're in the country when a Coors Light and a Mike's Hard Lemonade cost $5.00, in total.

 

Other than ***** golf, it was a fun day in Byron.

[MountainKing]

Courses that have turf and use mats this time of year are just being lazy, and honestly ripping us off given nobody discounts the balls for mats.  There's zero reason right now to be on mats, anywhere.  The purpose originally for mats at most places were to extend the range season on both ends and possibly keep it open all year as long as the weather is good, or to use in the summer after periods of heavy rain.  If you manage the range over the summer you should be able to continually overseed and have good turn to use.    I'm pretty over courses ripping us off, high greens fees, crazy pace of play, subpar conditions for the price , mats only when there's plenty of turf ect ect.  

[DavePelz4]

16 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

Courses that have turf and use mats this time of year are just being lazy, and honestly ripping us off given nobody discounts the balls for mats.  There's zero reason right now to be on mats, anywhere.  The purpose originally for mats at most places were to extend the range season on both ends and possibly keep it open all year as long as the weather is good, or to use in the summer after periods of heavy rain.  If you manage the range over the summer you should be able to continually overseed and have good turn to use.    I'm pretty over courses ripping us off, high greens fees, crazy pace of play, subpar conditions for the price , mats only when there's plenty of turf ect ect.  

 

What made it really interesting is they had a sign up showing that on certain week days, it was hitting off mats but then turf on Saturday/Sunday.  Not sure what happened there.

[chrisf60526]

11 hours ago, MountainKing said:

Nice weather today for a round a Maple Meadows.  The staff out there is always great.   Course was in okay shape but the greens were a mess.  Looked like moon, people were clearly dragging their feet,  on top of the typical late afternoon wear. Pace was okay at 4:20, crazy tho that you pretty much need to tee off by 3:30 to get in before dark. 

 

Game was solid,  hit it well.  Chipping and bunker game was good,  I just couldn't make a damn putt, and the greens didn't help.   Several birdie putts inside of 10 feet, lots of chips within 5 feet,  and couldn't get a single one in.   Walked away with a 76, I'd like to think I could have been closer to even if the greens were decent.

 

I dont know what it is about MM, and I like it, but I always play terribly there.  Terrible as in I have double the number of penalty strokes and can't hit the side of the barn, the magical lost ball in the rough that I should have found.  Despite knowing not to go right on #3, i always jack it over in to the junk.  

 

I like it because its 1/3 the price of Preserve but I play that place terribly.  

Edited August 2, 2021 by chrisf60526

[MountainKing]

1 minute ago, chrisf60526 said:

 

I dont know what it is about MM, and I like it, but I always play terribly there.  

 

That's how I am with Heritage Bluffs, or the Bluffs or whatever they call it now.  Funny how we all have those courses that just eat us up. 

[Argonne69]

Very enjoyable morning at Glencoe. It's nice to finally have some drier weather. Conditions were very good. Fairways lush. Rough cut. Bunkers groomed (but a little light on sand). Greens were damp in the early morning, and rolling no more than 9. However, a light breeze and a little sunshine dried them out, and they picked up an inch of speed by the turn. Pace was fine at 3:50, but stop me if you've heard this one before, the foursome two groups ahead finished two holes behind. Unfortunately the twosome in front of us didn't want to play through, so we waited on most shots. 

 

My ballstriking recovered from Friday's letdown. Two birdies and five bogies. Definitely think I'll return the PXG T's, and try the P's. As good as they are when perfectly struck, I can't live with a club that loses 15 yds when it's caught a half inch towards the toe. The par 5 17th was a good example today. I had 130 to the back right pin tucked more or less behind the right greenside bunker. 135 to the back fringe. Perfect pitching wedge distance. I caught it just off the center, and it had a beautiful baby draw that landed 15 yds short in the bunker. Pffftttt.

 

[TheBear95]

I had yesterday off work, so I decided to hit Prairie Isle. For some reason, I had not played Prairie Isle this season. I have no idea why. I always enjoy my time there. Yesterday, was no exception. Teed off at Noon and was back in the parking lot at 2:15. Played thru a foursome on #10 and it was smooth sailing all the way to #18. I thought I was going to walk Prairie Isle in about two hours, but #18 was stacked up with multiple groups. C'mon people, lol. Anyway, the course was in nice shape considering the on-going drought in McHenry Co. and the greens were rolling nice.

 

Since I played Prairie Isle much, much quicker than I anticipated and I decided to hit up GCI for another round. GCI is a course that has always given me problems, not sure why. I have played some pretty terrible golf there and was hoping for some redemption. Play started on the back yesterday, so when I made par on #11, I thought this might be my day. And, it was. I had the first 9 to myself, but finally caught a bunch groups at the turn. The greens were running very true, which was nice. My ball striking wasn't very good on final 9, but I was making putt after putt. Just pouring in everything. Ended up shooting 74, which is miles better than any of my previous rounds at GCI. Also, made about 75 feet of putts on the final 9 alone, including a bomb on #4. Also, funny, because I have gone multiple rounds without making a putt over 10 feet this year. Weird game.

 

Speaking of funny, saw something at GCI yesterday that made me flashback to my Jackson Park days. Watched a guy just walk onto the course. He parked his Jeep on the street behind #2. Proceeded to grab his bag and walked straight to the #6 tee, lol. Watching that immediately brought back memories of playing JP and having some random guy join your group on the third tee box.

Edited August 3, 2021 by TheBear95

[ldchristopher]

16 minutes ago, TheBear95 said:

Speaking of funny, saw something at GCI yesterday that made me flashback to my Jackson Park days. Watched a guy just walk onto the course. He parked his Jeep on the street behind #2. Proceeded to grab his bag and walked straight to the #6 tee, lol. Watching that immediately brought back memories of playing JP and having some random guy join your group on the third tee box.

Hands down, my favorite aspect of JP. I never knew who would join our group there because of people just kinda showing up on three. Would they play the rest of the course, disappear after nine, play a seemingly random number of holes (“I think I’ll play 14 holes today because…reasons”)? A shame Tiger’s project will make that no longer a thing, he said sarcastically. 

[TheBear95]

22 minutes ago, ldchristopher said:

Hands down, my favorite aspect of JP. I never knew who would join our group there because of people just kinda showing up on three. Would they play the rest of the course, disappear after nine, play a seemingly random number of holes (“I think I’ll play 14 holes today because…reasons”)? A shame Tiger’s project will make that no longer a thing, he said sarcastically. 

 

They would typically disappear after #17. Back to their car parked way down on Richards Dr. One guy who did this, bragged the entire round about his $300 driver shaft. I'm thinking, a $300 driver shaft, but won't pay for JP. Sad.

Edited August 3, 2021 by TheBear95

[MountainKing]

Looks like it's going to be Odyssey on Saturday, and hopefully back up to Stonehenge for Sunday.  First time going back to back since my surgery, I've been a bit hesitant to swing a club two days in a row but I need to do it I think to get over that hurdle. 

[Argonne69]

A simply gorgeous day for golf. I've basically played the El Cheapo circuit this season with a few exceptions, and with the forecast looking so nice I decided to treat myself to Dubs today. Heck, I treated myself to a new hat, too. I was a bit surprised to see that I haven't played the course in nearly 5 years. I've walked the course a few times before as a spectator at the BMW, but never as a player. Today was my first round walking there. It was a hike, but no worse than a number of courses I've walked before. Conditions through the green were very good. Moderate rollout in the fairways, and rough cut to a good height. Fairway bunkers were wet, and in the process of being groomed. I was extremely disappointed in the condition of the greenside bunkers. There was plenty of sand, but it was severely compacted. Doesn't look like it's been groomed since the last heavy rain. I spoke with two maintenance workers on the back nine, and they both said they were groomed yesterday. Oy. If that's there idea of grooming, then they need to learn a few things from some of the local munis. Greens looked nice, but sadly there were enough unrepaired ballmarks to be upsetting. I just don't get the sense of entitlement. Players pony up top dollar for one of the best courses in the area, and expect someone else to fix a ballmark? Green speeds were slower than I expected. Probably rolling 10, but I'd like to see 11 on a championship course.

 

Pace was probably the best part of the day. I teed off solo 20 minutes after a twosome of regulars (according to the starter). I never caught them. I saw a couple of singles ahead of me on the front, including one other walker, but otherwise it felt like I had the place to myself. 

 

Decent day with one birdie and six bogies. After hitting the first fairway, my driver bailed on me until the 11th hole. Tough to score coming out of the rough with mid irons and hybrids. I had a few nice scrambles on the front, but carded four bogies. I turned it around on the back by hitting every fairway except the 18th, where I had a terrible lie in the left fairway bunker. I did manage a par save with a sweet 12 foot putt after having to lay up short of the green. The highlight of the day was back on the first hole. I short sided myself left of the green, and took my medicine by simply pitching the ball to the center of the green. I had a 30 foot putt for par that I just wanted to cozy up to the hole, but the bugger fell in the side door for a nice start to the round. I was also pleased with a solid par on the 9th after finding the right rough. After Big Run's 9th, that hole is one of the tougher 5s in the area.

 

Overall it was a very enjoyable day, although the bunkers did leave a sour taste. If one is dropping $144 in this area, you expect top conditions. I don't expect perfect conditions, but raked bunkers isn't asking for too much.

 

Photos: Dubsdread

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Argonne69

[cwb12]

Haven't played much in Chi since moving to Florida but back in a few weeks and can get 1 round in on Sunday the 22nd early in the morning NW Burbs. What out of these should I look at first, not knowing what remodels have been done over the past 6-8 years. Working on any Private connections i have but for Public tracks:

 

Chevy Chase

Arboretum

Mt. Prospect

Buffalo Grove

 

CB

[mci711]

7 minutes ago, cwb12 said:

Haven't played much in Chi since moving to Florida but back in a few weeks and can get 1 round in on Sunday the 22nd early in the morning NW Burbs. What out of these should I look at first, not knowing what remodels have been done over the past 6-8 years. Working on any Private connections i have but for Public tracks:

 

Chevy Chase

Arboretum

Mt. Prospect

Buffalo Grove

 

CB

Mt Prospect. 

[CRDuffy21]

3 hours ago, cwb12 said:

Haven't played much in Chi since moving to Florida but back in a few weeks and can get 1 round in on Sunday the 22nd early in the morning NW Burbs. What out of these should I look at first, not knowing what remodels have been done over the past 6-8 years. Working on any Private connections i have but for Public tracks:

 

Chevy Chase

Arboretum

Mt. Prospect

Buffalo Grove

 

CB

 

I have always been a big fan of Hilldale. I never see it mentioned on here, but when I worked in Schaumburg I'd sneak out and play 9 or 18 during the summer after work. There are a bunch of good holes, and 1 or 2 poor ones. Conditions were great, and the greens rolled pretty fast with some nice undulation to them. Take a look at Hilldale, isn't too far from some of the courses you mentioned. 

[Shriner]

Agreed, Hilldale is nice and would be a nice option, definitely target golf though.  Conditions were great when I last played about a month ago.

 

Otherwise, out of the options you listed, I like Buffalo Grove the best and probably not even close for me.