Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[TheBear95]

25 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

Probably played OG 50 times and the only birdie on that hole came from landing in the fringe which took a lot off the shot and trickling down to a makeable distance.

 

Have to ask, how'd you play 11?

Ah, the Anaconda. Made par. 

 

I like to play a fade, so the tee shot on #11 sets up well for that off the blue tees. Start it at the bunkers and have it slide back across the fairway. I hit 5 wood today and was in the fairway just short of the bunkers. However, the lie wasn't great and being more of a fader, taking on that second shot really isn't my cup of tea. So, I laid up down the fairway short of the bridge and had a pitching wedge into the green. Hit it to the middle. Two putts for par.

 

[reperna]

Hey everyone, visiting a buddy in aurora. What are the top notch public courses within about 2 hours from there? Thanks!

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, reperna said:

Hey everyone, visiting a buddy in aurora. What are the top notch public courses within about 2 hours from there? Thanks!

 

My, that's a pretty big area. Covers the entire northeast corner of Illinois. 

 

Any particular price point? You've got everything from Cog Hill Dubs, The Glen Club, Cantigny, and Mistwood to the better munis such as Mt Prospect and Highlands of Elgin. 

 

Cantigny would be the closest high end course to Aurora. 

 

[stasek]

Couple spectacular crashes over the weekend.  Friday at Old Oak - 35/44.

Sunday at Harborside Port - 37/45, which included 10 on 18 🤬.  

[Shriner]

7 hours ago, stasek said:

Couple spectacular crashes over the weekend.  Friday at Old Oak - 35/44.

Sunday at Harborside Port - 37/45, which included 10 on 18 🤬.  

 

Wow!  It is a brutal game at times.  That 10 had to linger with you for awhile.

[stasek]

2 hours ago, Shriner said:

 

Wow!  It is a brutal game at times.  That 10 had to linger with you for awhile.

Yeah, that was a total head scratcher.  Despite driving the ball really well, decided to take out the fairway finder -4i and promptly pushed it into junk on right. Drop. Next shot - bunt 6i to get the ball inside 200. Nope - snap hook right into the junk in left. Drop.  Frustration 3h resulted in another aqua ball and another drop.  What a great game🤬.

[psygolf]

14 hours ago, reperna said:

Hey everyone, visiting a buddy in aurora. What are the top notch public courses within about 2 hours from there? Thanks!

Orchard Valley is an easy choice for staying close...in 2 hours one could get to the TPC at Deere Run

[psygolf]

1 minute ago, psygolf said:

Orchard Valley is an easy choice for staying close...in 2 hours one could get to the TPC at Deere Run

Scratch that TPC...looks like they may be redoing their bunkers

[cpeck12]

15 hours ago, reperna said:

Hey everyone, visiting a buddy in aurora. What are the top notch public courses within about 2 hours from there? Thanks!

Prairie Landing shouldn't be too far from you. 25min or so depending on where you're staying.

[reperna]

1 hour ago, psygolf said:

Scratch that TPC...looks like they may be redoing their bunkers

TPC is redoing them? 

[Argonne69]

I really have to stop paying attention to the weather forecast. The scattered showers predicted for this morning never materialized. I decided to stay close to downtown, so I headed out for an early round at Jackson Park. The course was a little wet from the sprinklers, but otherwise it was in good shape. Fairways were almost lush by JP standards. Most of the rough away from the greens was fairly dry and brown, but near the greens it was decent. Bunkers are the usual dirt/mud. Greens looked very nice, with fewer ballmarks than many of the area courses. Speed was only 7 to 8 in the damp early morning, but closer to 9 as they dried out. Pace was very enjoyable. I went out as a single behind a foursome, played through on the 2nd hole, and had the course to myself. There was a threesome two holes ahead of me, but they were flying. Never came close to catching them. Overall a very peaceful morning out in the park. Heck, I think I only heard one siren. Lol. 

 

Driver continues to be troublesome, but luckily I only had to hit it six times. Worked on my irons by hitting 6i off a number of tees, giving me a mid iron into the greens. Two birdies and four bogies. The par 3s ate my breakfast today. Highlight came on the par 5 14th. I pulled my drive, and left myself with a tough 2nd with tree trouble. I closed the club face on my 9w, and hit a beautiful slinging draw that ran down the fairway to the 130 yd mark, setting up an easy par. 'Just missed the birdie putt. The low light came on the next hole with the same club in my hand. This time I blocked my drive right into the 14th fairway, and had to hit a high cut to clear the large trees. Opened my stance, opened the clubface, and proceeded to hit the fattest shot of the season. Lol. Luckily the ball got back to the fairway, and I managed a par. Crazy game. 

 

[reperna]

13 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

My, that's a pretty big area. Covers the entire northeast corner of Illinois. 

 

Any particular price point? You've got everything from Cog Hill Dubs, The Glen Club, Cantigny, and Mistwood to the better munis such as Mt Prospect and Highlands of Elgin. 

 

Cantigny would be the closest high end course to Aurora. 

 

My buddy mentioned Chevy chase country club. Is this a nice course or is it pretty mediocre? 

[Argonne69]

Just now, reperna said:

My buddy mentioned Chevy chase country club. Is this a nice course or is it pretty mediocre? 

 

Definitely mediocre. Avoid it. I'd go to Prairie Landing or Cantigny. 

 

[DavePelz4]

24 minutes ago, reperna said:

My buddy mentioned Chevy chase country club. Is this a nice course or is it pretty mediocre? 

 

Better comedian than golf course.

[geochitown]

39 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I really have to stop paying attention to the weather forecast. The scattered showers predicted for this morning never materialized. I decided to stay close to downtown, so I headed out for an early round at Jackson Park. The course was a little wet from the sprinklers, but otherwise it was in good shape. Fairways were almost lush by JP standards. Most of the rough away from the greens was fairly dry and brown, but near the greens it was decent. Bunkers are the usual dirt/mud. Greens looked very nice, with fewer ballmarks than many of the area courses. Speed was only 7 to 8 in the damp early morning, but closer to 9 as they dried out. Pace was very enjoyable. I went out as a single behind a foursome, played through on the 2nd hole, and had the course to myself. There was a threesome two holes ahead of me, but they were flying. Never came close to catching them. Overall a very peaceful morning out in the park. Heck, I think I only heard one siren. Lol. 

 

Driver continues to be troublesome, but luckily I only had to hit it six times. Worked on my irons by hitting 6i off a number of tees, giving me a mid iron into the greens. Two birdies and four bogies. The par 3s ate my breakfast today. Highlight came on the par 5 14th. I pulled my drive, and left myself with a tough 2nd with tree trouble. I closed the club face on my 9w, and hit a beautiful slinging draw that ran down the fairway to the 130 yd mark, setting up an easy par. 'Just missed the birdie putt. The low light came on the next hole with the same club in my hand. This time I blocked my drive right into the 14th fairway, and had to hit a high cut to clear the large trees. Opened my stance, opened the clubface, and proceeded to hit the fattest shot of the season. Lol. Luckily the ball got back to the fairway, and I managed a par. Crazy game. 

 

 

I know it's a long drive but Shepherd's is in great shape.

Maybe that's the consternation you're feeling with respect to forecasts

[geochitown]

59 minutes ago, reperna said:

My buddy mentioned Chevy chase country club. Is this a nice course or is it pretty mediocre? 

 

Not a top level public for sure.  

Can be fun when it's in nice condition, but no range.

 

Is your buddy sensitive to price?

 

Prairie Landing is good as far as proximity goes (RTJ design)

Makray Memorial if you are coming this far out, tough and top dollar (Barrington) 

Blackstone (Marengo) - fantastic greens (Lohmann design - local architect)

Highlands of Elgin - Keith Foster/Art Schaupeter

The Preserve at Oak Meadows (near O'Hare) - Greg Martin re-design

Stonewall Orchard (far northwest) - Arthur HIlls

Steeplechase (mundelein) - Ken Killian

Thunderhawk (far north, but top notch forest preserve RTJ)

Shepherds Crook (at 94 and touches WIsconsin state line - Keith Foster

Cog Hill #4 - Dub's Dread - Rees Jones

Mistwood - Ray Hearn

Cantigny (Wheaton - already mentioned) - ? Packard?

Sunset Valley (personal favorite- great renovation, Rick Jacobson/Highland Park hit a home run) - walkable, no range (just hitting cages)

Schaumburg Golf Club (27 holes, recent renovation done by Lohmann, very good, driving range and short game area)

Foxford HIlls (Cary) - Nugent (son of Dick Nugent) - I like this course, but it's in a housing development, plays tough

White Deer Run (Vernon Hills) - Dick Nugent - runs through upscale housing (housing are set back quite a ways, big fairways and challenging greens, great conditioning.

Pine Meadow (Cog Hill north) - beautiful natural layout (no houses), but greens are the only knock, can be slow and soft.

Bowes Creek (west Elgin) - great layout, challenging, gets lots of play, winds through housing development which wasn't an issue in its early years, but recently housing is being built up and really encroaches on the course (so not just housing proximity, but also active construction sounds fill the air in certain parts of the course.  Great Rick Jacobson original design (Jacobson worked under Nicklaus for a time).

Glen Club (semi-private) - top dollar to reduce outside play, Fazio design, moved lots of earth on the former Glenview Naval Air Station grounds (has served as a tour stop for the Korn Ferry and its earlier incarnations).  18 is a great finishing par 5.

Edited August 24, 2021 by geochitown
thought of a few more

[reperna]

11 minutes ago, geochitown said:

 

Not a top level public for sure.  

Can be fun when it's in nice condition, but no range.

 

Is your buddy sensitive to price?

 

Prairie Landing is good as far as proximity goes (RTJ design)

Makray Memorial if you are coming this far out, tough and top dollar (Barrington)

Blackstone (Marengo) - fantastic greens (Lohmann design - local architect)

Highlands of Elgin

The Preserve at Oak Meadows (near O'Hare)

Stonewall Orchard (far northwest)

Steeplechase (mundelein)

Thunderhawk (far north, but top notch forest preserve RTJ)

Shepherds Crook (at 94 and touches WIsconsin state line

Cog Hill #4 - Dub's Dread

Mistwood

Cantigny (Wheaton - already mentioned)

Sunset Valley (personal favorite- great renovation, Rick Jacobson/Highland Park hit a home run) - walkable, no range (just hitting cages)

Schaumburg Golf Club (27 holes, recent renovation done by Lohmann, very good, driving range and short game area)

Foxford HIlls (Cary) - Nugent (son of Dick Nugent) - I like this course, but it's in a housing development, plays tough

White Deer Run (Vernon Hills) - Dick Nugent - runs through upscale housing (housing are set back quite a ways, big fairways and challenging greens, great conditioning.

Pine Meadow (Cog Hill north) - beautiful natural layout (no houses), but greens are the only knock, can be slow and soft.

 

Thank you!

[damayason]

1 hour ago, reperna said:

TPC is redoing them? 

Yes.  As of last week the course was open for fourteen holes.  When we were there, we played 1 -14 then 1 - 4 for our round.  I don't know the rotation they'll use as they progress.

[ME27]

1 hour ago, damayason said:

Yes.  As of last week the course was open for fourteen holes.  When we were there, we played 1 -14 then 1 - 4 for our round.  I don't know the rotation they'll use as they progress.

Yea we're playing there in two weeks and they said any day a possible 2-4 holes can be closed so they are offering $119 unlimited play all day including lunch. 

[Wolfhammer]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

The par 3s ate my breakfast today.

 

A couple of those par 3's have tiny greens and can be very tough. One of them can get a little blocked out by some low hanging branches, especially if the pin in on the right. Can't recall which hole it is.

[Argonne69]

42 minutes ago, Wolfhammer said:

 

A couple of those par 3's have tiny greens and can be very tough. One of them can get a little blocked out by some low hanging branches, especially if the pin in on the right. Can't recall which hole it is.

 

The 5th is a tough, but fair par 3. Trees can come into play. The short par 3 8th is fairly straightforward. Usually a 9 iron for me. The 12th has a postage stamp sized green, and the trees on the right more or less prevent a low draw. Tough green to hit. The 13th plays long, and the left front bunker definitely comes into play. I hit a 5h today. The 17th is the toughest. It played 205 today, and the green is probably half the size it needs to be at that length. I hit a 7 wood, and fanned it right of the front right bunker.

 

[psygolf]

9 hours ago, reperna said:

TPC is redoing them? 

According to website, stating to expect a few holes to be closed when coming out.

[Apindara]

12 hours ago, psygolf said:

Scratch that TPC...looks like they may be redoing their bunkers

They are. Only 14 holes are open at a time.

[Argonne69]

A very enjoyable round at Prairie Landing today. I was looking to mix it up a bit, and while it's a hike from downtown, I couldn't argue with the $55 walking rate. 'Would be nice if they had some drinking water on the course, though. It was very steamy out there. Walkable, but definitely one of the tougher hikes in the area.

 

Not sure if they got rain yesterday, or ran the sprinklers this morning, but it was quite damp to start the round. As the temperature rose during the round it started to dry out a bit. Fairways were nice. Rough was cut to a good length. I managed a full round without being in a bunker, but they looked OK. The greens were rolling close to 9 in the early morning, but probably more like 10 near the end of the round. The pace was slower than I would have liked at 4:10. I joined a twosome, and we were behind a slow foursome that didn't seem to comprehend that there were plenty of open holes in front of them, and that we were waiting on every shot. Oy.

 

'Very pleased with ballstriking today. I sorted out the driver issue, minus one swing on the 10th where my hand slipped off the club (rain gloves on after that). One birdie and two bogies. Made the turn at one under, but I was running on empty towards the end and hit a couple of poor approaches. Highlight of the day was playing the five par 3s at even par. Best of the bunch was the 12th. The pin was in the back right, and I hit a sweet cut with my 7 wood that landed on the front of the green and scooted back to within 10 ft. 'Missed the birdie, but I'll gladly take the stress free par on that hole. Reaching the par 5 4th in two was also nice, leading to a kick in birdie. Lowlight was chickened out on the 18th after a solid drive left me 215 to carry the water. Lol. I was on a slight downslope, and frankly out of gas, so I bailed out right. 'Probably should have hit a 2nd ball just to see if I could have carried the PA. I received the (correct) weight kit for my Blackjack putter, and loaded it up with 65 grams of weight. I put an extra 5 grams outside front to see if it'll help me from closing the putter face. Seemed to be working this morning.

 

A few pics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lo3b1tsntxtqv2v/AAB2eNCsCvjoau-doiSvesHxa?dl=0

 

Edited August 26, 2021 by Argonne69

[chisag]

11 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

The pace was slower than I would have liked at 4:10. I joined a twosome, and we were behind a slow foursome that didn't seem to comprehend that there were plenty of open holes in front of them, and that we were waiting on every shot. Oy.

 

... I have been paired up with many slow groups and other than one time, they were either unaware they were slow or more often just didn't care. What is so perplexing is saying "we have two groups behind us and 1.5 holes in front of us open, so we need to pick up the pace a little" And almost every time without fail they look back like the thought of anyone else on the golf course never even occurred to them. Public golf. One of the reason I am thinking of join a club here in Phoenix. 

[cpeck12]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Not sure if they got rain yesterday, or ran the sprinklers this morning, but it was quite damp to start the round.

 

 

We (we being Glen Ellyn), and they, got smoked by some nasty but quick storms last night. We got to the 16th green at Village Links and it was a torrential downpour.

[geochitown]

can see salt creek's rise from last night's rain here.

just north of the preserve

 

Edited August 26, 2021 by geochitown

[Symphonize]

Game’s been the best it’s been all year, last 3 rounds have been 92, 96, and now 93 today. With the 96 including a 7 on 18, and an 8 on 17 today. Probably won’t be out again until Tuesday or Wednesday, hopefully can keep the good play up to close out the next few months 

 

Edit: scored 93 today, not 94. 

Edited August 27, 2021 by Symphonize

[B-Man]

Scramble outing at Ravisloe tomorrow.  We'll shoot 58 and lose by 2.

[DavePelz4]

12 hours ago, Symphonize said:

Game’s been the best it’s been all year, last 3 rounds have been 92, 96, and now 93 today. With the 96 including a 7 on 18, and an 8 on 17 today. Probably won’t be out again until Tuesday or Wednesday, hopefully can keep the good play up to close out the next few months 

 

Edit: scored 93 today, not 94. 

 

Where you been playing?  We need details, course conditions, comments about other players, etc.  Paint the picture for everyone!