Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[dhartmann34]

Played Chalet Hills in an outing yesterday. I always forget how difficult that course can be, especially for the average golfer. 

 

Conditions were really good though and we eeked out a -5 score with one golfer that had never swung a club before and two others that don't break 100 on a regular basis. Definitely lost 2-3 dozen balls between the 3 of them. But we had a really good time.

 

Cantigny tomorrow! Excited to get out there and check it out. 

 

 

[ldchristopher]

2 hours ago, dhartmann34 said:

Played Chalet Hills in an outing yesterday. I always forget how difficult that course can be, especially for the average golfer. 

 

Conditions were really good though and we eeked out a -5 score with one golfer that had never swung a club before and two others that don't break 100 on a regular basis. Definitely lost 2-3 dozen balls between the 3 of them. But we had a really good time.

 

Cantigny tomorrow! Excited to get out there and check it out. 

 

 

Holes 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 18 at Chalet Hills just eat up golf balls from the average hacker. It’s not that hard for people who don’t get spooked by all the hazards (there aren’t any forced carries so people just have to play controlled and hit it straight) but, man, the amount of balls lost on those holes by the vast majority of people who play the course is comical. 

[dhartmann34]

Article on local golf revenues. Nothing new really, but interesting I thought. 

 

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220813/golf-revenue-surges-at-public-courses-thanks-to-pandemic-but-how-long-will-it-last?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot

[ldchristopher]

Midlane this afternoon with Bear. The course was in better shape than I expected but the greens were comically slow. My game was…umm…not great. I much prefer living the life of a retiree and playing 5 rounds per week than once per week. Anyway, 78. Back to weekend golf. Lame. 

[Quem24]

Had to un-retire here to share that Whitaker Woods is so run down that if you walked out there - you may have thought it hasn't been open for the last 10 years.

 

I recall this group saying FIB course for FIB prices - and I chuckled and thought, jokes on y'all, I ove that course - but no longer.  That was a $105 embarrassment today...still a solid view, and knowing that we were getting into some gimmicky, targety nonsense (which we are fine with, its just LOL Whitaker on holes 3-7) but when the fairways are in such a state of disrepair they can barely be called fairways?  Hard to picture going back.  Shriner can try and talk me into it but YUCK

Edited August 14, 2022 by Quem24

[DavePelz4]

Went into Saturday's round at Whisper Creek with extremely low expectations and let's just say that WC didn't even meet the low bar.  Where oh where to begin?  How about the tee boxes, which apparently haven't seen a mower in a week or so.  If you wanted to practice hitting from the rough, the tee boxes were a good place to start.  The dirt traps, well, you can't call them sand traps as that's unfair to sand, hadn't been groomed in a long time.  Plus, I'm not sure I've ever seen that many weeds dominating a bunker before.  But I guess if you're not going to groom the bunkers, why would you pull the weeds either?  The greens were riddled with ball marks, and on a couple of holes the plug from moving the cup was higher than the surface of the green.  Is Helen Keller the new greenskeeper at WC?

 

We were paid up with 2 singles, including one that took his sweet time on the range, and somehow couldn't leave the range to be on time for our pairing.  The starter, while a really nice guy, made us wait until he was done hitting his bucket. The good news is his 10 minute delay left us with a full hole plus open in front so we never waited, the bad news is the poor guys behind us waited on almost every shot. We always encourage people to play whatever tees they want, but the 2some played the same tees we did.  Neither hit drives over 150 yards by their own admission, so they were hitting a lot of fairway woods on second shots.  

 

Let me get to the good points.  Yeah, got nothing.  Think this is the last trip to WC until they get their S together.  So it's probably the last time playing there.

Edited August 15, 2022 by DavePelz4

[psygolf]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:01 AM, ldchristopher said:

Holes 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 18 at Chalet Hills just eat up golf balls from the average hacker. It’s not that hard for people who don’t get spooked by all the hazards (there aren’t any forced carries so people just have to play controlled and hit it straight) but, man, the amount of balls lost on those holes by the vast majority of people who play the course is comical. 

“Just play controlled and hit it straight”

 

Got it!

🙃

[zer0]

starting to get back into golf now that my big trip to Israel is over.   Played Glencoe Friday and Makray yesterday.     Both in good shape.     Broke 80 at Glencoe with a 78.   First time under 80 this year, but have only played about 6 rounds all year.     Playing well though.  Haven't been in the 90s all year.     Shot a 47 on the front at Makray yesterday and then rallied for a 42 on the back.   

 

I think the key is that I'm not playing much and when I do play its from the old man tees or whatever tees are right behind the red tees.  My buddies say I play from the ladies tees, but I correct them and let them know I actually play from the ladies tees area.    It's nice to play a round of golf and not finish with back pain or spend the rest of the day laid up on the couch.    Playing forward tees and keeping the ball in the fairway has made that possible.    Yesterday after spraying it around Makray I definitely felt it late in the round and the rest of the day and even this morning.

 

Golf outing Thursday at Harborside.  Don't think I've been there since they fixed it up.   It's an outing so hopefully I never have to take a shot out of the sand (assuming they now have sand).  Most looking forward to the sausage sandwich at the turn 🙂

 

 

[Shriner]

15 hours ago, Quem24 said:

Had to un-retire here to share that Whitaker Woods is so run down that if you walked out there - you may have thought it hasn't been open for the last 10 years.

 

I recall this group saying FIB course for FIB prices - and I chuckled and thought, jokes on y'all, I ove that course - but no longer.  That was a $105 embarrassment today...still a solid view, and knowing that we were getting into some gimmicky, targety nonsense (which we are fine with, its just LOL Whitaker on holes 3-7) but when the fairways are in such a state of disrepair they can barely be called fairways?  Hard to picture going back.  Shriner can try and talk me into it but YUCK

 

It was shocking, to say the least.  You know what you are getting into when you head to Whittaker...gorgeous property with scenic views everywhere, perfect greens, gimmicky holes with pinched fairways and one of the toughest public tracks you can play.  We just could not believe how far gone the fairways and tee boxes are.  It has been trending in this direction for years but this was eye-opening.  I don't know where they go from here but I hope it improves...I love the course but find it hard to believe people will continue to pay $105.00 for this.

[TheBear95]

Played Crystal Woods this morning. My first trip there. Not sure why I have never played the course before, other than Chicagoland has a lot of golf courses. 

 

I was the first guy out and really enjoyed the course. Hmm, should have gotten my butt here sooner. Anyway, I'm a fan of no-nonsense parkland golf and Crystal Woods fits the bill. It had more up and down then I would have thought too, which was a nice surprise. The course was in excellent shape. Greens were very smooth and bunkers playable. The front 9 is a decent challenge and back 9 provides you with plenty of birdie chances, which is fun. I was able to cash in on #13 and #15. For $30, a solid value play. I will definitely be back in the fall.

Edited August 15, 2022 by TheBear95

[TheBear95]

7 hours ago, psygolf said:

“Just play controlled and hit it straight”

 

Got it!

🙃

 

Yeah, LD with some REAL course knowledge here about Chalet. Just hit it straight. Truly insightful, lol.

 

As my past comments on Chalet attest, I don't like the course and that's coming from a guy who does hit it rather straight off the tee.

Edited August 15, 2022 by TheBear95

[DavePelz4]

1 hour ago, TheBear95 said:

Played Crystal Woods this morning. My first trip there. Not sure why I have never played the course before, other than Chicagoland has a lot of golf courses. 

 

I was the first guy out and really enjoyed the course. Hmm, should have gotten my butt here sooner. Anyway, I'm a fan of no-nonsense parkland golf and Crystal Woods fits the bill. It had more up and down then I would have thought too, which was a nice surprise. The course was in excellent shape. Greens were very smooth and bunkers playable. The front 9 is a decent challenge and back 9 provides you with plenty of birdie chances, which is fun. I was able to cash in on #13 and #15. For $30, a solid value play. I will definitely be back in the fall.

 

How did you do on 12?

[TheBear95]

54 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

How did you do on 12?

Bogey. My approach found the right greenside bunker and I failed to get up and down. Tough hole. 

[dhartmann34]

Played Cantigny yesterday with my regular Sunday foursome. I was surprised how crowded it was, especially at the green fee amount. Although the Ferrari's in the parking lot probably say a bit about who's playing there I guess. Parking lots and carts were scarce. Had to wait until about 10 minutes before our tee time to get a cart. But the folks at the bag drop, in the clubhouse and in the course were all great.

 

I love the practice facility. If I lived close, if probably be divorced because I could spend all day out there hitting bunker shots and rolling putts. 

 

Played the Woodside and then Lakeside. I love that holes are fairly well separated. Conditions were pretty good, although a couple bunkers had no sand in the bottoms and apparently the folks that don't like to take bunkers aren't just at the lower priced muni's. Layout was good. Loved all the mature trees, fescue, and natural surroundings in general. Also had a band or something playing off in a park in the distance which added nice background music.  I could definitely see playing better next time out since I'd realize where some of the fairways start and trouble comes into play. 

 

GPS wasn't properly working on our carts for some reason. It showed we were 40 minutes into our round as we were teeing off. The to pin numbers were off by a bunch and it didn't show the carts ahead of us, even though it kept telling us to use it for some of the blind tee shots. We hit it close to the group in front of us on a blind hole and went and apologized when we saw they were still in the vicinity. Thankfully no one was hit and everyone was in good spirits.

 

We enjoyed playing there, although the 5:15 pace in carts for a group of guys that usually walks in 4 hours or less... Was a bit brutal. Happy with a 79 and a day out at a place I've never been.  

 

 

[mci711]

Coming back to the area in a couple of weeks. Was going to play Cog 4 but they must have a tournament on that day. Was looking at Mistwoods tee times and was pleasantly surprised. I don't remember it ever being less than $90 and there are early morning times for around $75-80 (week day). Kind of hard to pass up. Missing anything, is it in bad condition or something? 

[ldchristopher]

7 hours ago, TheBear95 said:

 

Yeah, LD with some REAL course knowledge here about Chalet. Just hit it straight. Truly insightful, lol.

 

As my past comments on Chalet attest, I don't like the course and that's coming from a guy who does hit it rather straight off the tee.

The course is not hard for people who play controlled and don’t get overly aggressive. There are no forced carries, the par 5’s are easy as long as people don’t try to reach them all in two and just hit a second shot to wedge range, only one 3 is over 200 yards and two are under 150, and the 4’s offer a handful of scoring chances (1, 2, 8, and 12). So just…ya know…hit it straight and don’t play stupid. Do brotastic hackers still try to reach every 5 in 2 then complain while losing sleeves of balls? Of course they do. 

[DavePelz4]

18 hours ago, TheBear95 said:

Bogey. My approach found the right greenside bunker and I failed to get up and down. Tough hole. 

 

That hole has to be up there with the toughest holes in McHenry County.  Depending on where the pin is and where your approach ends up, it's no guaranteed 2 putt.  Have 3, 4 and 5 putts on that hole.

 

Not me of course, except for the 4 putt.

[TheBear95]

2 hours ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

That hole has to be up there with the toughest holes in McHenry County.  Depending on where the pin is and where your approach ends up, it's no guaranteed 2 putt.  Have 3, 4 and 5 putts on that hole.

 

Not me of course, except for the 4 putt.

 

The pin was in the back yesterday, back left. I was actually happy to find the bunker instead of the rough that's to the right of the green leading down to the water. The lies over there looked pretty difficult. Hit a good bunker shot to about 12 feet. But couldn't make the putt, oh well.

 

#12 was actually my closer yesterday. I walked the front 9 in an hour and caught an old man league that tees off on the back at 8:00 a.m. So, I started my back 9 on #13 to avoid them. It worked, but I was between leagues by the time I got to #12. I was playing pretty quick and I didn't get a long look at the green. From my quick look, I thought a front pin might be the trickiest. 

 

I'm looking forward to getting back to Crystal Woods in the fall, so hopefully I will have a better opportunity to appreciate the hole. Crystal Woods seems like a great course to play on a fall afternoon when everybody is watching the Bears get slaughtered. 

[stasek]

I just started a project in Valparaiso and will be here till pretty much the end of the year.  Any courses in the area that you recommend?  If the traffic heading back home sucks, I might as well try and play in the afternoon.  

[TheBear95]

11 minutes ago, stasek said:

I just started a project in Valparaiso and will be here till pretty much the end of the year.  Any courses in the area that you recommend?  If the traffic heading back home sucks, I might as well try and play in the afternoon.  

 

Aberdeen in Valpo is good. WhiteHawk in Crown Point is excellent. In my opinion, they are the two best courses in NWI. 

 

[stasek]

Just now, TheBear95 said:

 

Aberdeen in Valpo is good. WhiteHawk in Crown Point is excellent. In my opinion, they are the two best courses in NWI. 

 

I did play Whitehawk.  I’ll definitely try Aberdeen.  Thanks!

[DavePelz4]

46 minutes ago, TheBear95 said:

 

Aberdeen in Valpo is good. WhiteHawk in Crown Point is excellent. In my opinion, they are the two best courses in NWI. 

 

 

Hey Stan...hope you're doing great!  Agree with Bear on Aberdeen.  Nice practice facility, too.

[chisag]

19 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

Hey Stan...hope you're doing great!  Agree with Bear on Aberdeen.  Nice practice facility, too.

 

 

... 👍  One of the few courses south I was will to make the long drive to play. 

[stasek]

7 hours ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

Hey Stan...hope you're doing great!  Agree with Bear on Aberdeen.  Nice practice facility, too.

Doing great - thanks!  I have couple "tournaments" coming up Friday and Saturday (Old Oak and Arrowhead, respectively).  Probably not a bad idea to try and get 18 in tomorrow or Thursday after work.  Game has been spectacular(ly) mediocre lately - manage to play 15-16  holes well/great only to throw in couple doubles or worse.  What a game...

[stasek]

7 hours ago, chisag said:

 

 

... 👍  One of the few courses south I was will to make the long drive to play. 

I have the honor to drive to Valpo (from Lemont) every.... single.... day.... 🤬   Only 70 miles one way, but who's counting 😃.

 

[dhartmann34]

Heck of a shot. Blind tee shot ends up in the hole?! I've never been close to that green in 1. 

[TheBear95]

Just finished up at Oak Grove. The course was in much better shape compared to my round here in mid-May.

 

The bunkers are playable. Other than some areas with dollar spot fungus (pretty standard for Oak Grove come late summer) the course is in nice shape.

 

If you're considering a trip up to beautiful Alden to play it, it gets my recommendation at present.

[ldchristopher]

23 hours ago, stasek said:

I just started a project in Valparaiso and will be here till pretty much the end of the year.  Any courses in the area that you recommend?  If the traffic heading back home sucks, I might as well try and play in the afternoon.  

I’ll also throw in River Pointe in Hobart. It’s not as good as the other two mentioned but it’s a decent 27 hole facility. Used to be private. It was mentioned last year but in the woods off the 8th hole there’s a secret escape tunnel that was used by Al Capone. 
https://orangebeanindiana.com/2019/11/25/hobart-capone-tunnel/

[Springsteennut]

Supposed to play Bowes Creek tomorrow. I hope the weather holds but it doesn’t look too promising. One of my favorite courses.

[dhartmann34]

If anyone has deep pockets and wants to play either of these courses.