Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[Symphonize]

Got a round in late February and early March, excited for another golf season to get started. Was down in Frisco Texas at PGA Frisco Fields Ranch for a golf trip last weekend. Great property there. 2 18 hole golf courses (including the 2027 PGA championship site, huge 2 acre putting green with 27 holes, 10 hole par 3, driving range, top golf tracer bays, 10 restaurants, and an Omni hotel all on property. Perfect place for a weekend long golf trip, where you don’t even have to leave the property for anything. 
 

Got an email today that CDGA season now starts March 15 and goes to Nov 15 for handicap reporting purposes. 

[Jc0]

On 3/18/2024 at 1:07 PM, MountainKing said:

 

In the thousands of rounds I've played, I can't really remember anything like yesterday.  Anything competitive would have been postponed/cancelled, it essentially was unplayable.  Greens still have some of that spring shag and the wind still moved a few balls inches at a time, and the balls were constantly oscillating.  My spider putter was really struggling with the wind grabbing it.  It was hard to get the ball to stay on a tee at times.   One shot a buddy of mine had from 105 out on hole 12 (his 4th shot into the green) we were up by the green, we saw the ball apex then go back in his direction and ended up 50 yards short.   Hopefully this is not a normal thing this spring, as amusing as it was, not sure I'd want to repeat it.

 

Those rounds are fun every once in a while. Played in similar conditions and tried to hit a 105 shot, ball got to high in the air, and I think came back about 40 yards.

 

On other note Maple Meadows is now $67 now and Preserve is $105. I enjoy those courses but I struggle to see them at those prices. I guess they are probably the best courses to the city based on proximity but that's like a 15% increase from last year. 

[ldchristopher]

Bear and I played 36 today in Indiana. Blackthorn for round one and Rock Hollow for round two. We wanted to play the Warren Course but at $42 it was booked hard. Blackthorn was in excellent shape. We were playing behind the green roller so things were much firmer than we were used to this year. The course was also bone dry as the snow from last week didn’t get that far East and South Bend hasn’t had rain in a while. We had the first time and got around in about 2:45. It’s not an easy walk though with the elevation change and ravines. It was only my second time there but I really like Blackthorn. It reminds me of SW MI courses like Heritage Glen. I played the red tees from 6500 but over the summer I’ll try my luck from the tips. It was windy throughout the round but not terrible. A consistent 15 mph with occasional 20 mph gusts. I couldn’t get the driver working but really didn’t need to from those tees. I finally got a birdie on 18 for a 75. 
 

Rock Hollow is an insane value at $25 to walk and the fairways, greens and bunkers were outstanding. But, redundancy aside, the rough was in rough shape. Still, it’s an excellent layout that isn’t really like any course in the Chicago area. It was also about 65° out and the tree cover kept the wind from having too big of an impact. 77 from the back tees with one birdie. If anyone is looking for a budget round on the way to Indy, I recommend Rock Hollow. 

[ldchristopher]

On 3/25/2024 at 8:25 PM, Jc0 said:

On other note Maple Meadows is now $67 now and Preserve is $105. I enjoy those courses but I struggle to see them at those prices. I guess they are probably the best courses to the city based on proximity but that's like a 15% increase from last year. 

From the Northwest Side, the Preserve is about the same distance as Harborside is to North Siders who live near the lakefront (let’s say from Ashland to LSD). I’m sure that factors into their price point. 

[Scratch2Plus]

On 2/29/2024 at 2:16 PM, chisag said:

 

 

... I really miss Chicago courses and rates. Twilite Sr rates were always under $30 walking. Naperbrook was $19. At my home course in Phoenix (an excellent muni) I pay $38 to walk at twilite and that is an insane bargain. Most courses are charging $250 - $400 from Fall through Spring. Once the temps get over triple digits for good, the snowbirds are gone and locals get to play those same courses for $50 or less. For the quality of golf courses Chicago offers, I think the pricing is just crazy cheap. 

After doing a golf trip to Scottsdale/PHX last year, I absolutely agree!

With that said...we're heading back there this May! 😁

[MountainKing]

On 3/25/2024 at 8:25 PM, Jc0 said:

 

Those rounds are fun every once in a while. Played in similar conditions and tried to hit a 105 shot, ball got to high in the air, and I think came back about 40 yards.

 

On other note Maple Meadows is now $67 now and Preserve is $105. I enjoy those courses but I struggle to see them at those prices. I guess they are probably the best courses to the city based on proximity but that's like a 15% increase from last year. 

 

Was shocked to see with a cart the Preserve is $125 on a Saturday morning.  They raised the DuPage membership price as well from $62 a round to I think $87.  I love the Preserve and am 10 minutes south of it, but I'm not sure how many rounds I'll be seeing out there this year.  I didn't re-up the membership because of the increase.  When you start talking about $125, that's getting into the territory of expecting Cantigny, Mistwood type conditions.  Even on it's best day it's never been close to that.  It will still get play, it's a prime target for people living in the west city\Oak Park area.

[TBone0576]

On 3/4/2024 at 11:04 AM, TheBear95 said:

 

It is. Hot take coming...

 

The new putting green is a waste. I'm not sure what they were thinking on this project.

 

They built it with too much undulation, with slopes that are way too steep/severe. Yes, Shepherds greens have movement, but nothing like this new practice green. So, it is not an accurate representation of the greens on the course, nor would it be a great place to practice your putting because most courses don't have greens this tricked out. And, while larger than the old practice green, it is not large enough to serve as a focal point that it is going to bring in people who are not playing the course.

I finally made it over to Shepherds this afternoon to see the new practice area and I can’t disagree with anything you said.   All it’s missing is a few windmills and a clowns mouth.  I won’t deny that it’s fun to hit some ridiculous putts you’ll never see on any course you play, but only a handful of flat spots on the entire green.  Got there after they cut the green for the first time.  Bet it took the guy over 30 minutes to cut the thing.  I could see them having some fun putting contests for outings and stuff but not functional at all.  Looked in the bunker next to the green and it was full of small stones. Uh, no thanks.   They really had an opportunity to do something nice there for people who enjoy practice like myself.   Can’t imagine how unputtable it will become when they get the speeds ramped up over 10.  You could easily hit a good lag putt and have the ball roll into a collection area near the hole and roll 20 feet from the cup. 

[TheBear95]

42 minutes ago, TBone0576 said:

I finally made it over to Shepherds this afternoon to see the new practice area and I can’t disagree with anything you said.   All it’s missing is a few windmills and a clowns mouth.  I won’t deny that it’s fun to hit some ridiculous putts you’ll never see on any course you play, but only a handful of flat spots on the entire green.  Got there after they cut the green for the first time.  Bet it took the guy over 30 minutes to cut the thing.  I could see them having some fun putting contests for outings and stuff but not functional at all.  Looked in the bunker next to the green and it was full of small stones. Uh, no thanks.   They really had an opportunity to do something nice there for people who enjoy practice like myself.   Can’t imagine how unputtable it will become when they get the speeds ramped up over 10.  You could easily hit a good lag putt and have the ball roll into a collection area near the hole and roll 20 feet from the cup. 

 

The one thing the new practice green is guaranteed to do is to mindf*ck anyone playing their first round out at Shepherds.

[ldchristopher]

GDN today. After bone dry courses in Indiana, Dunne was a lot sloppier. Standing water in the usual spots, mud balls on most holes, and bunkers with ponds. The greens were really good though and at $35 I can’t complain. The blues were set up to play about 6500 yards but like a dummy I committed to playing the tips. My ball striking was excellent but that’s a lot of course for me. Lots of 4, 5, and 6 irons into greens. I birdied 6 and shot a 37 on the front but couldn’t buy a bird on the back and had 3 bogies. 76

[mci711]

Might be in the minority, but paying $125 for the preserve doesn't seem all that out of line to me. I'd much rather pay that than $80 at Bolingbrook, $99 for Arrowhead, or $87 for Oakbrook (looking at tee times this saturday). I did notice that Glen Club had an 8:10 this Saturday for $100, which is a pretty good deal. 

[Shriner]

15 hours ago, mci711 said:

Might be in the minority, but paying $125 for the preserve doesn't seem all that out of line to me. I'd much rather pay that than $80 at Bolingbrook, $99 for Arrowhead, or $87 for Oakbrook (looking at tee times this saturday). I did notice that Glen Club had an 8:10 this Saturday for $100, which is a pretty good deal. 

 

You're not wrong mci.  At the risk of stating the obvious, if they fill the tee sheet then obviously the price is justified and last year was nearly impossible to get a weekend time at Oak Meadows.  I live in Medinah and have almost unlimited golf choices nearby.  Within 15 minutes, I can get to Bloomingdale, Eaglewood, Fox Run, Schaumburg, Hilldale, Poplar, Highland Woods, Maple Meadows and Mt. Prospect might be five minutes more.  None of those really compare to Oak Meadows in my opinion.

 

That said, I will go the route of MK, I'm just not a fan of shelling out that much for a round of golf when there are so many excellent choices around $50 if willing to drive an hour.

Edited March 29 by Shriner

[ldchristopher]

Shot the most frustrating one over par in a long time while playing Broken Arrow this morning with Bear. I kept dumping irons and wedges inside 10 feet (with a couple inside 5 feet) but couldn’t get a birdie to drop. The greens at BA were spongy and recently punched but still, not my best day on the greens. The fairways were in good shape and the tee boxes were alright. The bunkers were flooded out but that’s not anything new or surprising. 73. 

[Gdane]

For some perspective, the rate The Preserve at Oak Meadows is posting in March is higher than the off-season rate at Arcadia Bluffs. 🤢

[MountainKing]

I love the Preserve, one of my favorite layouts in the Chicago area.  My issue is the conditions.  I'm as forgiving as they get on the conditions, but once you start getting north of $110 - you need to be keeping a pristine course, and rarely is.  Nothing wrong with the price, they'll get it, but I'd say for me it's priced out based on what they give you. Another thought to - if you're going to raise the rates, raise them enough to thin out the crowds.  It sounds backwards but I would pay a premium to not have to deal with half the clowns on the course. 

 

Now onto today, today's round was at Prairie Landing, and speaking of insane prices, $115 in March.  I didn't really think we got much rain, but the course was drenched, almost unplayable tee to green.  Standing water everywhere, almost impossible to find anywhere that didn't have some level of casual water.  PL normally holds water decent, so this was something.  Greens weren't bad, they were rolling nice, but half of them look like they're loaded with disease, be interesting to see how that plays out as it warms up.  Bunkers were also not playable at all, couple shots in our group that did end up resulted in the ball almost fully burying.  Pace of play was dismal at 5 hours, but PL is the worst cart path only course around so we expected it. 

 

Their irrigation project also looks to be under way, be interesting to see how that impacts the course through the summer, but looking at the markings and where they're going to be digging, it looks like the course might be ab it messy this year.

 

Anyway, we're off to a rough start this year.  Just not feeling great over the ball anywhere.  I managed to make the turn at +2, but I fell apart on the back with doubles on both par 5's.  10 was a swamp and I just chunked my way up the fairway, 18 I tried in 2 and got the shot a tad heavy, after dropping I hit my 4th shot over the green.  Anyway, came in with a 80, so the scores at dropping.  Eventually I'll be playing golf how I'm supposed to. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

7 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

I love the Preserve, one of my favorite layouts in the Chicago area.  My issue is the conditions.  I'm as forgiving as they get on the conditions, but once you start getting north of $110 - you need to be keeping a pristine course, and rarely is.  Nothing wrong with the price, they'll get it, but I'd say for me it's priced out based on what they give you. Another thought to - if you're going to raise the rates, raise them enough to thin out the crowds.  It sounds backwards but I would pay a premium to not have to deal with half the clowns on the course. 

 

 

Similar beef with Harborside. Two excellent courses that have no problem getting $100+, but conditions were/are never top notch. Poor drainage with soggy fairways. 

 

[Chicago Lefty]

$125 for preserve is insanity. I can’t imagine they’ll have a full tee sheet this year. 

[Holy Moses]

2 hours ago, MountainKing said:

 

 

Now onto today, today's round was at Prairie Landing, and speaking of insane prices, $115 in March.  I didn't really think we got much rain, but the course was drenched, almost unplayable tee to green.  Standing water everywhere, almost impossible to find anywhere that didn't have some level of casual water.  PL normally holds water decent, so this was something.  Greens weren't bad, they were rolling nice, but half of them look like they're loaded with disease, be interesting to see how that plays out as it warms up.  Bunkers were also not playable at all, couple shots in our group that did end up resulted in the ball almost fully burying.  Pace of play was dismal at 5 hours, but PL is the worst cart path only course around so we expected it. 

 

I played HOE today and the course was soaken wet also. We got 0.5" of rain early this morning, but I didn't expect such a drenched course. Greens were smooth, but slow as expected. Hard to beat $60 at HOE when other places are charging $100+. 

 

Has anyone else noticed the buzzing of the carts at HOE when you are not moving? There's a very faint but high pitched buzzing that I can't help but notice when they got their new carts a few years ago. 

 

Don't know what diseases could be on the greens this time of year at Prairie Landing. My guess is that there is some poa annua that can be around in the spring until it does off in the summer heat. I've seen a bunch of that on the greens there in years past. 

[MountainKing]

16 hours ago, Chicago Lefty said:

$125 for preserve is insanity. I can’t imagine they’ll have a full tee sheet this year. 

 

They'll get it,  a huge part of their customer base is city people.  It's that and Harbirside for decent close golf.

[Chicago Lefty]

2 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

 

They'll get it,  a huge part of their customer base is city people.  It's that and Harbirside for decent close golf.

I’ve only played their twice since the remodel and conditioning was bad enough for me to not go back at half that price. I can think of quite a few more places I’d rather play. I also didn’t realize it had gained such a reputation. 

[MountainKing]

7 hours ago, Chicago Lefty said:

I’ve only played their twice since the remodel and conditioning was bad enough for me to not go back at half that price. I can think of quite a few more places I’d rather play. I also didn’t realize it had gained such a reputation. 

 

It's very up and down.   Last year it was pristine May and June,  then out of nowhere wasn't.   they better hire a superintendent that knows what he hell he's doing

[VNutz]

On 3/28/2024 at 9:07 PM, mci711 said:

Might be in the minority, but paying $125 for the preserve doesn't seem all that out of line to me. I'd much rather pay that than $80 at Bolingbrook, $99 for Arrowhead, or $87 for Oakbrook (looking at tee times this saturday). I did notice that Glen Club had an 8:10 this Saturday for $100, which is a pretty good deal. 

 

Anything that price this time of year is crazy.

 

It's all in comparison. All courses are pushing rates because others are doing so as well. Then another does it and says we can do so because _____ has done so. 5 years ago you'd say $125 for Preserve is insane, same with the prices for the other courses. It's a good price compared to others but I'd still pay neither, and won't.

[MountainKing]

2 hours ago, VNutz said:

 

Anything that price this time of year is crazy.

 

It's all in comparison. All courses are pushing rates because others are doing so as well. Then another does it and says we can do so because _____ has done so. 5 years ago you'd say $125 for Preserve is insane, same with the prices for the other courses. It's a good price compared to others but I'd still pay neither, and won't.

 

I don't mind the increase in rates - but the increases aren't doing anything to empty out the tee sheets, or motivate a lot of courses to provide conditions/pace worth the rate. Prairie Landing on Saturday was full at $115.  I'd like to see rates go up enough to get some people off the course, save some wear and tear on the conditions, eliminate half the ball marks, improve pace of play etc.  Motivate the courses to get conditions up to fight a bit for business.  It would also be nice to find a good last minute tee time again, so many times I've had Saturday plans cancel on me on a Friday and wasn't able to find anything reasonable.

[MountainKing]

On 3/30/2024 at 7:34 PM, Holy Moses said:

Don't know what diseases could be on the greens this time of year at Prairie Landing. My guess is that there is some poa annua that can be around in the spring until it does off in the summer heat. I've seen a bunch of that on the greens there in years past. 

 

Lotta POA, but there was some other stuff on a few holes that I know I saw years back when I worked on a crew but just can't recall the name.  It looks like they were trying to get a head of it a bit and hope they do - otherwise between that and the course being tore up for an irrigation project, it'll be an interesting summer around there. 

[Symphonize]

Little quick weekend trip to Phoenix  this Friday, but not bringing clubs with me unfortunately. Maybe hit up the popstroke 
 

@chisag any restaurant recommendations out west in Goodyear area or downtown by the convention center? 

[chisag]

56 minutes ago, Symphonize said:

Little quick weekend trip to Phoenix  this Friday, but not bringing clubs with me unfortunately. Maybe hit up the popstroke 
 

@chisag any restaurant recommendations out west in Goodyear area or downtown by the convention center? 

 

 

... Neither are my stomping grounds but if you like a casual dinning restaurant with outdoor seating and heat lamps my favorite grass fed burger joint is a couple blocks away from the Convention Center. Really amazing burgers, chicken sandwich with a very thin slice of a Granny Smith on top, "fries" that are a cross between a potato chip and a fry, excellent salads and some of the best deviled eggs I have eaten. Ingo's Tasty Food on Washington:



https://ingostastyfood.com/locations-dwntwn-phx/






 

[B-Man]

1st Round of the Saturday Classic this weekend at Village Links. Forecast is ordinary but the golf will be great.

[ldchristopher]

Bear and I played possibly the muddiest round either of us have ever played today at Countryside Prairie. I felt like I was sinking into the course with every step that wasn’t on the cart path. The bunkers were in excellent shape though. There’s something to be said for waiting so long to open a course. The greens were pretty smooth but predictably slow. I had a lot of putts that were on line but were one or two rotations short. I did I pick up one birdie on 18 for a 75. 

[MountainKing]

16 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

Bear and I played possibly the muddiest round either of us have ever played today at Countryside Prairie. I felt like I was sinking into the course with every step that wasn’t on the cart path. The bunkers were in excellent shape though. There’s something to be said for waiting so long to open a course. The greens were pretty smooth but predictably slow. I had a lot of putts that were on line but were one or two rotations short. I did I pick up one birdie on 18 for a 75. 

 

Really wanted to get out yesterday, but didn't feel like dealing with a mud bath.  Last week was awful and another week of rain was dumped onto that mess.   Really jealous of people like you who are willing to brave it,  I'm a wuss.

 

2 man best ball at Naperbrook next week. Looks like we have good weather coming in.

Edited April 7 by MountainKing

[dhartmann34]

Just playing with the kids in the yard is a muddy mess. And a little more coming this week. Looks like maybe a Sunday round.... 

 

Gonna get 18 holes on the simulator tonight once I get the kids to bed. 

 

Happy Masters Week all! 

 

Edited April 9 by dhartmann34

[Chicago Lefty]

Played about 14 holes at Village Links today. Conditioning around most of the greens was rough. I know it’s very early but it didn’t appear to be an issue that has an easy remedy. A lot of it seemed like it should be GUR. Hopefully they get it figured out.