Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[MountainKing]

Teeing off at 12:10 at Cantigny. The one positive to this heat is the body loosens up quick.

[St Jimmy]

1:03 Prairie Isle.

I will be riding and wearing rain gloves.

[stasek]

Just finished Big Run. Played in leisurely pace (no waiting and nobody waiting on us) in 3:55. Played like donkey... Course is in pretty rough shape (lots of dead spots in fairways, water in half of the bunkers, 18th playing from temporary tees, which we ignored). Greens were cut in the morning, but were still painfully slow (definitely slower than normal). Couldn’t get the putt to the hole, and left at least 3 birdie putts inside 5’ short.

Palmira next week.

[mci711]

> @stasek said:

> Just finished Big Run. Played in leisurely pace (no waiting and nobody waiting on us) in 3:55. Played like donkey... Course is in pretty rough shape (lots of dead spots in fairways, water in half of the bunkers, 18th playing from temporary tees, which we ignored). Greens were cut in the morning, but were still painfully slow (definitely slower than normal). Couldn’t get the putt to the hole, and left at least 3 birdie putts inside 5’ short.

> Palmira next week.

 

Sounds about right. That place is the worst.

[B-Man]

5:50 tee time this morning at Village Links. First time I've ever done that. Home before 10am which was good. Stayed cloudy for most of the round and conditions were bearable. Course was in great shape and greens ran well.

[Argonne69]

Thank goodness for the light winds. It was bearable out at Blackberry Oaks. I thought it was a nice course. The blues max out at 6400 yds, but it felt shorter. I think I hit driver on half the driving holes. Nice mix of holes with few dead straight ones. Par 3s were OK. Greens were very benign. Water came into play on a few holes. A bit pricey at $65 with cart, but the $16 cart fee was worth it today. Conditions were decent. A few bunkers had standing water in them, and a few needed more sand, but otherwise playable. The greens looked nice, but oh Lord were they slow...and soft. I walked up to my ball on the first green and found a mint chocolate next to my ball. Lol.

 

Solid round with 8 fairways and 12 greens. Two birdies and four bogies.

 

It's no hidden gem, but a solid local course that I'd probably play a few times a year if I lived in the area.

 

[@_the_crook]

Sportsman's:

we started out at 5:30, barely daylight and there was a nice breeze. the first nine was really pleasant, other than that flooded greenside bunker on number two. when I saw the splash for my approach shot - knew something was wrong, besides my aim. the greens were slower than usual. maybe waterlogged? they had three inches of rain between Wednesday and Thursday. after the turn , heat rose and by number sixteen I was baked. wrapped before 9:00 and the next group might have been five holes back, according to the ranger. showed 92 on the dashboard when I loaded up the truck.

adding , 4:30pm - the skies just opened up. per radar the North and NW suburbs appear to be getting rocked.

[TheBear95]

Played Midlane this afternoon. Not a huge fan of the course, but their tee sheet was wide-open. On a day like today, I'll take a fast round over course preference.

 

On the front 9, it was beautiful. Not a soul around. Walked it in one hour. Made the turn reflecting on how good this is going thinking I will continue to cruise on the back. Wrong. As I walk to #10, I see the carts. Caught the only groups on the course. Three threesomes all stacked on one another. With no where to go, I just buckled down. But man, it was hot. Thankfully, an outflow boundary from the approaching storms hit on #17, and drop the temps literally 20 degrees in just a few seconds. That was nice. Finished just before the heavens opened up.

[MountainKing]

Midday round at Cantigny, holy hell it was hot. We started out on Lakeside and had that 9 to ourselves and got through in a quick 90 minutes. We moved to Woodside after and ended up behind some outing with people who didn't belong on any golf course let alone there. 3 hours later we finally finished up that 9. Way too long on a hot day. With that, the course was insane shape today with possibly the fastest greens I may have putted on in my life. I guess they had the IL state Am there this past week so that explains that even better than normal conditioning you find there. If you are stuck playing somewhere slow, that's the place because there's at least nice scenery to check out.

 

My game was dismal, hit 1 out of 18 greens, hit 1 out of 14 fairways. Both of those came on hole 2 at Woodside where I finally hit a solid a drive and a great hybrid to hit that green in two. Beyond that, I couldn't hit a damn shot to save my life and ended up with an 89 (including a quality triple, double, double finish), my highest round since high school. I got my swing on tape this week and I'm doing some bad things, which explains the pretty dismal ball striking year I've had. I think I'm going to take a break from the course, get a few lessons and get my game back in gear. It's not fun playing when I'm not playing up to the level I should be playing and my watching my hcp is slowly climb.

[Argonne69]

> @MountainKing said:

> Midday round at Cantigny, holy **** it was hot. We started out on Lakeside and had that 9 to ourselves and got through in a quick 90 minutes. We moved to Woodside after and ended up behind some outing with people who didn't belong on any golf course let alone there. 3 hours later we finally finished up that 9. Way too long on a hot day. With that, the course was insane shape today with possibly the fastest greens I may have putted on in my life. I guess they had the IL state Am there this past week so that explains that even better than normal conditioning you find there. If you are stuck playing somewhere slow, that's the place because there's at least nice scenery to check out.

>

> My game was dismal, hit 1 out of 18 greens, hit 1 out of 14 fairways. Both of those came on hole 2 at Woodside where I finally hit a solid a drive and a great hybrid to hit that green in two. Beyond that, I couldn't hit a **** shot to save my life and ended up with an 89 (including a quality triple, double, double finish), my highest round since high school. I got my swing on tape this week and I'm doing some bad things, which explains the pretty dismal ball striking year I've had. I think I'm going to take a break from the course, get a few lessons and get my game back in gear. It's not fun playing when I'm not playing up to the level I should be playing and my watching my hcp is slowly climb.

 

How was the rough? I played the week after the Illinois State Am many years ago, and the rough was simply brutal.

[Argonne69]

Deerpath early tomorrow. 'Hopefully it's not too waterlogged.

[MountainKing]

Rough appears to have been cut this morning and was playable. Then again, compared to the first half of the season any rough is playable.

[noahwein]

Round two of North Shore Amateur canceled due to several holes underwater today.

 

Any meteorologists know of anywhere to play that didn’t get hammered last night/this morning?

[DeeBee30]

Bowes Creek was a mixed bag yesterday. On the plus side it was a fun course to play, I played with some great guys, And despite being really hot the constant breeze kept it manageable. On the downside, the greens were the worst I’ve ever seen out there. They were slow and riddled with more ball marks than some muni courses I’ve played. Plus it took us 4:45 to get around.

 

On to Arrowhead this morning. Drove through a brief rain shower getting here but it looks to be a great morning and a nice respite from the sweltering heat.

 

Edit: Arrowhead is a washout again. Great weather through the first 6 holes on South, but we got light rain on 7 & 8, then heavier showers with lots of thunder at the 9th tee. Drove in and waited under the clubhouse shelter but every time the rain eases up there’s more thunder. With virtually no wind, this darn storm is just parked above us and not moving fast enough. Got my 9-hole rain check and now heading home to watch The Open on DVR.

 

[mci711]

> @noahwein said:

> Round two of North Shore Amateur canceled due to several holes underwater today.

>

> Any meteorologists know of anywhere to play that didn’t get hammered last night/this morning?

 

https://il.water.usgs.gov/gmaps/precip/ I use this, super helpful to see rain totals. South of 290/38 didn't get much rain.

[ldchristopher]

Brighton Dale Blue Spruce this morning. It was drenched after Kenosha got about three inches of rain the last couple of days. There was a lot of standing water and lakes in most of the bunkers. The greens were very smooth though, which was needed because I wasn’t hitting many greens and needed to drop in lots of putts to save par. I got off to a bad start, bogeying 2-5. However, I got one back with a birdie on 8 and my ball striking got much better on the back. We played in less than 3 hours since we were the first group out. 78.

 

We saw a sixsome on the first hole of White Birch, which I haven’t seen in years, if ever. I like the value at BDale but it’s just not run well. Allowing the first group on a weekend to be a sixsome is insanely dumb.

[Argonne69]

In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. In 2019, I should probably learn how to use it. Lol. I woke up early this morning, and saw a line of storms moving through the northern suburbs. It appeared to be moving quickly, so I figured they'd clear by the time I got to Lake Forest. Yeah, they passed, but when I pulled into the parking lot at Deerpath it was empty. The course was closed due to rivers of water on three or four holes. I headed back south and stopped at Sunset Valley. They were closed because the creek had overflowed. Called Sportsman's. The Classic 18 was going to be closed all day. Glencoe. Closed until at least 10 am. Wilmette. Closed for the day. Sooooo, I took advantage of the poor conditions to play the course I've been avoiding for quite some time, Edgebrook. It turned out to be the perfect course given the circumstances. Hitting off mats was actually a good thing, as the fairways were a bit of a mess. I've been struggling with a big draw with my 9 wood, so I used it off the mat on almost every driving hole, and managed to straighten it out. I was very surprised by the greens. OMG. They were excellent. Recently cut and smooth. Yeah, they were soft, but they rolled nicely, and actually had more speed than the greens at Blackberry Oaks. Another bonus was the lack of ball marks. Huh? I attribute that to the fact that 99% of the golfers out there are, let's say, not so good. I don't think the greens have anything to fear from an inbound wedge. So, I still managed to get a walk in, and had a nice practice round hitting fairway woods and wedges. I'm glad I didn't spend $50+ to play a different waterlogged course.

 

[@_the_crook]

Edgebrook is a great practice course.

[VNutz]

Foxford Hills at 9am Saturday. Call me crazy, but the heat wasn't nearly as bad as they made it out to be. Sure it was hot, but not the insufferable heat they were predicting. My plan was to walk the front and hop on a cart for the back, but after 9 I was going strong so I kept on carrying. Foxford was in fine condition, no complaints aside from the front pin on 16, but otherwise the course was good IMO. The course was running pretty well, and tee boxes pushed up on the front, but you could tell it either had gotten recent rain or had been watered well. Greens ran on average, some bumps but that's to be expected. Otherwise fine, definitely worth the play. My Jekyll and Hide game continues and I now have 2 74s and 2 90s in the last 6 rounds.

 

And an FYI for anybody that happens to play Foxford in the future, watch out for the speed traps on 14, especially coming through Fox River Grove just before you get to Cary. The speed limit drops from 55 to 45 and then 35 extremely quickly, and down a hill. Saw a cop nab a guy right in front of me and thought I caught a break, only to see another waiting for me a block later. Fortunately got off with a warning, but in the meantime I saw them get at least 3 more cars. That 8:30 Saturday crowd is clearly dangerous in their eyes. Clearly a speed trap, clearly an organized setup, so be careful.

[WAB]

> @noahwein said:

> Round two of North Shore Amateur canceled due to several holes underwater today.

>

A real shame. The weather just destroyed the return of this tournament. I went over there to see the flooding and it was as bad as I have ever seen. Just looked like a giant lake. Even with new/improved drainage, once the creek overflows its game over. I am thinking a lot of that water originates from up North.

 

I waited a few hours and played Glencoe. Greens very slow/shaggy, fairways thick, wet and pluggy, but not horrible overall and still playable. A good brisk ~3+ hour walk.

 

 

[Shriner]

In my quest to play and rank the top 100 courses in IL, I am getting to play some courses I had never considered before. The list my friends and I put together is obviously subjective and once you start getting past 50-60 courses, there really is no way to separate some off the courses. Saturday I headed to Boone Creek in Bull Valley to check another off the list. What a treat...$38 during prime playing time on a Saturday. Gorgeous scenery with a lightly packed course. The greens were literally perfect. Fairways were decent and tee boxes were rough, but what do you expect for $38. A very cool layout with danger on alot of holes...the rating/slope is way off in my opinion. The par 5 on the back that has vegetation in front that does not allow you to see more than 30-40 yards was strange, but unique. Multiple par 3's where you either hit the green or you are suffering a two stroke penalty.

 

Never would have thought to play this course. I will be back.

[jimwgt26]

I was quick to bash The Preserve’s water situation on July 4th. We played Saturday in equally hot conditions and they had plenty of extra coolers on the course. The rangers also had coolers on their carts and came by frequently. I appreciate the effort.

 

I pulled a Rory on the 1st hole and made an 8. It’s hard to come up with a “snowman” crack when it was 100 degrees w/ 90% humidity.

[DavePelz4]

> @VNutz said:

> Foxford Hills at 9am Saturday. Call me crazy, but the heat wasn't nearly as bad as they made it out to be. Sure it was hot, but not the insufferable heat they were predicting. My plan was to walk the front and hop on a cart for the back, but after 9 I was going strong so I kept on carrying. Foxford was in fine condition, no complaints aside from the front pin on 16, but otherwise the course was good IMO. The course was running pretty well, and tee boxes pushed up on the front, but you could tell it either had gotten recent rain or had been watered well. Greens ran on average, some bumps but that's to be expected. Otherwise fine, definitely worth the play. My Jekyll and Hide game continues and I now have 2 74s and 2 90s in the last 6 rounds.

>

> And an FYI for anybody that happens to play Foxford in the future, watch out for the speed traps on 14, especially coming through Fox River Grove just before you get to Cary. The speed limit drops from 55 to 45 and then 35 extremely quickly, and down a hill. Saw a cop nab a guy right in front of me and thought I caught a break, only to see another waiting for me a block later. Fortunately got off with a warning, but in the meantime I saw them get at least 3 more cars. That 8:30 Saturday crowd is clearly dangerous in their eyes. Clearly a speed trap, clearly an organized setup, so be careful.

 

Now that Fox Bend fixed the 3rd green, the 16th at Foxford is the worst green in the Chicago area. Of course, I won the skin for 16, so maybe it's the best? Seriously though, they either need to tear that green up completely and start all over or put fans on the hole. The lack of circulation makes it really difficult to grow grass and limits the pin position options. You can't fly a ball to that green and expect it to stop. On Saturday, on of our high ball hitters hit a well struck wedge that hit the front of the green and nearly rolled off the back.

 

From a conditioning standpoint, I'd add to V's comments and say the over conditions were good to very good. However, the bunkers while firm and wet, had the faces so soft that even a shot that hit before the bunker and bounced in buried in the face. On 3 occasions, drives hit short of traps, bounced in and plugged in the face. Have never seen something like that before with such consistency.

 

The one other comment is there were zero water jugs on the course and the cart was seen no more than 3 times for the entire round.

 

Last comment...what the Cheese Whiz are some people thinking or not thinking? On the short par 4 12th hole, the group in front of us literally left a cart in the fairway and went to finish the hole leaving us waiting on the tee.

[@_the_crook]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> > @VNutz said:

> > Foxford Hills at 9am Saturday. Call me crazy, but the heat wasn't nearly as bad as they made it out to be. Sure it was hot, but not the insufferable heat they were predicting. My plan was to walk the front and hop on a cart for the back, but after 9 I was going strong so I kept on carrying. Foxford was in fine condition, no complaints aside from the front pin on 16, but otherwise the course was good IMO. The course was running pretty well, and tee boxes pushed up on the front, but you could tell it either had gotten recent rain or had been watered well. Greens ran on average, some bumps but that's to be expected. Otherwise fine, definitely worth the play. My Jekyll and Hide game continues and I now have 2 74s and 2 90s in the last 6 rounds.

> >

> > And an FYI for anybody that happens to play Foxford in the future, watch out for the speed traps on 14, especially coming through Fox River Grove just before you get to Cary. The speed limit drops from 55 to 45 and then 35 extremely quickly, and down a hill. Saw a cop nab a guy right in front of me and thought I caught a break, only to see another waiting for me a block later. Fortunately got off with a warning, but in the meantime I saw them get at least 3 more cars. That 8:30 Saturday crowd is clearly dangerous in their eyes. Clearly a speed trap, clearly an organized setup, so be careful.

>

> Now that Fox Bend fixed the 3rd green, the 16th at Foxford is the worst green in the Chicago area. Of course, I won the skin for 16, so maybe it's the best? Seriously though, they either need to tear that green up completely and start all over or put fans on the hole. The lack of circulation makes it really difficult to grow grass and limits the pin position options. You can't fly a ball to that green and expect it to stop. On Saturday, on of our high ball hitters hit a well struck wedge that hit the front of the green and nearly rolled off the back.

>

> From a conditioning standpoint, I'd add to V's comments and say the over conditions were good to very good. However, the bunkers while firm and wet, had the faces so soft that even a shot that hit before the bunker and bounced in buried in the face. On 3 occasions, drives hit short of traps, bounced in and plugged in the face. Have never seen something like that before with such consistency.

>

> The one other comment is there were zero water jugs on the course and the cart was seen no more than 3 times for the entire round.

>

> Last comment...what the Cheese Whiz are some people thinking or not thinking? On the short par 4 12th hole, the group in front of us literally left a cart in the fairway and went to finish the hole leaving us waiting on the tee.

 

At least you had a refreshment service - we have been teasing the staff at Sportsman's for the longest time that they were waiting for the ten million renovation to be approved and line eighty seven was for a beverage cart.

Nothing like waiting for the end of a morning round to walk back in to the clubhouse for a real drink and a sandwich.

 

[VNutz]

Thinking back, we saw the cart girl on the front 3 times, and at least twice on the back. They actually had 2 carts going which was a bonus. Perhaps they just knew better and skipped you.

[DavePelz4]

> @VNutz said:

> Thinking back, we saw the cart girl on the front 3 times, and at least twice on the back. They actually had 2 carts going which was a bonus. Perhaps they just knew better and skipped you.

 

Actually, I had 2 frozen Powerade Zero's and 40 ounces of water and didn't need assistance. Think the 2 10 year old competitors after the 6th green working opposite sides of the street had a better deal going on water and lemonade than the bev cart. Everyone else in the group did a bit of shopping. I was sulking after a ball buried in the face of 2 bunkers on that hole.

[VNutz]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> > @VNutz said:

> > Thinking back, we saw the cart girl on the front 3 times, and at least twice on the back. They actually had 2 carts going which was a bonus. Perhaps they just knew better and skipped you.

>

> Actually, I had 2 frozen Powerade Zero's and 40 ounces of water and didn't need assistance. Think the 2 10 year old competitors after the 6th green working opposite sides of the street had a better deal going on water and lemonade than the bev cart. Everyone else in the group did a bit of shopping. I was sulking after a ball buried in the face of 2 bunkers on that hole.

 

For sure. Dollar waters on a golf course is a steal. Should have increased their prices.

[tmw1582]

Played Water's Edge on Sunday morning. I knew better but a buddy wanted to get out there to scout it before an outing he has in a couple weeks. My initial response was he should buy a yardage book. I should have stuck with that. The course was in miserable condition. Many of the fairways had large bare spots, & the tee boxes were worse. You could not find a place to tee up without an uneven lie and your feet being in the sand they were using to repair the things. The greens were the worst part though. Completely pock marked. Every putt bounced all over the place and they were slow.

 

It's a shame because it is a good layout with some tough holes. If they took care of the place it could be a gem.

[mci711]

I've been completely off my game the last few times out. Somehow just lost it after playing really well for a while. I rarely go to the range but am going tonight and booked an early tee time tomorrow at Ruffled Feathers. It is completely mental so I figure going to a course that I always play well and has a bunch of birdie holes can get me out of it. First time out there this year.

[MountainKing]

Any recommendations for instructors reasonably close to the Oak Brook area that aren't $200 an hour? My swing has developed a ton of bad when looking at current video vs last year and the year before ect.