Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[chisag]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > I didn't play it before the renovation, but from what I was told the old par 5 was a beast. It looks like it was replaced with a par 3, and a short par 4. There are still two par 5's on the back, #11, and #18. The third par 3 plays 230 from the blues. It's a tough one.

>

 

... I always liked Wedgewood and I have probably played it over 100 times. The par 5 they replaced was reachable with 2 excellent shots as long as the wind wasn't hurting. But the green turned 90* right at the end with a huge bunker guarding a carry onto the green. When the pin was up front you could hit a perfect shot just on the front edge and have an eagle putt. Very tricky green that was fair for a mid length par 5 and one of my favorite holes on the course.

 

... #11 isn't reachable but a fun hole to play. #18 is a new hole so I am glad to see thee are still four par 5's. It will be interesting to see if they re-did the greens or if they built new ones. 10-13 are unchanged and 14 is a new green, 15 could be the old green and 17/18 look like the old greens on new hole layouts.

[Argonne69]

> @chisag said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > > I didn't play it before the renovation, but from what I was told the old par 5 was a beast. It looks like it was replaced with a par 3, and a short par 4. There are still two par 5's on the back, #11, and #18. The third par 3 plays 230 from the blues. It's a tough one.

> >

>

> ... I always liked Wedgewood and I have probably played it over 100 times. The par 5 they replaced was reachable with 2 excellent shots as long as the wind wasn't hurting. But the green turned 90* right at the end with a huge bunker guarding a carry onto the green. When the pin was up front you could hit a perfect shot just on the front edge and have an eagle putt. Very tricky green that was fair for a mid length par 5 and one of my favorite holes on the course.

>

> ... #11 isn't reachable but a fun hole to play. #18 is a new hole so I am glad to see thee are still four par 5's. It will be interesting to see if they re-did the greens or if they built new ones. 10-13 are unchanged and 14 is a new green, 15 could be the old green and 17/18 look like the old greens on new hole layouts.

 

Yeah, it looks like 17 and 18 are old greens. 14 is definitely new, as the hole is now a dogleg left. I was told the 15th is new as well, as well as 16.

[Argonne69]

A very nice morning at Lost Marbles. Pace could have been quicker for an early tee time, but I won't kvetch about 4:15 on a tough course. The course was in very nice shape. The marsh areas were very lush, as was the native areas. Very little chance of finding balls in the junk. I think my playing partners donated a few dozen balls. The greens looked great, and were rolling very nicely for a heavily played muni. I still have no idea why we're suffering through a pandemic of unrepaired ball marks. Once again I repaired 4 or more per hole. I also used 4 sand/seed bottles repairing divots in the fairway. FFS. 99% of the players on the course are riding, so there's no excuse for unrepaired divots.

 

Solid day ballstriking with 11 fairways and 13 greens. I survived the Devil's Pentagram at even par, with a 45 ft birdie on the 1st, and a sloppy bogie on the 2nd. Finished the front with one more birdie and bogie. Three bogies and a birdie on the back to finish the day.

 

 


 

[trazy]

What the hell has happened to Mt Prospect's greens? With such great designs it's sad to see those things are in terrible condition.

[stasek]

Played Palmira this morning for the first time.

The good - solid design and the greens, which were in excellent condition. Quick but fair.

Too bad it’s a haul from SW chi town, or I would definitely play it more often.

The bad - my golf game, this time putting.

The ugly - our group had 7 4-somes, and we were the second foursome to go. We didn’t have to wait, and nobody waited on us, but we still took almost 5 hours to finish. My cart shot combined 158 (80 of which were contributed by yours truly), and the other cart shot painfully slow 209. ‘Nuff said....

Bonus - after hitting an excellent tee shot on the first par-5, had about 230 left to the pin. Hit a low 3h bullet right at the flag, accompanied by some choice words - the “penalty area” crosses the entire fairway right in front of the green. Saw the ball disappear for a sec only to see it roll up to the green. Apparently 1-hopped the creek and wound up on the fringe, 3’ from the green. A Texas wedge and a putt later got my first of 2 birdies for the day.

Bad bonus - chose a 3h on 14th par 5. It was playing down wind and poked it far enough to have a legit chance to hit the green with 4i. All I had to do is carry it around 190. One chunky 4i, drop, LW, and 2-putt resulted in a bogey.

Stupid game.... Unless I get a last minute call, next round in 3 weeks at Sportsman’s.

[geochitown]

> @DrRemulak said:

> What the **** has happened to Mt Prospect's greens? With such great designs it's sad to see those things are in terrible condition.

 

Care to elaborate?

[DrWalterWhite]

> @DrRemulak said:

> What the **** has happened to Mt Prospect's greens? With such great designs it's sad to see those things are in terrible condition.

 

Seconded. Looks like they’ve absolutely taken a pounding over the last month. They went from country club quality to bad muni in the span of five weeks.

[geochitown]

Last time I played Mt Prospect was 2 weeks ago in my Wednesday night league.

Greens were in great shape, but then there was a big rain that night, followed by super high temps.

I missed last Wednesday night, so don't have more recent beta.

 

 

[Thunder Dan]

anyone have thoughts on Sunset Valley? I'm playing there tomorrow, I really only play Ravisloe, Harborside or Cantigny. How does it rate out with those 3? Just curious

[Argonne69]

> @"Thunder Dan" said:

> anyone have thoughts on Sunset Valley? I'm playing there tomorrow, I really only play Ravisloe, Harborside or Cantigny. How does it rate out with those 3? Just curious

 

I'd rate it a distant 4th compared to those three. It's a decent muni, made better by the recent renovation, but it's not a show stopper.

 

[ldchristopher]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @"Thunder Dan" said:

> > anyone have thoughts on Sunset Valley? I'm playing there tomorrow, I really only play Ravisloe, Harborside or Cantigny. How does it rate out with those 3? Just curious

>

> I'd rate it a distant 4th compared to those three. It's a decent muni, made better by the recent renovation, but it's not a show stopper.

>

 

Yeah, I second that. It’s not a big time course by any means but it’s enjoyable. It’s a very flat flood plain course but it’s got some nice design features and I’ve seen nothing but good feedback on the updates that Rick Jacobson did.

[ME27]

Played Mistwood for the first time on Sunday and that place is beautiful. It might be my favorite course in the area. Didnt hurt that i shot my best round of the year there with a 74. Was -1 until 15 and Kelpie's Corner did me in. Great course in great shape though.

[Argonne69]

Anybody ever see a public course with 15 minute intervals? I must be dreaming. 'Looking for a round this Saturday, and Shady Oaks out in Sublette, IL sends out groups every quarter hour. Remarkable.

 

[chisag]

... I played Wedgewood today. Wow. Just Wow. The 5 new holes are very nice. But completely different than the other 13 holes. Wedgewod is a classic old school golf course. Pretty flat fairways with no unusual mounding or fabricated slopes and lots of trees. And the greens are the same with some slope from front to back or side to side and some crowning which always makes the reads difficult but fair. Teeing off on the old #5 now #14, it looks a little different in the distance but the hole is still straight away until turning left instead of right, although a tree on the far right blocks a short approach. I always hit a 2 iron there but came up a little short as it is longer now and I had to work the ball under that tree. But as you make that turn, the course radically changes to a fabricated mounding fairway and the green also has unusual humps and bumps unlike any of the previous greens.

 

... Then all the rest of the holes are the same with no trees and radically different fairways and greens. #18, the old #9 that was dead flat, now has tons of mounding and slopes that the architect certainly fabricated and it looks great, but not like it belongs on Wedgewood. It looks like Mistwood. Argonne may have a different perspective on how the course seemed to him having never played it, but I was shocked at how it is basically a completely different last 5 holes. I liked all those holes, they just don't mesh with the rest of the course at all.

[Argonne69]

> @chisag said:

> ... I played Wedgewood today. Wow. Just Wow. The 5 new holes are very nice. But completely different than the other 13 holes. Wedgewod is a classic old school golf course. Pretty flat fairways with no unusual mounding or fabricated slopes and lots of trees. And the greens are the same with some slope from front to back or side to side and some crowning which always makes the reads difficult but fair. Teeing off on the old #5 now #14, it looks a little different in the distance but the hole is still straight away until turning left instead of right, although a tree on the far right blocks a short approach. I always hit a 2 iron there but came up a little short as it is longer now and I had to work the ball under that tree. But as you make that turn, the course radically changes to a fabricated mounding fairway and the green also has unusual humps and bumps unlike any of the previous greens.

>

> ... Then all the rest of the holes are the same with no trees and radically different fairways and greens. #18, the old #9 that was dead flat, now has tons of mounding and slopes that the architect certainly fabricated and it looks great, but not like it belongs on Wedgewood. It looks like Mistwood. Argonne may have a different perspective on how the course seemed to him having never played it, but I was shocked at how it is basically a completely different last 5 holes. I liked all those holes, they just don't mesh with the rest of the course at all.

 

Totally agree that it's a tale of two courses. There are some trees on the new holes, but they'll take years to mature. 'Not sure what else they could have done. If they had created 5 new flat holes, I think a lot of folks may have questioned why they created fairly boring holes. I think it was kind of a no win situation.

[chisag]

> @Argonne69 said:

Totally agree that it's a tale of two courses. There are some trees on the new holes, but they'll take years to mature. 'Not sure what else they could have done. If they had created 5 new flat holes, I think a lot of folks may have questioned why they created fairly boring holes. I think it was kind of a no win situation.

>

 

... I think flat fairways would fit with the rest of the course and certainly what they replaced. Remembering this was not an update but a forced re-design because of selling off land, radically changing these holes to something completely different is just a head scratcher. Even more perplexing is making the greens so different than the rest of the course. Reminds me of a director coming in late to a project with 3/4 of the film in the can and using unique camera shots that showcase their talent but does not fit with the first 3/4 of the film.

 

[Argonne69]

Pheasant Run on Saturday morning. Heck, I can't recall anyone here mentioning it in ages. 'Not expecting much, but some of the pictures look OK. It seems similar to the old Blackhawk Trace.

[MountainKing]

> @Argonne69 said:

> Pheasant Run on Saturday morning. Heck, I can't recall anyone here mentioning it in ages. 'Not expecting much, but some of the pictures look OK. It seems similar to the old Blackhawk Trace.

 

I don't think I'd put the two in the same category. I last played Pheasant about 6-7 years ago but I'd say it's probably more like a more interesting version of Gleneagles. Old school, narrow fairways and small greens. Since I have no recent experience I can only comment on the past, but it can be a goat track at times, they used to often close it down and use parts of it for outdoor events on top of it being a resort course that the people playing it just don't take care of. If it's in decent shape it probably will surprise ya a bit, it can be fun.

[ldchristopher]

Went to the South Suburbs/NWI today to play 36. Round one was at Deer Creek, which will never be mistaken for a great course. However, it checks a lot of boxes for me. I started off very uncharacteristic, with a birdie on one followed by bogies in three of the next four holes. After that I settled in. I put an 8 iron inside 3 feet on 13, gave the stroke right back on 14, made another bogie on 16, and chipped in for bird on 18 for a 74.

Round two was at White Hawk. I hadn’t played there in a couple years but I like the Greyhawk/Silverhawk combo and they put me on those two nines. The greens were running pretty quick and overall it was in very good shape. The sand in the bunkers was really fluffy, which made getting up and down pretty easy. I parred all nine holes on Grey but the teeth are on Silver. It’s great looking from an aesthetic standpoint but it’s a lot of course. So many forced carries. I had three bogies but made a birdie on the short par 5. Rather than go for it on my second shot, I went driver, six iron, wedge and my approach rolled right over the edge of the cup. Another 74.

[ME27]

Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

[Argonne69]

> @ME27 said:

> Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

 

When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

[MountainKing]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @ME27 said:

> > Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

>

> When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

 

Been a good 5 years since it's been in decent shape. They even used to have some cool flower beds out there way before that but yeah, it's a waste of a great layout in current years.

[DavePelz4]

Our group has the unusual combo of St. Andrews on Saturday morning followed by Cantigny in the mid afternoon. Nice temps, sunshine, minimal change of snow...should be a perfect day for 36.

[ldchristopher]

> @MountainKing said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > > @ME27 said:

> > > Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

> >

> > When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

>

> Been a good 5 years since it's been in decent shape. They even used to have some cool flower beds out there way before that but yeah, it's a waste of a great layout in current years.

 

The Cal-Sag Channel literally runs right through the course. My guess is it flooded then baked out (side note: Cal-Sag, Salt Creek and the North Shore Channel have gotta be the three worst smelling rivers in the area). With a flood plain course like that there isn’t a lot that can be done without spending money to re-sod and, given the weather patterns we’ve been having year in and year out, that seems like a fruitless endeavor, especially for a course “professionally” managed by Billy Casper. It saddens me that a two-time major winner and genuinely good guy is now more known as the name attached to suspect golf course management. But I digress. Water’s Edge is serving it’s primary purpose of retaining flood water but I wouldn’t expect much more than that.

[ME27]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @ME27 said:

> > Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

>

> When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

 

Back when I was in high school playing we used to get excited when our matches were at waters edge. They used to really take care of the place. Granted that was about 15 years ago but even 5-7 years ago it was in pretty decent shape. Yesterday was my first time playing there in about 5 years and cant see myself going back anytime soon.

[MountainKing]

> @ldchristopher said:

> > @MountainKing said:

> > > @Argonne69 said:

> > > > @ME27 said:

> > > > Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

> > >

> > > When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

> >

> > Been a good 5 years since it's been in decent shape. They even used to have some cool flower beds out there way before that but yeah, it's a waste of a great layout in current years.

>

> The Cal-Sag Channel literally runs right through the course. My guess is it flooded then baked out (side note: Cal-Sag, Salt Creek and the North Shore Channel have gotta be the three worst smelling rivers in the area). With a flood plain course like that there isn’t a lot that can be done without spending money to re-sod and, given the weather patterns we’ve been having year in and year out, that seems like a fruitless endeavor, especially for a course “professionally” managed by Billy Casper. It saddens me that a two-time major winner and genuinely good guy is now more known as the name attached to suspect golf course management. But I digress. Water’s Edge is serving it’s primary purpose of retaining flood water but I wouldn’t expect much more than that.

 

A guy in our group lives right by there and indicated their hurting for money, part of why they haven't taken care of it. If that's been the trend, this season didn't do them any more favors. You are right on Billy Casper, it rarely seems like a course gets better when they take them over. They're a disgrace to his name.

[zer0]

> @Argonne69 said:

> Pheasant Run on Saturday morning. Heck, I can't recall anyone here mentioning it in ages. 'Not expecting much, but some of the pictures look OK. It seems similar to the old Blackhawk Trace.

 

Played it for a golf outing a few years ago. It sucks.

 

 

[zer0]

> @ME27 said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > > @ME27 said:

> > > Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

> >

> > When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

>

> Back when I was in high school playing we used to get excited when our matches were at waters edge. They used to really take care of the place. Granted that was about 15 years ago but even 5-7 years ago it was in pretty decent shape. Yesterday was my first time playing there in about 5 years and cant see myself going back anytime soon.

 

I agree that 15 years ago Waters Edge was in great shape. Back then they even had GPS in the carts and kids who would come out to 18 green and clean your clubs.

 

I don't agree that it was still in pretty decent shape 5-7 years ago. I went there during that time and it was already in total shithole mode.

 

 

[ME27]

> @zer0 said:

> > @ME27 said:

> > > @Argonne69 said:

> > > > @ME27 said:

> > > > Played waters edge today. This place has really gone downhill. Used to be a pretty decent track not too long ago. Course has a nice setup but conditions were no bueno. Decent round 79.

> > >

> > > When was it decent? I always thought it had a good collection of holes, but the drainage was always poor, and conditioning was spotty at best for many years.

> >

> > Back when I was in high school playing we used to get excited when our matches were at waters edge. They used to really take care of the place. Granted that was about 15 years ago but even 5-7 years ago it was in pretty decent shape. Yesterday was my first time playing there in about 5 years and cant see myself going back anytime soon.

>

> I agree that 15 years ago Waters Edge was in great shape. Back then they even had GPS in the carts and kids who would come out to 18 green and clean your clubs.

>

> I don't agree that it was still in pretty decent shape 5-7 years ago. I went there during that time and it was already in total shithole mode.

>

>

 

compared to what it looked like yesterday 5-7 years ago was a huge step up but yea place definitely sucks now.

[Argonne69]

Nice day at Harborside. Got a late invite to an outing. The course is in wonderful shape. Credit goes to the lack of rain over the past few days. Can't remember seeing it this green in some time. Greens were rolling very nicely.

 

Umm, a few too many beers? Played from the white tees, and drives that would normally be fine found the junk. Had a ton of pars, but way too many others. Still beats sitting at work. Lol.