Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[mci711]

Correct, day of only. Must be at least 8 scores posted.

[Argonne69]

Another beautiful day out there. One of my playing partners said it was like San Diego, except for the lack of ocean views. Lol. Well, I wouldn't compare Buffalo Grove GC to Torrey Pines, but I see where he was going there. I played the course two weeks ago in the rain, so I wanted to give it a fair shot by playing in better conditions. It's not a bad layout, but it's not going to win any awards. The small greens do make approaches tough. Conditions were spotty. The fairways were rather stressed, with plenty of brown patches. The rough was a decent height. Sand was playable. The greens had a few stressed areas, but looked good for the most part. 'Probably rolling 10 if you could find a flat spot. Apparently they had a tournament yesterday, and kept the same pin positions today. There were a few doozies. I was pin high on one hole, and my putt wound up 8 feet below the hole. 'Very upset with the players not repairing ball marks. I averaged 6 fixed marks per hole. I think I fixed at least a dozen on a few holes. There simply no excuse for that type of neglect. The pace was decent at 4:05, but it could have been a whole lot better, as the group two in front us of had the place backed up. They were at least two holes behind the group in front of them, and probably more.

Not much of a day with the driver, at least on the front nine. I had a good two way miss going for a while before straightening it out. Only 8 fairways. The irons were much better with 12 greens. With the crazy pin positions I couldn't buy a birdie, but I'm happy with a three over round.

I'm heading to the far southern suburbs to play Minnie Monesse in Grant Park for the first time tomorrow. 'Not expecting much, but my quest to play all the public courses in the area keeps leading me further away from the city.

[Argonne69]

I don't understand the logic there. Revisions are done on a schedule. Why not calculate the adjustments on the day the revisions are performed?

[B-Man]

Have I told everyone how much I dislike Oak Brook's layout? 4-iron off the tee on both 5 and 6 because what else? Pummeled a drive on 9 clearing the water on a dead center line by maybe 10 yards. Then again 15 always cracks me up. Given that the tees were far enough back so the tree by the tee was sort of out of play, rope hook around it and ended up with a 5-iron to front edge. Fun hole. Bite as much as you can chew. But the clincher on 18 finishing up with the green fully in shadow, my tee shot was slightly right of center of the fairway with 80yrds to a front middle pin position..... hit a shot dead straight at the pin only to hit an invisible overhanging branch sticking out maybe 10yrds from the front of the green and luckily dropping straight down. Anyway, it could be worse. I could've been playing Mt. Prospect.

[zer0]

I would say the best courses within 30 of Evanston are Glencoe, Deerfield, Wilmette, Glen Club if you want to spend $$$, and Sunset Valley.

 

If you haven't played SV since the renovation I suggest checking it out. They drastically improved that place.

[mci711]

I think it is updated nightly now, not twice a month anymore. Also, what if conditions are poor, so people just aren't playing. Then the PCC isn't changed because there aren't scores. so your 90 in 40mph wind is still calculated as it.

[zer0]

Damn, my overnight trip to South Bend this week just got cancelled. My buddy who lives there, his son has symptoms and got tested today. Won't know results till Friday. So there goes that trip. Was gonna drive up there with another friend of ours on Thursday and play 36 at SBCC, and then get up the next day and play another 36 at SBCC before driving home in time to get my buddy home before he turns into a pumpkin at sunset.

 

 

[WAB]

I play Buffalo Grove a lot in the "pre-season" (~march). They tend to open earlier than others.

[VNutz]

Best of luck to your buddy and his son.

[WAB]

Exactly :) Also, I have posted over 20 rounds since end of May and this is the first time I have seen the PCC being applied.

[MountainKing]

My season is sadly over. Back surgery scheduled for Friday. I'll be living through you guys and your round updates! Hopefully 2021 will be my year, been a while since I've had a full golf season.

[TheBear95]

How close are you to finishing the quest? I know you have picked-up a bunch of courses so far this summer.

I have to say, I've never heard of Minnie Monesse and had to Google to see where Grant Park, IL is. Enjoy the greater Kankakee metro area.

[Argonne69]

I still have at least fifteen to twenty 18 hole courses left. I'll post a list when I get a chance. There are probably 25+ nine hole courses.

[psygolf]

Beautiful 11:30a tee time along the Links of Waveland today, with too much time spent on the patio telling golf stories...fairways decent, greens med-slow but smooth.

Maintaining 10m tee times have them at a 2-2:15 pace these days.

You can’t beat this for urban golf.

[ldchristopher]

Thunderhawk and Oak Grove tomorrow. Two courses that are phenomenal tee to green but on the greens...we'll see what kind of shape they're in.

[geochitown]

you guys are the masters of 36 and long drives...

good stuff

I always thought a Thunderhawk/Shepherd's Crook 36 day would be good, as long as the wind isn't blowing in the wrong direction at the crook.

interested to hear how Thunderhawk is doing, played there 6 weeks ago and greens were in pretty good shape and rolling acceptably.

 

[Argonne69]

Gack. It appears (once again) that my count on the "Chicagoland" courses is woefully short. Living downtown, I generally use a 90 mile radius, which just excludes South Bend, Milwaukee, Janesville/Beloit, and most of southwest Michigan. However, it does include a good chunk of southeast Wisconsin, Rockford, and northwest Indiana. I've played 182 public courses in the area. I'm still looking at Google Maps, but I've come up with a whopping 55 eighteen hole courses that I haven't played. A handful are executive courses (<5000 yds). No doubt many are mediocre at best. However, there are certainly a number of good looking courses in the list.

Aspen Ridge GC, Bourbonnais, IL; Beechwood GC, La Porte, IN; Big Oaks GC, Pleasant Prairie, WI; Briar Leaf GC, LaPorte, IN; Brighton Dale Links GC - White Birch, Kansasville, WI; Brighton Dale Links GC - Blue Spruce, Kansasville, WI; Bristol Oaks, GC, Bristol, WI; Browns Lake GC, Burlington, WI; Canal Shores GC, Evanston, IL (Executive); Cary CC, Cary, IL; Course at Aberdeen, Valparaiso, IN; Edgebrook CC, Sandwich, IL; Elliot GC, Cherry Valley, IL; Fairways GC, Rochelle, IL (Executive); Foss Park GC, North Chicago, IL; Fox Valley GC, Aurora, IL; Hughes Creek GC, Elburn, IL; Hunter CC, Richmond, IL; Indian Ridge CC, Hobart, IN; Ingersoll Memorial GC, Rockford, IL; Innsbrook CC, Merrillville, IN (Private?); Ives Grove GL, Racine, WI; Johnson Park GC, Racine, WI; Lakemoor GC, Lakemoor, IL; Legacy Hills GC, LaPorte, IN; Mactown GC, Rockton, IL; Manteno GC, Manteno, IL; Maplecrest CC, Kenosha, WI; Michigan City North, Michigan City, IN (Executive); Michigan City South, Michigan City, IN; Minne Monesse GC, Grant Park, IL; Muskego Lakes CC, Muskego, WI ; Nettle Creek CC, Morris, IL; Nippersink GC, Genoa City, WI; Oak Club of Genoa, Genoa, IL (Closed?); Oak Knoll GC, Crown Point, IN; Oak Springs GC, Saint Anne, IL; Oakwood Park GC, Wauwatosa, WI; Petrifying Springs GC, Kenosha, WI; Pheasant Valley CC, Crown Point, IN; Robbinhurst GC, Valparaiso, IN; River Heights GC, DeKalb, IL; Rivermoor GC, Waterford, WI; Salt Creek GC, Wood Dale, IL (Executive); South Hills CC, Franksville, WI; South Shore CC, Cedar Lake, IN (Executive); Spring Valley, CC, Salem, WI; Stony Creek GC, Oak Lawn, IL (Executive); Summertree GC, Crown Point, IN; Swanhills GC, Belvidere, IL; Sycamore GC, Sycamore, IL; Turkey Creek GC, Merrillville, IN; Twin Lakes CC, Twin Lakes, WI; Valley Ridge GC, Antioch, IL (Executive); White Hawk (Red Black), Crown Point, IN

 

[AUTIGER07]

BG was my stomping grounds after work for the ~5 years or so we lived in that area. Always got such a kick out of the "twilight rate brigade" at 3PM. At 2:50PM the 1st tee was always wide open and then, like magic, somehow at 3:00PM there would be 4 foursomes, usually Korean couples, waiting to tee off.

It's certainly not the greatest track but for like $10-12 for the resident rate it was enjoyable. It definitely has a good mix of smaller greens and a nice blend of making you work the ball both ways off the tee box. I developed a love / hate relationship with that course over the years. I've made 21 or 22 eagles on hole #16, everything from holing out from the fairway, greenside bunker, chipping in, or making the putt, but I've also put at least 15 tee shots into the left creek on hole #10. That hole has so mentally mindf#cked me into oblivion that the last few times I've played out there I usually go 4i / 4i and hope that my short game can help me walk out of there with a par, or at worst bogey.

[ldchristopher]

I can actually give you some feedback on a handful of those. Brighton Dale Links is a very good value. Red Pine is only 9 holes but it has some great looking holes. Blue Spruce has some really good par 5's and variety in the 4's, and White Birch plays much longer than it is. The 5's are gimmes but there are only a handful of 4's under 400 yards and two of the 3's are over 200. Browns Lake is surprisingly good. It's a very old school course with some elevation change and holes that play much longer than the card says. Super cheap. Less than $30 on a weekend. Aberdeen has a 5 star layout but the conditioning is not always up to par. It's managed by Billy Casper now, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Foss Park isn't much but it's an easy walk and it won't cost you much. Ives Grove is another Racine County Course. It's the opposite of White Birch: It's about 7000 yards long but it doesn't feel that lengthy because most of the holes play between 390-415. It drains well and none of the others on this list that I've played can say that. Pheasant Valley has a ton of blind tee shots. It's kind of an aggravating course to play for the first time. Spring Valley is one of the most fun courses in the area. It was designed by Langford and hasn't been touched since. That shows in the maintenance but it's a great design with some really tough 4's and roller coaster greens. Summertree kinda stinks. Play it once.

[ldchristopher]

We have to get one of the first times at Shepherd's and those times weren't available. On a 75 degree day with low humidity, we can stand around and wait on shots but when the dew point is high and the temps get into the mid 80's or low 90's, we need to keep moving. Hence Oak Grove, which allows us to take advantage of THawk's $49 early bird rate and get the weekday $36 walking rate after 11:00.

[Argonne69]

Did you consider Big Oaks? It's literally right across the cheddar curtain (street) from Shepherd's.

[cpeck12]

640am at Village Links tomorrow morning.

[Argonne69]

First visit to Minne Monesse this morning. I was mildly impressed. The course sits on a very nice piece of terrain with plenty of elevation changes. At times it reminded me of Balmoral Woods, Palmira, Longwood, and Tuckaway. The course had some very short par 4's, but they were offset by some long ones as well. Being able to work the ball comes in quite handy off the tee. There are a few trees that come into play, and moving the ball left to right is almost a must. The course is a parkland layout, and trees are an issue if you're not in the right spot. Well, except for the par 3 6th, in which one must hit a big draw around a tree, as it sits directly in line with the flag. Lol. The greens are very small, but at least they were receptive. They didn't have a lot of undulation, but most of them had a good slope from back to front, so downhill and sidehill putts could get a little dicey.

Conditions were about what you'd expect for a $27 course. Fairways were a bit shaggy, and had a few bare spots, but overall very playable. Rough was cut to a manageable length. Bunkers had enough sand/dirt to be mostly playable, but could use another inch. Greens were in very nice shape, and rolled at least 10. Pace was very good. I went out as a single, and was thinking it would be a quick round. I ran into the first group on the 4th hole, and could see that it was stacked up in front of them, so there was no place to go. Another single caught up to me a few holes later, and we finished the round in 3:40. I was afraid it would grind to a halt, but I was very happy with the sub-four hour round.

Driver was acting up again today. Only 7 fairways, and 11 greens. Scrambling bailed me out to an extent, and I finished the day with one birdie and four bogies. Best shot of the day had to be the hybrid off the tee on the par 3 6th. With the tree directly in line to the flag, I hit a high draw that landed a few feet from the pin, and wound up 15 feet away.

The Preserve on Thursday.

The par 3 6th

 

[ldchristopher]

Great rounds at Thunderhawk and Oak Grove today. THawk was in immaculate condition. It wasn't firm but also hadn't been too overwatered. The sun was always behind the clouds until we got to the parking lot at the end so the dew didn't completely burn off, especially on the greens. They remove the heavy overnight layer of dew but there was still enough moisture to slow the greens to about a 9.5. They were very smooth though. The starter tried to group us with a single in a cart. Bear used the "we're serious about COVID and don't play with random people" line and even though he didn't seem too thrilled he let us go out as a twosome. Good thing since he had grouped up two walkers with a mother and son in a cart. The two walkers ditched the cart golfers after the first hole and we passed them on 3. After that we were home free. Played in 3 hours. I aggravated a strained oblique on my left side, which sucked some of the fun out of the day. I've been doing a lot of working out with my ab wheel during quarantine and tightening up muscles around my rib cage came back to bite me. I was in some serious pain but luckily Bear has a mobile medicine cabinet. After a Brett Favre Cocktail (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Diet Coke) and a lot of Shaq-endorsed Icy Hot, I was able to finish the round with a noticably slower swing. No birdies but I made par on 17 of 18 holes for a 73. Thunderhawk's Brass tees, which are supposed to play 6631 yards, were more like 6450 or 6500. Tees were up on 6, 10, 11, and 13. They were clearly trying to set up for the - ahem - older clientele who don't care for the forced carries the course usually has. Also, the pins were all very accessible. Either straight uphill on the back of the greens or up front for easy wedges if approaches were left short. My short game has also been really strong all year, which helped immensely.

Oak Grove was playing really firm again. They got hit hard by the storm the other night and the big oak tree on 7 that hung over the right side of the fairway is now gone, as well as a couple of other big trees on the course. There were ponds in a bunch of bunkers, but that's become the norm there. The greens were pretty smooth and were running at about 9.5 or 10. At this point, the course is what it is: A great layout with some beautiful holes, a small maintenance budget, and some of the worst bunkers in the state. My cocktail and Icy Hot combo lasted about 27 holes so on the back nine I was in some pain and had an old man swing going. The anaconda on 11 (thanks to DP4 for that) got me but I managed a bogey. I played pat-pat golf with half-swing drivers or easy fairway woods off the tee but got hosed by a bad bounce on 14. 15 is a guaranteed bogey if I'm not able to swing aggressively, but I chipped in for birdie on 18 to finish with a 75.

 

[taylorx300]

Just signed up for the McHenry County Am next weekend at Blackstone. Mike, the tournament director, is now opening the event to anyone who wants to play. Before it was only McHenry county residents or members of courses in the county. Who wants to play?

[mci711]

Just a random thought. I was out at Seven Bridges and their tree management is awful. I think about it every time I play. There are "bad trees" that hurt strategy on 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 on the front. The back is better with really only 18 coming to mind. Greens should never be blocked out by a green side tree if you are in the fairway. Trees parallel to a tee box should never hang over or effect shot shape off the tee. You should have options on the course, not be forced by trees to hit only 1 shot. I wish I could go and cut down a bunch of them. Not to mention the greens would do much better not being covered in overhanging limbs.

[Argonne69]

I have to disagree to a certain extent. If the tree was part of the original design, and intended to produce a risk/reward situation, or act as natural "hazard", then I think it's OK. Also, if the lower branches are trimmed, allowing one to at least have a go at hitting a low punch under the tree, then it's not completely dictating the play.

A few examples. The big tree on the par 5 15th at Ruffled Feathers blocks out the green, but because it's a short par 5, one can very easily lay up and have a clear shot to the green. Those brave enough to go for the green in two have to be d-mn good to pull off the shot. Without the tree the hole would be a pussycat.

The large tree near the left side of the green on the short par 4 15th at Glenview Park can be cleared with a wedge, so a player has the option of going long down the left side, or laying back on the right side. If you're short on the left you'll pay the price.

I can think of many sweeper holes in the area that have trees on the inside corner that require one to place their tee shots away from the corner, or shape the ball around the trees, e.g. the 18th at Sunset Valley, the 11th and 17th at Glencoe. I think they're a valid part of the design of the holes.

The large tree to the right of the teebox on the 18th at Glencoe basically forced me to learn to hit a fade off the tree. I've hit the tree so many times with my big draw that I asked to have a plaque put on the tree with my name. This one probably falls into the category of being a "bad" tree, as it only allows a single shot shape, and most likely wasn't a consideration when the course was opened 99 years ago. It's more or less the same thing on the 17th at Ravisloe, no Big Draw allowed.

One of the reasons I stopped playing Winnetka was that it seemed that half the hole required a specific shot shape because of trees close to the teeboxes. I actually like a couple of holes to favor a shot shape, but not that many.

[AUTIGER07]

Damn. I would have loved to do that but the 24th is my wife's birthday. After 10 years of marriage I'm pretty positive "Hey, I signed up for a 2-day golf tournament" over her birthday weekend would mean several long weeks in the doghouse.

[mci711]

I'm not saying all trees should be gone. Your ruffled feathers example is kind of my point. With that tree you still have options off the tee and with your approach. But it does penalize a shot that is left off the tee (kind of, really you can hit anything right of the tree in your approach and it will have a good chance kicking left towards the green). But that tree doesn't force 1 kind of shot anywhere on the hole unless you're tucked up behind which is the players fault. There are trees at seven bdidges that basically dictate how you have to play the hole, and i think that makes it a bad tree or design. Sometimes it isn't even a difficulty thing, removing a tree may create a more risky shot that could blow up your card or reward with a birdie.

[Argonne69]

Playing Devil's advocate here, would it change if they narrowed the fairway so that the tree only came into play from the "rough"? I think we sometimes get too caught up in the idea that a ball in the "fairway" should be rewarded. There are plenty of excellent courses where being in the short stuff is no guarantee of a clear shot to the green, e.g. Harbour Town Links.

I know a lot of players don't like target golf. Personally, I like a couple of holes that force good shotmaking. Of course when the majority of holes dictate a specific strategy, it gets old real quick. On the flipside, a course that simply allows you to bomb away gets boring fairly quickly.