Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[Springsteennut]

Played Bartlett Hills yesterday. It still has some tough greens. Think Makray light. Fairways were in good condition. Some of the bunkers are under construction. I was in 2 that weren’t and one was fine with plenty of sand and the other one I was in had plenty of sand but was very wet for mid afternoon and my club just stopped and I barely got out. Pace of play was slow but it was a crowded Sunday and the weather was just about perfect so no big deal . My round was a bit up and down but ended up a stroke above my average so not as bad as it felt. Redtail tomorrow and Fox Run on Thursday.

[B-Man]

3 hours ago, Chicago Lefty said:

Played in the Saturday Classic at Village Links Saturday with @B-Man.  Nothing has changed with his game in the last decade...ho hum close to par.  

 

Hit some good shots and hit some bad shots, won some money and overall had a fantastic time.

 

Course was in very solid shape.  Greens were running a little quicker and smoother than I've seen them most of this year (I've played 10+rounds there this year).  18th hole is still as stupid as it ever was.

 

Chi Lefty played great and was a decent partner but kept on holing long birdie putts on my gimme birdies so no skins for me! 😉

[Chicago Lefty]

1 hour ago, B-Man said:

 

Chi Lefty played great and was a decent partner but kept on holing long birdie putts on my gimme birdies so no skins for me! 😉

Ahh so 17 was you getting payback?

[golfortennis]

Can you walk the Preserve at Oak Meadows on a Monday morning?  Might be passing through the area, trying to figure out options.

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, golfortennis said:

Can you walk the Preserve at Oak Meadows on a Monday morning?  Might be passing through the area, trying to figure out options.

 

I don't see why not. I walked the course dozens of times.

 

[MountainKing]

13 hours ago, golfortennis said:

Can you walk the Preserve at Oak Meadows on a Monday morning?  Might be passing through the area, trying to figure out options.

 

You can walk the Preserve at anytime - I don't believe they have restrictions.  It's a very easy course to walk.

[golfortennis]

1 hour ago, MountainKing said:

 

You can walk the Preserve at anytime - I don't believe they have restrictions.  It's a very easy course to walk.

Thanks.  I was more concerned about restrictions than anything else.  The layout looked like it was relatively compact, but course owners can be weird.

[MountainKing]

1 hour ago, golfortennis said:

Thanks.  I was more concerned about restrictions than anything else.  The layout looked like it was relatively compact, but course owners can be weird.

 

Yup, the only long walk is between 9 and 10 and 10 is normally a cluster because people stop way to long at the halfway house so you won't be holding anything up.   The course itself is a really fun layout.

[DavePelz4]

BIG RUN SOLD!

 

Citgo bought it. They plan on operating the club, as is.

Edited August 15, 2024 by DavePelz4

[MountainKing]

I know ya'll will be jealous to hear I got out for 9 at Sugar Creek.  Friend of mine has decided to take the game up this year and he actually wants to do it the right way so props to him and I'm wanting to support that.  I probably played it as a kid but honestly don't remember it at all, but it's not a bad beginner course at all, and still has some good enough holes to keep me engaged.  Course was is as good of shape as any I've seen this year so also a shocker.  It's a 5 minute drive for me, for $20 walking I may have to see if I can try to sneak out there once or twice a week first thing in the AM before work just to get some extra swings in.  Two birdies, one bogey for a 31 (par 32 course).   

 

Carillon on Saturday.

[VNutz]

28 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

I know ya'll will be jealous to hear I got out for 9 at Sugar Creek.  Friend of mine has decided to take the game up this year and he actually wants to do it the right way so props to him and I'm wanting to support that.  I probably played it as a kid but honestly don't remember it at all, but it's not a bad beginner course at all, and still has some good enough holes to keep me engaged.  Course was is as good of shape as any I've seen this year so also a shocker.  It's a 5 minute drive for me, for $20 walking I may have to see if I can try to sneak out there once or twice a week first thing in the AM before work just to get some extra swings in.  Two birdies, one bogey for a 31 (par 32 course).   

 

Carillon on Saturday.

I grew up on that course, my grandpa used to take me out there all the time as a kid. Still drive past it all the time as a VP resident. For being a 9 holer it's usually in solid shape, no shortage of watering. Greens usually slow because they're got so much slope to them that anything quick would make for long rounds.

 

They lost me a bit the past few years, jacked up prices and wouldn't take tee times or let people out after 6 or so. Eliminated any chances of taking my kids out at twilight.

[MountainKing]

10 minutes ago, VNutz said:

I grew up on that course, my grandpa used to take me out there all the time as a kid. Still drive past it all the time as a VP resident. For being a 9 holer it's usually in solid shape, no shortage of watering. Greens usually slow because they're got so much slope to them that anything quick would make for long rounds.

 

They lost me a bit the past few years, jacked up prices and wouldn't take tee times or let people out after 6 or so. Eliminated any chances of taking my kids out at twilight.

 

Greens were speedy but I wouldn't say they were slow, especially given the rain we got earlier I would expect a lot worse.  They were fun greens to putt on.  

 

I did sort of wonder about the running of the place - the guy in the shop seemed like he had a bit of an attitude about him.  We had the 6pm time but was rushing us out earlier, until he found out we were walking then sort of stopped caring about if we teed off at 5:30 or 6.  I noticed the range had lights, and it was full as we were coming up 8/9 but I assume they no longer keep the range open at night?

 

 

[VNutz]

1 hour ago, MountainKing said:

 

Greens were speedy but I wouldn't say they were slow, especially given the rain we got earlier I would expect a lot worse.  They were fun greens to putt on.  

 

I did sort of wonder about the running of the place - the guy in the shop seemed like he had a bit of an attitude about him.  We had the 6pm time but was rushing us out earlier, until he found out we were walking then sort of stopped caring about if we teed off at 5:30 or 6.  I noticed the range had lights, and it was full as we were coming up 8/9 but I assume they no longer keep the range open at night?

 

 

I think the biggest issue with them is waiting on the carts. Don't get me started on needing carts for a short par 31 course...that used to be a par 30.

 

The range is interesting, but admittedly I haven't been there much this year. In the past I've had issues with using it later in the evening. They have lights, but in the spring and fall I've had times where it's closed before 8. I get the feeling that maybe some of the neighbors complained and they adjusted for school hours, but just my suspicion.

[MountainKing]

13 minutes ago, VNutz said:

I think the biggest issue with them is waiting on the carts. Don't get me started on needing carts for a short par 31 course...that used to be a par 30.

 

The range is interesting, but admittedly I haven't been there much this year. In the past I've had issues with using it later in the evening. They have lights, but in the spring and fall I've had times where it's closed before 8. I get the feeling that maybe some of the neighbors complained and they adjusted for school hours, but just my suspicion.

 

Makes sense on the range.  It's a par 32 now.  I was shocked at the amount of carts being used there, even I didn't bother riding on this one.  I think we were the only walkers out there.

[ldchristopher]

1 hour ago, MountainKing said:

 

Makes sense on the range.  It's a par 32 now.  I was shocked at the amount of carts being used there, even I didn't bother riding on this one.  I think we were the only walkers out there.

People are lazy. I’ve seen carts out at Robert Black. ROBERT BLACK!!! It does beg the question: Are we growing the game or just growing people’s waistlines? 

[MountainKing]

42 minutes ago, ldchristopher said:

People are lazy. I’ve seen carts out at Robert Black. ROBERT BLACK!!! It does beg the question: Are we growing the game or just growing people’s waistlines? 

 

I'm a lazy fata** myself, but even I have to draw a line at using a cart somewhere.  I also need to get some practice in before having to walk Erin Hills, although I'm not sure I can consider yesterdays walk any sort of prep for that.

[Holy Moses]

On vacation in Atlanta and Florida. I don’t think people realize how nice of greens we have almost all of the year with bentgrass. 

[chisag]

1 minute ago, Holy Moses said:

On vacation in Atlanta and Florida. I don’t think people realize how nice of greens we have almost all of the year with bentgrass. 

 

 

... Amen! Biggest difference in Southwest and Midwest courses. I still occasionally hit a pitch that either stops faster than I thought into the grain or releases more than I could imagine down grain. I Used my 58* around the greens almost exclusively but on grainy Bermuda I pretty much bump and run everything with a 54* or 50* wedge. Bent is just sooooo much more consistent and predictable. 

[Holy Moses]

8 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Amen! Biggest difference in Southwest and Midwest courses. I still occasionally hit a pitch that either stops faster than I thought into the grain or releases more than I could imagine down grain. I Used my 58* around the greens almost exclusively but on grainy Bermuda I pretty much bump and run everything with a 54* or 50* wedge. Bent is just sooooo much more consistent and predictable. 

Bermuda greens just aren’t as fast and true as bent for 98% of the playing year

[golfortennis]

So playing Dubsdread now on Monday.  Preserve @ Oak Meadows was booked for an outing, so my pro buddy made a couple of calls to see what options there were(Mondays=a lot of private clubs closed it seems), so quite happy.  

 

What time does the pro shop open?  Am I smart to take a cart or will it be mostly walkers(teeing off around 7 am).  Would like to get a decent warm up in, but can't really dictate too much given the way I came about the tee time.  Any advice?  I searched, but man, there are 1100 references to Dubsdread alone in this forum.  Appreciate any input. 

[ldchristopher]

GCI this morning with Bear. We got the first time and thank God. The group who got the 7:10 was finishing the 10th as we were wrapping up 17. The course was mostly in decent shape except for a handful of grassless mud patches in the rough. The greens were fine and the bunkers were groomed, though a few had been soaked by the sprinklers and overnight rain. My return to weekend-only golf was good, with a 2 birdie (1 and 13) and 2 bogie (7 and 9) 71. The photos of the course in the clubhouse were taken when GCI still had fescue in between the holes. Not sure why they ripped that out in favor of the current set up. The fescue made it look much better. 

[Scratch2Plus]

Welp, Danielle (former Highlands of Elgin) made her debut on YT. 
I truly wish her the best. 
 

Edited August 17, 2024 by Scratch2Plus

[MountainKing]

Links of Carillon,  not my favorite course but I enjoy it every few years and it's a good course after a rain.  Tends to drain well and if it's CPO the paths are next to the fairway most holes.   It was not CPO and the group in front of of took full advantage of that by driving on the tee boxes and right up the greens.  They were probably in their 20s making it even worse.  We called the proshop, but they sent nobody out so I guess they don't care.

 

Course otherwise was in great shape.  Greens rolled great, and were very receptive with the rain.  Bunkers were outstanding.  Crazy they keep it that nice and they only charge $65.  They could easily get away with $75 to $85.  Very impressive,  it was as good as anything we've seen this year.

 

Game was a struggle today but still managed to score. Was really battling my swing, and my putting was awful.  Luckily it's a pretty easy course to get around.  2 bogies,  2 birdies for a 72. Anywhere slightly tough and it may have been north of 80.

[chisag]

4 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

Links of Carillon,  not my favorite course but I enjoy it every few years and it's a good course after a rain.  Tends to drain well and if it's CPO the paths are next to the fairway most holes.   It was not CPO and the group in front of of took full advantage of that by driving on the tee boxes and right up the greens.  They were probably in their 20s making it even worse.  We called the proshop, but they sent nobody out so I guess they don't care.

 

Course otherwise was in great shape.  Greens rolled great, and were very receptive with the rain.  Bunkers were outstanding.  Crazy they keep it that nice and they only charge $65.  They could easily get away with $75 to $85.  Very impressive,  it was as good as anything we've seen this year.

 

Game was a struggle today but still managed to score. Was really battling my swing, and my putting was awful.  Luckily it's a pretty easy course to get around.  2 bogies,  2 birdies for a 72. Anywhere slightly tough and it may have been north of 80.

 

 

... Nice!  #9 on the White Course is one of my all-time favorite par 5's and then #5 on the Blue Course might be one of my least favorite. 

[MountainKing]

6 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Nice!  #9 on the White Course is one of my all-time favorite par 5's and then #5 on the Blue Course might be one of my least favorite. 

 

We did red to white,  blue is awful. 

[mikes919]

Trying out the newly improved Winnetka GC tomorrow morning, it just reopened Tuesday after a $10M renovation. I heard a lot of trees are gone, but bunker and water placement still make it a challenge. Slope is 130 from the blues.

[underwaterDMS]

15 hours ago, mikes919 said:

Trying out the newly improved Winnetka GC tomorrow morning, it just reopened Tuesday after a $10M renovation. I heard a lot of trees are gone, but bunker and water placement still make it a challenge. Slope is 130 from the blues.

Curious to hear your thoughts.  I'm playing there on Monday morning for the first time since reopening.

[mikes919]

1 hour ago, underwaterDMS said:

Curious to hear your thoughts.  I'm playing there on Monday morning for the first time since reopening.

Overall it’s a decent course, similar to other public North Shore courses in terms of layout/variety and difficulty. Overall course conditions are excellent, fairways and tee boxes are in perfect shape still.

 

Last local course I played was Heritage Oaks and I would put them at the same level of overall challenge. If you’re hitting it straight off the tee and keeping it in the fairway, it’s a really scoreable course. Par 5’s pretty easy and 3’s a little boring. The greens are big and have generous bailout areas. Bunkers are in great condition, well placed, and most are flanked with tall/native grasses that add some challenge. I was having a bad day off the tee and the course was pretty wet from rain yesterday; the rough was very thick and punitive. Lots of tall/native areas, and berms that will guide wayward drives into them. But plenty of room to avoid them too.

 

I hadn’t played here before the renovation, so can’t speak to any of the changes. If they removed a lot of trees, I can’t really tell. There were a few holes where you could squeak through to another fairway if you got really offline, but there wasn’t ever a clear/easy pitch back in. So I thought the coverage was fine.

 

Greens were the weakest point. Pretty slow and bumpy. You really had to hammer putts in there, and I got a lot of weird/sudden breaks. The course manager said they still haven’t cut them as low as they intend to, so I assume this will improve over time. Pitch marks everywhere as expected, even after only like 5 days of operation. People suck.

 

My main complaint was that the carts were annoyingly aggressive about keeping you away from “restricted” areas. If you came within 50 yards of a tee box or green, the cart would shut down and only allow you to go in reverse. Sometimes this would happen when you hadn’t come even close to approaching the signed/staked area. Several times we tried to drive up to balls and found we were too close to some kind of restricted area, and needed to awkwardly reverse out. It wasn’t just us, I saw several other groups doing the same thing. Basically keep it cart path only, plus the main fairway. Otherwise the cart gets angry.

[Argonne69]

6 hours ago, mikes919 said:

Overall it’s a decent course, similar to other public North Shore courses in terms of layout/variety and difficulty. Overall course conditions are excellent, fairways and tee boxes are in perfect shape still.

 

Last local course I played was Heritage Oaks and I would put them at the same level of overall challenge. If you’re hitting it straight off the tee and keeping it in the fairway, it’s a really scoreable course. Par 5’s pretty easy and 3’s a little boring. The greens are big and have generous bailout areas. Bunkers are in great condition, well placed, and most are flanked with tall/native grasses that add some challenge. I was having a bad day off the tee and the course was pretty wet from rain yesterday; the rough was very thick and punitive. Lots of tall/native areas, and berms that will guide wayward drives into them. But plenty of room to avoid them too.

 

I hadn’t played here before the renovation, so can’t speak to any of the changes. If they removed a lot of trees, I can’t really tell. There were a few holes where you could squeak through to another fairway if you got really offline, but there wasn’t ever a clear/easy pitch back in. So I thought the coverage was fine.

 

Greens were the weakest point. Pretty slow and bumpy. You really had to hammer putts in there, and I got a lot of weird/sudden breaks. The course manager said they still haven’t cut them as low as they intend to, so I assume this will improve over time. Pitch marks everywhere as expected, even after only like 5 days of operation. People suck.

 

My main complaint was that the carts were annoyingly aggressive about keeping you away from “restricted” areas. If you came within 50 yards of a tee box or green, the cart would shut down and only allow you to go in reverse. Sometimes this would happen when you hadn’t come even close to approaching the signed/staked area. Several times we tried to drive up to balls and found we were too close to some kind of restricted area, and needed to awkwardly reverse out. It wasn’t just us, I saw several other groups doing the same thing. Basically keep it cart path only, plus the main fairway. Otherwise the cart gets angry.

 

Can't imagine riding at Winnetka. Like all the North Shore courses, it's extremely walkable. 

 

Rarely played the course. Trees were so overgrown that one had to hit a massive fade on several holes just to have a chance at finding the fairway. Fairways were a bog. It was also one of the few courses that wouldn't give a tee time to a single. Last time I played it I called the pro shop early in the morning, and they said it would be no problem getting me out quickly. Arrived and the pro shop said they had no idea who said that, because it was going to be at least 2 hours before they would get me out. Total Bozo the Clown Show. Spent my dollars at Wilmette, Glencoe, Heritage Oaks, Sunset Valley, and Deerpath. 

 

Edited August 19, 2024 by Argonne69

[mikes919]

Yea, I agree it would be very walkable. I haven’t gotten a push cart since getting back into the game this year, I keep meaning to. But I did see a few groups behind us walking, and they kept pace no problem. There were almost no gaps between each green and the next tee.