Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[MountainKing]

With the sudden change in weather, and being hopeful that the Bears are good enough to keep people at home, we switched it up to a Sunday twilight round at Randall Oaks.   Been years since I've been out there, and I need to change that.  Fun golf course, very reasonably priced and was in incredible shape.  Even for later in the day the greens were still very smooth and fast.  It amazes me how a place can charge well under $100 and keep the course as nice as it is, while many charging over $100 struggle (looking at you Preserve).  

 

Pace of play however was brutal at 4:40 (most of that being the back).  As I guessed, we got there and the place was empty.  We went to the range and a group was teeing off, and 40 minutes later not a single group had teed off.  Score, or so we thought.  We flew through the first 6 holes and on pace for a solid 3 hour round and the 7th is when that came to a hault.   What we had observed is we had one guy playing the tips who should have been two boxes up, a kid who was getting an on course playing lesson from Dad, and a third in the group who looked like he also had zero concern for the time the sunset.  The kid they had on the whites but he should have 100% been up one box, and I don't think he could hit the ball because every shot it looked like Dad was loading him up with a variety of things he did wrong on that shot.  Dad would also have him re-load multiple times etc.  I felt bad for the kid and the future of golf as this kid is now going to think what they are doing is okay.  We were thinking about jumping but it would have messed up our money game, and there was another group 2 holes in front of them that didn't seem to be moving any faster.   Front 9 ended up being 2 hours, back 9 ended up 2:40 with 18 being a setting sun.  On 17 one of our guys hit a hook around the fence back by the 18th box, we yelled but nobody moved.  We got up there and the guy on the tips started saying something (not sure why you're the one who elected to just stand there with 4 guys yelling), and I walked right up to him and told him this isn't something he wants to start at this point with a kid in their group and how slow they've been, he grabbed his bag and huffed off.  Unreal.

 

Anyway, despite all the ridiculousness, I still managed an okay round.  3 birdies on the card, but a couple of dumb mistakes coming in by playing a bit aggressive wiped those out ending with an even par 71 round.   Makray next weekend, hopefully the afternoon decision works out a bit better there, but I'm not keeping my hopes up.

[zer0]

On 9/7/2024 at 11:15 AM, sittonsideways said:

I almost played Lost Marsh just to witness it for myself. Is there an argument it falls into the “so bad it’s good” category?

 

 

Lost Marsh isn't bad, definitely worth playing.   Just has some crazy gauntlet of holes at the start and a few other weird holes throughout the round.

[zer0]

11 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

We should put together a comprehensive list of turds for the new transplants to our fair area. 

Indian Boundary: I’ve avoided IB but Bear has some stories about their clientele. Very open about their niche bathroom reading material. 
Edgebrook: A lovely dirt/weeds/hardpan mixture with mats on tee boxes. Wildlife is good though. 
Scherwood: A trashy favorite of mine. Their fairways currently have grubs. Greens and bunkers are good though. 
Fresh Meadows: Is it a cemetery yet? Is it still open? Does it matter? 
Jackson Park: Oldest public course in the Midwest. Tiger claims he’s going to convert JP and South Shore (9 holer across the street) into a 7300 yard par 70 that can host tour events. Insert “I don’t believe you” gif here. 
Midlane: The blades of grass to goose sh!t ratio is 1:1

Chapel Hill: Holes 11-14 are very Edgebrookian. 
 

Oh, if you play a course that has a good layout and feels like it could be really solid if it was operated by a functional management company (cough-Foxford Hills and Oak Grove) it’s probably a GolfVisions course. 

 

 

You might be missing the worst of all, Carriage Greens.

[TheBear95]

7 minutes ago, zer0 said:

 

 

You might be missing the worst of all, Carriage Greens.

 

I would second this. Don't let the views of that short par 3 from I-55 tempt you. Stay far, far away.

 

[MountainKing]

1 hour ago, zer0 said:

 

 

Lost Marsh isn't bad, definitely worth playing.   Just has some crazy gauntlet of holes at the start and a few other weird holes throughout the round.

 

I agree that it's worth playing, it gets some pretty polarizing opinions so it's one you probably should see for yourself.  Personally I think they really had a huge miss on the holes around the pond, especially holes 4 and 5.   Then you have 12 which could see a good drive getting blocked out from the green, 13 which forces you to hit a fade because of the trees. Any straight ball or draw ends up in the crap.  14 is just a hilariously bad par 5 and 15 forces you to lay up pretty far back unless you want to risk running into water or OB.   Despite that, some people seem to love it.  I think it could be decent with a few changes.

[Argonne69]

24 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

 

I agree that it's worth playing, it gets some pretty polarizing opinions so it's one you probably should see for yourself.  Personally I think they really had a huge miss on the holes around the pond, especially holes 4 and 5.   Then you have 12 which could see a good drive getting blocked out from the green, 13 which forces you to hit a fade because of the trees. Any straight ball or draw ends up in the crap.  14 is just a hilariously bad par 5 and 15 forces you to lay up pretty far back unless you want to risk running into water or OB.   Despite that, some people seem to love it.  I think it could be decent with a few changes.

 

I think the Z shaped par 5 14 is a fantastic risk/reward par 5 on both the tee shot and approach. One can risk cutting the corner over the tall trees to a blind landing zone, and have a mid iron into the green. Hit a fade around the corner, and one can possibly go for the green in two with a high draw, but there's trouble left, right, and long. As a three shot hole it's a 3 wood, 6 iron, and wedge to a multi tier green. Only real issue is that like most reachable par 5s it can create a backup with players waiting for the green to clear. 

 

The 15th is also a decent risk/reward hole. How much are you willing to bite off with the pond right, especially with OB left? Lay back too far and it's a tough approach to a dangerous infinity green. Lol. 

 

Edited September 9, 2024 by Argonne69

[TheBear95]

21 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I think the Z shaped par 5 14 is a fantastic risk/reward par 5 on both the tee shot and approach. One can risk cutting the corner over the tall trees to a blind landing zone, and have a mid iron into the green. Hit a fade around the corner, and one can possibly go for the green in two with a high draw, but there's trouble left, right, and long. As a three shot hole it's a 3 wood, 6 iron, and wedge to a multi tier green. Only real issue is that like most reachable par 5s it can create a backup with players waiting for the green to clear. 

 

The 15th is also a decent risk/reward hole. How much are you willing to bite off with the pond right, especially with OB left? Lay back too far and it's a tough approach to a dangerous infinity green. Lol. 

 

 

This post has been paid for by Thomas McDermott Jr.

[MountainKing]

27 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I think the Z shaped par 5 14 is a fantastic risk/reward par 5 on both the tee shot and approach. One can risk cutting the corner over the tall trees to a blind landing zone, and have a mid iron into the green. Hit a fade around the corner, and one can possibly go for the green in two with a high draw, but there's trouble left, right, and long. As a three shot hole it's a 3 wood, 6 iron, and wedge to a multi tier green. Only real issue is that like most reachable par 5s it can create a backup with players waiting for the green to clear. 

 

The 15th is also a decent risk/reward hole. How much are you willing to bite off with the pond right, especially with OB left? Lay back too far and it's a tough approach to a dangerous infinity green. Lol. 

 

 

Fantastic is an interesting choice of words - it's a good scramble hole, but in no world would you take either the tee shot or second shot risk in a stroke play event.  The window you have to get your ball into a playable area requires almost a perfect shot/line or you're a re-tee.replaying the 2nd shot.   I shockingly think you're the first person to ever say anything positive about that hole!

 

The 15th wouldn't be so bad if they leveled out the fairway a bit.  Unless you catch the middle 10 yards, or it's a wet day, your ball is kicking hard toward a hazard.  I'm not a huge fan of designs that punish good shots, it's a crap shoot if a good drive there will stay in the fairway, or result in you hitting 3.

Edited September 9, 2024 by MountainKing

[Springsteennut]

22 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

I will die on the hill that MILF Creek is worse than Tanna Farms

You won’t need a very big hill to get people to agree with you there.

[ldchristopher]

58 minutes ago, Springsteennut said:

You won’t need a very big hill to get people to agree with you there.

It’s less a hill and more a small mound

[Shriner]

Our annual MI golf trip was last weekend, which is a funny name considering one course was actually in MI.  That said, house is in the family of our friend's wife and on 40 acres pretty much on the MI/Indiana border so no complaints.  What a setting to wake up to each morning.

 

Anyways, the staple of the trip has been Whittaker Woods.  Tough, brutal tee shots, but unreal scenery.  We saw the posts warning us about the conditions but we felt like we had to say a proper goodbye.  Thank God we saw the posts because not much else could have prepared us to get up to the first tee box and see 8-10" tall grass/weeds all over the back and second to back tee boxes.  The fairways were dead, and half dirt.  I made my own tee boxes at the back tees and took it all in for one last time, because we can never go back.  Only fitting to finish up at 6pm and the 19th hole is closed.  Sad, sad to see what has become.  The highlight was the staff telling another golfer that they got hit by alot of heat and used some bad chemicals.  Lol, there are tons of golf courses nearby that are fine.  Does in only get hot in New Buffalo?

 

Day two at Elbel Park...complete diamond in the rough.  Nicest staff member I have ever met and the scenery was great.  Tons of birds/wildlife.  For the price, excellent conditions and smooth greens.  It was just narrow enough to get close to being gimmicky, but not over the edge.  Would 100% go back.  Greenbush Brewing for lunch and Evil Czech for dinner...both restaurant quality food.

 

Last day, we have gotten smart and cut the trip in half to avoid the nasty border traffic.  Played at Coyote Run and we can only assume people were watching Bears because we had the course to ourselves.  Also, excellent conditions.   Fairways here are pristine and for a Sunday $69, sign me up!  86, 80 and 82...I'll take it for the complete lack of golf this year.

[zer0]

3 hours ago, Shriner said:

Greenbush Brewing for lunch and Evil Czech for dinner...both restaurant quality food.

 

 

 

that's an interesting compliment to give a restaurant 🤣

 

Come to our restaurant where you will experience all the culinary delights of restaurant quality food.

[J3H]

On 9/8/2024 at 9:11 PM, ldchristopher said:

We should put together a comprehensive list of turds for the new transplants to our fair area. 

Indian Boundary: I’ve avoided IB but Bear has some stories about their clientele. Very open about their niche bathroom reading material. 
Edgebrook: A lovely dirt/weeds/hardpan mixture with mats on tee boxes. Wildlife is good though. 
Scherwood: A trashy favorite of mine. Their fairways currently have grubs. Greens and bunkers are good though. 
Fresh Meadows: Is it a cemetery yet? Is it still open? Does it matter? 
Jackson Park: Oldest public course in the Midwest. Tiger claims he’s going to convert JP and South Shore (9 holer across the street) into a 7300 yard par 70 that can host tour events. Insert “I don’t believe you” gif here. 
Midlane: The blades of grass to goose sh!t ratio is 1:1

Chapel Hill: Holes 11-14 are very Edgebrookian. 
 

Oh, if you play a course that has a good layout and feels like it could be really solid if it was operated by a functional management company (cough-Foxford Hills and Oak Grove) it’s probably a GolfVisions course. 

Crane's Landing needs to be on here, that course is a dump

[J3H]

Well finally was able to check The Glen Club off my list, that course was brutal for me.  I was able to play it for free being an NV5 volunteer but had I payed to play I wouldn't feel like the value was there.  Was in great shape and the greens rolled true but nothing stood out and made it spectacular.  Glad I got to get in prior to them closing a few holes for bunker renovation though.  What's the consensus here on The Glen Club?

[Shriner]

2 hours ago, zer0 said:

 

that's an interesting compliment to give a restaurant 🤣

 

Come to our restaurant where you will experience all the culinary delights of restaurant quality food.

 

Ha!  Those aren't restaurants, they are breweries.  It's not easy to find breweries with restaurant quality food.  They are almost non-existent in Illinois.

[DavePelz4]

14 minutes ago, J3H said:

Well finally was able to check The Glen Club off my list, that course was brutal for me.  I was able to play it for free being an NV5 volunteer but had I payed to play I wouldn't feel like the value was there.  Was in great shape and the greens rolled true but nothing stood out and made it spectacular.  Glad I got to get in prior to them closing a few holes for bunker renovation though.  What's the consensus here on The Glen Club?

 

For me it's a solid eh.

[Argonne69]

Just now, J3H said:

Well finally was able to check The Glen Club off my list, that course was brutal for me.  I was able to play it for free being an NV5 volunteer but had I payed to play I wouldn't feel like the value was there.  Was in great shape and the greens rolled true but nothing stood out and made it spectacular.  Glad I got to get in prior to them closing a few holes for bunker renovation though.  What's the consensus here on The Glen Club?

 

I like Fazio, and the Glen Club is my favorite course in the area, followed by Dubs. Now, it's certainly not worth the regular summer rate. I used to walk it in the late fall on a crisp October weekday.

 

I spent 6 years in the Navy Reserve at Glenview Naval Air Station, and it always amazed me what they did to that flat airfield. 'Could use without the housing, though.

 

[zer0]

48 minutes ago, Shriner said:

 

Ha!  Those aren't restaurants, they are breweries.  It's not easy to find breweries with restaurant quality food.  They are almost non-existent in Illinois.

 

 

I don't know about that.  These days lots of breweries offer up quality gastropub food.     Go see @Argonne69 thread about his cross country golf odyssey.  

[TheBear95]

2 hours ago, J3H said:

Crane's Landing needs to be on here, that course is a dump

 

100% agree. Absolutely should be listed.

[chisag]

3 hours ago, J3H said:

Crane's Landing needs to be on here, that course is a dump

 

 

... It's not so bad if you can wear a catcher's helmet/mask, chest protector and shin guards. 😱

[MountainKing]

20 hours ago, J3H said:

Well finally was able to check The Glen Club off my list, that course was brutal for me.  I was able to play it for free being an NV5 volunteer but had I payed to play I wouldn't feel like the value was there.  Was in great shape and the greens rolled true but nothing stood out and made it spectacular.  Glad I got to get in prior to them closing a few holes for bunker renovation though.  What's the consensus here on The Glen Club?

 

Am I the only one who is finding the "value" discussion when it comes to courses tiring?  I know this past year it's become a staple with the rising costs.  I hate paying it, and rarely do I think a single course I've played is worth what they're charging, but they're charging it and getting it.  You know what it costs going in, and there should be enough info to get details on the course before going in, so complaining about it after just seems bizarre.   I know I'm guilty of it myself but I'm really trying to get to a point where I just judge a course for what it is and not bother with the rest.   I can't tell you how many times I've seen "it's a $70 course at best"....  Fresh Meadows is charging $65 for their prime rate, so yeah.

Edited September 11, 2024 by MountainKing

[B-Man]

Eagle Ridge Galena over the weekend for an outing with 18 players. All 63 holes over 3 days. Green fees waaaay too much for the poor conditions. They still have no idea how to set up those golf courses ideally for the average player. Greens soft and slow. Numerous bunkers were no more than caked mud. Fairways and tees were in great condition though. The only eagle I saw there was my chip in on the 3rd at the General!

[mci711]

22 hours ago, J3H said:

Well finally was able to check The Glen Club off my list, that course was brutal for me.  I was able to play it for free being an NV5 volunteer but had I payed to play I wouldn't feel like the value was there.  Was in great shape and the greens rolled true but nothing stood out and made it spectacular.  Glad I got to get in prior to them closing a few holes for bunker renovation though.  What's the consensus here on The Glen Club?

 

I think it is above average, but nothing more. If I never play it again that is fine. The few times I have been there I have been either paired up or played through "members" and both experiences were awful. Some how some of the most pretentious people I've ever met. You are a member at a public course, not Chicago GC. 

[MountainKing]

3 hours ago, B-Man said:

Eagle Ridge Galena over the weekend for an outing with 18 players. All 63 holes over 3 days. Green fees waaaay too much for the poor conditions. They still have no idea how to set up those golf courses ideally for the average player. Greens soft and slow. Numerous bunkers were no more than caked mud. Fairways and tees were in great condition though. The only eagle I saw there was my chip in on the 3rd at the General!

 

That's rough to hear - some buddies of mine went a few months back and said it really looked like it was coming around.  I know they hire a lot of college kids to work there and I wonder if losing them this time of year reflects in what you get.  I don't think it's an easy place to find employees given it's location, but that doesn't excuse poor conditions given it is a destination course.

[sittonsideways]

On 9/10/2024 at 1:20 PM, J3H said:

Well finally was able to check The Glen Club off my list, that course was brutal for me.  I was able to play it for free being an NV5 volunteer but had I payed to play I wouldn't feel like the value was there.  Was in great shape and the greens rolled true but nothing stood out and made it spectacular.  Glad I got to get in prior to them closing a few holes for bunker renovation though.  What's the consensus here on The Glen Club?

Played it today. Decent enough course, albeit a steep $215 or so. Without getting too much in the weeds on what it’s worth, I’ll say that I will not frequent this one at that rate. It’s pretty easy to get to and from and I would definitely play here more if it were more economical. It was an easy 25 minute drive from Wicker Park and roughly 45 coming back. That in itself is worth as much as the quality of the course. 

[Argonne69]

32 minutes ago, sittonsideways said:

Played it today. Decent enough course, albeit a steep $215 or so. Without getting too much in the weeds on what it’s worth, I’ll say that I will not frequent this one at that rate. It’s pretty easy to get to and from and I would definitely play here more if it were more economical. It was an easy 25 minute drive from Wicker Park and roughly 45 coming back. That in itself is worth as much as the quality of the course. 

 

Check out the late fall rates in October. Much more reasonable, and generally quite empty if you can get out during the week. 

 

[Holy Moses]

Hadn’t played the Preserve in years. $125 is too much for the course, but I still like the layout. Course was in great shape. Greens were very smooth after the aeration and I could find very few ballmarks. Some tee boxes were a bit shaggy, but that comes with lots of play in September. The super might have been trying to help some tees recover because it seemed like every tee was moved up one closer and the longest tee boxes weren’t used. Of course the grass practice range was closed; it’s pretty much never been open when I’ve been there. Why do they make really deep practice bunkers where you can’t even see where the ball lands? Somehow four groups were on the 10th hole and a big backup ensued. The ranger got things moving and it was a normal round at 4 hours, 10 minutes.

 

 

[DavePelz4]

Comp round at Carillon yesterday, red to white. Seeing that this course is rarely reviewed, will walk you through the entire experience. Booking was easy, but the website is archaic. Having not played the course in probably 10 years, they allegedly had a hole by hole description/flyover and you just had to click on a hole.  Well, that didn't work on any of the 3 browsers tried.

 

Checking in the person in the proshop asked if I wanted range balls. He said there were 25 per token so I asked for two tokens.  He denied that ask and said they didn't have enough so I could only have 1 token and that turned out to be only 20 balls and they were limited distance, too.

 

The range is basically a wide open area with no actual targets, just signs every 25 yards,  However, the distances were off by 15 - 25 yards. I thought it strange when a limited flight range ball went 275 off the driver. At my advanced age, that distance isn't in the bag anymore. Pulled out the rangefinder and it was actually 215. Well, ok.

 

The other part of the practice area being a chipping green and a separate putting green were in good condition and a nice bonus. 

 

On to the course.  Without a doubt, they attempted to focus on the links aspect of courses.  The fairways were rock hard and easily added 30-50 yards to tee shots.  That got me into trouble right away on the par 5 first. It was 275 to the junk, and as shared before I don't have that in the bag, unless the course is rock hard. Once I saw the first bounce, there was no doubt I was a word that rhymed with ducked.  On probably 5-6 holes, I had to drop down to a hybrid off the tee and if you flighted it low, it would run forever. My 4h was going as far as a normal driver.

 

Enough variety in hole length, etc., that the course wasn't boring. For a Saturday, there were some extreme pin positions including 1 on the 5th hole which was nearly impossible. It was cut into a slope and if you didn't get the ball past the hole, it would come back to your feet. The only person in our group who made it fit it firmly about 3 feel past the hole. Interestingly, it never stopped rolling and came down the slope and dropped in.  

 

The greens/complexes are the defense of the course. Of course, the dirt pits were devoid of sand. The greens were a bit inconsistent in terms of speed with some at a 12, others 9. They were receptive though.

 

Pace was OK for a Saturday, finishing at 4 hours although we waiting on nearly every shot on the back.

 

It's not terribly far from the house, so I'd play it again, but only if Prairie Bluff was full.

[matt70286]

Played Sunset Valley on Friday AM. Course was in pretty good shape although the greens had their fair share of ball marks / repair spots (that said they still rolled fairly well, prob a solid 10 on the stimp).
 

$64 walking on a Friday morning was nice - feels like you can’t really get that in the Chicago area for a decent course these days. Played Winnetka the prior Friday and it was $96 (with cart) for comparison. 

[chisag]

16 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

It's not terribly far from the house, so I'd play it again, but only if Prairie Bluff was full.

 

... Living in Bolingbrook, my preferred rotation playing with friends was in order: Prairie Bluff, Naperbrook, Cog Hill #1 and Carillon. I found all of them very solid muni's for bargain prices. Excellent description of Carillon 👍 and I only used that range once. You learn pretty quickly if using a driver off that first tee, you have to fly the bunker or hug it just left because as you found out anything down the middle or left has a good chance of going in the water. #18 on White is one of my favorite holes on any course. I don't think there is one weak hole on Red/White. I know economics have changed in 5 years but I don't think I ever paid more than $35 to play there. 

... You probably know it was designed to be a private course and they ran out of money so temporarily opened to the public until it became permanent. I love the lay out and always found it interesting and fun. Especially all the par 5's on Red/White (the par 5 Blue 5th is one of the worst I have ever played) that are all risk reward challenges to reach in two if you hit a big first drive. The par 3's are pretty challenging with a wide range of yardage. One of the courses I really miss playing.