Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round 3)

[chisag]

21 minutes ago, TheBear95 said:

 

LD mentioned this to me last Sunday and I have to agree. It is so easy now to watch the games on your phone that guys can play, fart around in their cart and watch the Bears get hammered all at the same time. And since actually playing golf seems pretty low on the priority list for most groups golfing these days (especially in the afternoons), it fits.

 

 

... You guys know other than a true fanatic, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger Bears fan. But it completely escapes me why anyone would want to listen to a Bears game while playing golf let alone watch it on their phones. For me at least both need your full attention and someone isn't doing justice to either doing both at the same time. 

... LOL I was playing one Sunday afternoon and knew enough to announce to my partners I am DVR'ing the Bears game so PLEASE do not tell me anything about the game. This idiot that could blend in with the SNL Da Bears crew tells me near the end of the round "Not gonna say anything about the game but as a Bears fan you are gonna be very happy" 😱  

[Argonne69]

50 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... You guys know other than a true fanatic, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger Bears fan. But it completely escapes me why anyone would want to listen to a Bears game while playing golf let alone watch it on their phones. For me at least both need your full attention and someone isn't doing justice to either doing both at the same time. 

... LOL I was playing one Sunday afternoon and knew enough to announce to my partners I am DVR'ing the Bears game so PLEASE do not tell me anything about the game. This idiot that could blend in with the SNL Da Bears crew tells me near the end of the round "Not gonna say anything about the game but as a Bears fan you are gonna be very happy" 😱  

 

I used to record the Bears' games, and try to avoid spoilers until I got back after my round. A few years ago I finished my round at Harborside at 1:00 pm, and decided to turn on the radio on the way home. I figured I'd catch the 2nd half. 

 

The Bears were down something like 49-0 to the Patriots. I got home and deleted the recording without watching a minute of it. Wasn't going to spoil a nice Sunday afternoon. 

 

Edited October 4, 2024 by Argonne69

[chisag]

10 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I used to record the Bears' games, and try to avoid spoilers until I got back after my round. A few years ago I finished my round at Harborside at 1:00 pm, and decided to turn on the radio on the way home. I figured I'd catch the 2nd half. 

 

The Bears were down something like 49-0 to the Patriots. I got home and deleted the recording without watching a minute of it. Wasn't sure going to spoil a nice Sunday afternoon. 

 

 

 

... Haha for me those games were meant to suffer through. Those agonizing games for far too many years are what makes this year's Bear's team so much fun. They finally have a QB and while it is still a work in progress Bears fans that still think "the Bears will screw things up" will have to get used to the arrow pointing up for a change. I know many wallowed in doom and gloom (with good reason) but the tide is turning for long suffering deep dish, sah-seeg san-wich eating' fans. 

[@_the_crook]

@TheBear95

 

IIRC, the official season ended Sept 20th.

We have retained the first tee time until the course closes in November. .

 

I love that place.

Edited October 4, 2024 by @_the_crook
s

[MountainKing]

Back out to Flossmore this morning.  What a damn good golf course and a brutally tough course.   The more I play it the more I love it.   Conditions were fantastic,  as expected.   They had an event following us so greens were running at a 13 with some pins that were just impossible.   The member we were with said this is about as hard as he's seen it all year.

 

Started off with a thin drive on 1, after getting made fun of for being 40 yards beind everybody,  I proceeded to dump my 2nd on the green and drained the eagle putt.   Had two birds on 10 and 18, but a couple doubles in the mix and 4 3 putts for a 79.   Overall it hit it good,  just a real tough day on the greens.  

[DavePelz4]

Finished our comp season (thankfully) at Blackstone on Saturday.  Guessing I've played 100+ rounds on Blackstone in all kinds of conditions, and it's safe to say that was the fastest the course, and greens were ever. Chris, the pro, shared that after the greens were cut that morning, they were stimping at 11.5 but I'm guessing after all the wind, sheesh it was windy, they got up to at least 13 if not even higher. Greens that were exposed, which is most of the greens were lightening and being above the hole was a disaster. On #7, 2 of the guys I played with putted their balls off the green. On #2, I was on the fringe, had about 25 feet to the pin, should have putted, but decided to chip it a foot, and it rolled off the green on the other side. Just a harbinger of the round.

 

This was our 23rd year of competition, and now our group has players ranging from their 20's up to 70's, with fathers and sons/son's in law, are now part of the group. The person who won this year blew away the points record (Stableford and match play) and was in first place the entire season, which has never happened before. For the person in this forum who is aware of our comp, yes it was "Bob" who won and set all kinds of records. We paid out over $4,000 this year, our largest prize pool ever.

 

Lots of work to do in the offseason. Need to figure out how to take the range to the course, and string multiple good shots together as there were certainly opportunities to do that on Saturday. I hadn't finished outside the top 4 in 10 years and had my worst finish, ever. 

 

Time to go do something fun for a change, think I'll go play golf.

 

 

Edited October 7, 2024 by DavePelz4

[MountainKing]

34 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

Finished our comp season (thankfully) at Blackstone on Saturday.  Guessing I've played 100+ rounds on Blackstone in all kinds of conditions, and it's safe to say that was the fastest the course, and greens were ever. Chris, the pro, shared that after the greens were cut that morning, they were stimping at 11.5 but I'm guessing after all the wind, sheesh it was windy, they got up to at least 13 if not even higher. Greens that were exposed, which is most of the greens were lightening and being above the hole was a disaster. On #7, 2 of the guys I played with putted their balls off the green. On #2, I was on the fringe, had about 25 feet to the pin, should have putted, but decided to chip it a foot, and it rolled off the green on the other side. Just a harbinger of the round.

 

This was our 23rd year of competition, and now our group has players ranging from their 20's up to 70's, with fathers and sons/son's in law, are now part of the group. The person who won this year blew away the points record (Stableford and match play) and was in first place the entire season, which has never happened before. For the person in this forum whose aware of our comp, yes it was "Bob" who won and set all kinds of records. We paid out over $4,000 this year, our largest prize pool ever.

 

Lots of work to do in the offseason. Need to figure out how to take the range to the course, and string multiple good shots together as there were certainly opportunities to do that on Saturday. I hadn't finished outside the top 4 in 10 years and had my worst finish, ever. 

 

Time to go do something fun for a change, think I'll go play golf.

 

 

 

 

I love that you guys do this.   I'd love to get something like this with my group, something beyond just the weekly money games.  

 

That 7th hole at Blackstone gives me nightmares.  It's gotta be one of the hardest short par 4's around that I have yet to figure out how to really play after all these rounds.  If you go for it and end up right of that green I feel like you're dead.   It feels like a very difficult green to hit even from 100 yards if you layup.  Best place to end up is front left but even that's no treat, and you got that OB right up there.  Last week it was downwind enough to try and get there with a hybrid, got it in that front left collection area and still couldn't get a chip anywhere near the pin.

[ssp]

45 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

Finished our comp season (thankfully) at Blackstone on Saturday.  Guessing I've played 100+ rounds on Blackstone in all kinds of conditions, and it's safe to say that was the fastest the course, and greens were ever. Chris, the pro, shared that after the greens were cut that morning, they were stimping at 11.5 but I'm guessing after all the wind, sheesh it was windy, they got up to at least 13 if not even higher. Greens that were exposed, which is most of the greens were lightening and being above the hole was a disaster. On #7, 2 of the guys I played with putted their balls off the green. On #2, I was on the fringe, had about 25 feet to the pin, should have putted, but decided to chip it a foot, and it rolled off the green on the other side. Just a harbinger of the round.

 

This was our 23rd year of competition, and now our group has players ranging from their 20's up to 70's, with fathers and sons/son's in law, are now part of the group. The person who won this year blew away the points record (Stableford and match play) and was in first place the entire season, which has never happened before. For the person in this forum whose aware of our comp, yes it was "Bob" who won and set all kinds of records. We paid out over $4,000 this year, our largest prize pool ever.

 

Lots of work to do in the offseason. Need to figure out how to take the range to the course, and string multiple good shots together as there were certainly opportunities to do that on Saturday. I hadn't finished outside the top 4 in 10 years and had my worst finish, ever. 

 

Time to go do something fun for a change, think I'll go play golf.

 

 

Played Sunday at Blackstone @9:30.  Course was fast.  Greens were very quick and in nice shape.  Played with my son which was an added bonus.  Tad windy though.  Was also impressed at that time with a full T sheet that we played in 4:05.  I always enjoy playing there.

[DavePelz4]

1 hour ago, MountainKing said:

 

 

I love that you guys do this.   I'd love to get something like this with my group, something beyond just the weekly money games.  

 

That 7th hole at Blackstone gives me nightmares.  It's gotta be one of the hardest short par 4's around that I have yet to figure out how to really play after all these rounds.  If you go for it and end up right of that green I feel like you're dead.   It feels like a very difficult green to hit even from 100 yards if you layup.  Best place to end up is front left but even that's no treat, and you got that OB right up there.  Last week it was downwind enough to try and get there with a hybrid, got it in that front left collection area and still couldn't get a chip anywhere near the pin.

 

Ironically, 7 was one of the few holes I played appropriately. No longer have the length to get there, and it was a cross wind on Saturday, so I left it just short of the fairway bunker and hit a lob shot to the front of the green and even then it rolled out an easy 25 feet. Short doesn't always mean easy, like my prom date in high school.

[MountainKing]

5 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

Ironically, 7 was one of the few holes I played appropriately. No longer have the length to get there, and it was a cross wind on Saturday, so I left it just short of the fairway bunker and hit a lob shot to the front of the green and even then it rolled out an easy 25 feet. Short doesn't always mean easy, like my prom date in high school.

 

100% true - even full shots I never feel like I can spin the ball enough for that green, or in the case of a front left pin I spin it too much and it's off the green making me mad I didn't just go for it.  That's one of the few 300 yard holes where if you want to give me a par and let me walk tot he next box I would take it every single time.

[Springsteennut]

I’m playing Blackstone Friday. My confidence is not high. 

[RGlaze978]

Played Palmilla, Cabo del Sol, Puerto Los Cabos, and Quivira in Cabo last week. Quivira is something else - wonderful experience. 
 

 

 

Playing Beverley CC tomorrow. 

Edited October 8, 2024 by RGlaze978

[sittonsideways]

11 hours ago, RGlaze978 said:

Played Palmilla, Cabo del Sol, Puerto Los Cabos, and Quivira in Cabo last week. Quivira is something else - wonderful experience. 
 

 

 

Playing Beverley CC tomorrow. 

Coming up the hill/mountain and seeing the Pacific for the first time is a crazy moment. Then you play back-to-back holes from the side of a cliff and golf takes a back seat for a couple of hours. Wild piece of land. 

[DavePelz4]

Wasn't aware that Orchard Valley will be closed for the 2025 season. Replacing all the bridges, new irrigation, redoing the bunkers with a new drainage system, filling in the swamp on 13 and moving the 10th green further away from the houses. The park district is investing $8M into this.

Edited October 9, 2024 by DavePelz4

[MountainKing]

1 hour ago, DavePelz4 said:

Wasn't aware that Orchard Valley will be closed for the 2025 season. Replacing all the bridges, new irrigation, redoing the bunkers with a new drainage system, filling in the swamp on 13 and moving the 10th green further away from the house. The park district is investing $8M into this.

 

I read through the plans a while back and was really let down by some of the proposed changes.  They really need to address hole 9 with the road/driving range right there.  It's a dangerous hole as it sits for both the guys playing 9 and dealing with the slices coming from the range, and the cars cruising up and down Orchard with how close that road sits to the course.   The road going up the landing area is only 20-25 paces off the fairway.  A small pull or a slightly over cooked draw easily lands in it.  It's so close that years ago I managed to snap hook one right over the road into the houses on the other side.

 

Moving the green on 10 away from the houses puts it right up against the road, and hole 11 is a similar situation as 9.   The proposed fix on 13 is dumb and doesn't fix any issues with that hole, just band aids it.  The real fix IMO would be pulling the green back 70 yards, make it small and undulating right up against the water so you have a very difficult 130 yard approach shot.   In an event you could also move the tees way up creating a driveable risk/reward hole. 

 

 

[VNutz]

Great that they're putting work into it, sucks to lose it for a year though. Also concerned what the rates might be post fix. After the Oak Meadows to Preserve conversion I'm skeptical it will be in the best interest for the public golfer.

[J3H]

Playing Wolf Hollow in Lean this weekend.  Heard outstanding things about it, anyone play there recently?

[propman]

1 minute ago, J3H said:

Playing Wolf Hollow in Lean this weekend.  Heard outstanding things about it, anyone play there recently?

Played it a few times yrs ago. Decent "links" style course in good condition.

I wouldn't rate it as outstanding 

The green fees were very reasonable.

Worth playing (imho).

[@_the_crook]

5 hours ago, MountainKing said:

 

I read through the plans a while back and was really let down by some of the proposed changes.  They really need to address hole 9 with the road/driving range right there.  It's a dangerous hole as it sits for both the guys playing 9 and dealing with the slices coming from the range, and the cars cruising up and down Orchard with how close that road sits to the course.   The road going up the landing area is only 20-25 paces off the fairway.  A small pull or a slightly over cooked draw easily lands in it.  It's so close that years ago I managed to snap hook one right over the road into the houses on the other side.

 

Moving the green on 10 away from the houses puts it right up against the road, and hole 11 is a similar situation as 9.   The proposed fix on 13 is dumb and doesn't fix any issues with that hole, just band aids it.  The real fix IMO would be pulling the green back 70 yards, make it small and undulating right up against the water so you have a very difficult 130 yard approach shot.   In an event you could also move the tees way up creating a driveable risk/reward hole. 

 

 

my buddy used to live there on Deerpath and his house was about 20 feet off the green. if you hit long and were a bit off, you were hitting his back porch.  one time we played together, he texted his wife when we teed off on that hole and she came outside with drinks for us at the green.

Edited October 9, 2024 by @_the_crook
sp

[ldchristopher]

I played a twilight round at Prairie Landing today. They had just punched their greens two days ago. Huge punches and heavily top dressed. Just plinkorific. The rest of the course was in the shape I expect at Landing and $51 to walk is fine. I wouldn’t drop $76 to play there at twilight in a cart though. 

There was no one on the front and I flew. Hit every fairway and every green. Only one birdie though, on 7. 35 at the turn. I caught a single in a cart but pace was fine until 12, when there were four groups. It was a slow crawl the rest of the way. The culprits were a foursome playing at a glacial pace. I finished at dusk. My aggravation level was…heightened and I bogied the last three holes for a 75. The mental part remains a challenge at times.To hit every fairway and finish 3 over is not my best effort. Back to dew sweeping and setting the pace on Saturday at a true masterpiece: Spring Valley. 

[Guest]

20 hours ago, ldchristopher said:

Spring Valley

If you are talking SVCC in Salem it is quite fun.  The mostly small push up greens are a real treat, although I'm not a huge fan of 9 or 18 greens, the layout from tee to green is pretty damn good.  

 

I was up in the UP last week for a few days and played Iron River CC, which I believe shares a lineage with SVCC, definitely similarities.  Very nice piece of rolling terrain with some elevation change, fun holes, and superb green complexes/surrounds.  They were hairy and needed mowing but they would be a real treat running quick.  Mostly small/pushed up and beautifully shaped!

Edited October 11, 2024 by ode

[ldchristopher]

2 hours ago, ode said:

If you are talking SVCC in Salem it is quite fun.  The mostly small push up greens are a real treat, although I'm not a huge fan of 9 or 18 greens, the layout from tee to green is pretty damn good.  

 

I was up in the UP last week for a few days and played Iron River CC, which I believe shares a lineage with SVCC, definitely similarities.  Very nice piece of rolling terrain with some elevation change, fun holes, and superb green complexes/surrounds.  They were hairy and needed mowing but they would be a real treat running quick.  Mostly small/pushed up and beautifully shaped!

Yep. Both Spring Valley and Iron River are Langford and Moreau designs. Steam shovel creations from the Golden Age. There aren’t many largely untouched LM designs but Spring Valley and Iron Mountain both fit that bill. 

[Springsteennut]

Fox Run yesterday. Not much to say. Decent course and conditions. Just stay in or just off the fairway you’ll score alright. Greens were quicker than when I’ve been there before and the ball rolled true. Sand in the bunkers. Blackstone today. Greens were fast and course was in great condition. Played decently both days. 14 and 15 at Blackstone kept me from having a much better score today. I actually get to do the Marengo double since I’m playing Marengo Ridge on Monday then my usual Redtail on Tuesday.

[DavePelz4]

Pretirement round yesterday at Randall Oaks. Haven't been there in a year or so and they've done wonderful things with the course. Best shape I've ever seen it in sans the one bunker I was in that was devoid of sand. Not sure if the course was set up for a "Green Keeper's Revenge" event but the overwhelming majority of pins were cut into slopes. And if I thought Blackstone's greens were fast, RO's were even faster. I was unfortunately above the hole several times and if you missed the hole, you'd have 5-6 feet coming back.  Fortunately, the putter was cooperating nicely and I left without a 3 putt.

 

For the first time this year, there was a semblance of knowing how to play a bit. Of course, it starts after our comp season ended. 

 

Paired up with a wife and husband who couldn't have been nicer. And the wife absolutely smoked her driver.  She was past her husband, and me, quite a few times. She was obviously up a tee box but in some cases, the differential was 10 yards and she blew it 20-30 yards past us. She had a very DeChambeau style swing with the straight arms but she made excellent contact.

 

The only thing that sucked was Friday rush hour traffic. Nearly 2 hours from W. Dundee to the friendly confines of Lockport.

Edited October 12, 2024 by DavePelz4

[ldchristopher]

Setting my alarm for 5:45 PM didn’t really do me any good for a 7:30 AM tee time. If any of you happen to run into the shop jock at Spring Valley, I had plumbing issues. If any of you are the shop jock at Spring Valley, I…umm…had plumbing issues. 

Edited October 12, 2024 by ldchristopher

[DavePelz4]

9 minutes ago, ldchristopher said:

Setting my alarm for 5:45 PM didn’t really do me any good for a 7:30 AM tee time. If any of you happen to run into the shop jock at Spring Valley, I had plumbing issues. If any of you are the shop jock at Spring Valley, I…umm…had plumbing issues. 

 

LD is that your first Senior Moment???

[TheBear95]

52 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

LD is that your first Senior Moment???

 

He wishes, lol.

 

He missed a good time. Spring Valley was extremely firm, which really makes it a fun course. Greens were in good shape too. Got around in 2:20, can't beat that for a Saturday morning. 

[ldchristopher]

3 hours ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

LD is that your first Senior Moment???

Nah. I’ve slept through a few tee times. Usually at Bonnie Brook. 

[DavePelz4]

5 minutes ago, ldchristopher said:

Nah. I’ve slept through a few tee times. Usually at Bonnie Brook. 

 

Ah...it starts with sleeping through tee times and then you find yourself having dinner at 4P and ending your evening with Wheel and Matlock.

 

Teasing.

[Argonne69]

17 minutes ago, DavePelz4 said:

 

Ah...it starts with sleeping through tee times and then you find yourself having dinner at 4P and ending your evening with Wheel and Matlock.

 

Teasing.

 

Dinner at 4 pm? Must be the 2nd seating.