I grew up playing Silver Lake CC in Orland Park; as a matter of fact, the first time I ever played golf was at Rolling Hills, the 9 hole course which sits at the northeast corner of the property. The 45 hole complex, about a mile east of Orland Square Mall on 82nd Avenue, is owned by a very familiar name to golfers in this area, the Cog Hill family, and includes the sporty par 70 South course and the “championship” par 72 North course, which I played recently.
The North course plays to a length of just over 6,800 yds from the tips, and features moderately hilly, tree lined fairways and huge, heavily sloped greens. This is the only course I can think of that has 3 par threes and 3 par fives, and the longest of these holes is 168 and 528 yds, respectively, which means there are some hellacious par 4’s (6 over 420 yds, including #9 at a robust 470) that will provide some stern challenges.
The 1st of the long par 4’s is #2, an uphill 447 yarder with a tight landing area off the tee, which is followed by the 528 yard par 5 that sits in the shadow of the “World’s Golf Center” water tower and winds through an assortment of hardwoods and evergreens, reachable in 2 for the biggest hitters but protected by a large bunker fronting the wide, shallow green. The 4th hole is a short (132 yd) par 3 surrounded by sand traps, with a green that is almost as long from front to back as the distance from the tee to the bunkers. The 5th hole is the shortest par 4 at 318 yards, but certainly not the easiest, as an enormous tree sits on the right side of the fairway, then straight uphill to another huge green where you might need binoculars to see the hole if you’re in the wrong spot. The front side finishes with the aforementioned par 4 (which plays more like a par 5 than some of the par 5’s), with bunkers in play off the tee on both sides of the fairway, and a semi blind 2nd shot to the green.
The back nine starts off with 2 tough par 4’s, with a pond very much in play off the tee on #11. The 14th is a good par 4, a slight dogleg right with one of the wider fairways, and the 469 yard par 5 15th provides a great opportunity for birdie. Two more par 4’s (long & straight with OB left and short dogleg left) brings you to 18, a short par 3 over water to yet another gigantic green; if you are shaky with the flat stick, your scorecard may be littered with 3 putts.
The North and South courses date back to the late 1920’s (Rolling Hills opened in 1962), and have been south side golfing mainstays for as long as I can remember. There are some tight spots on the North course, especially the 5th & 6th holes and #’s 2, 15 & 3, where you have a real good chance of being in a neighboring fairway if you’re a little off target, but overall the layout is fine and very walkable for those so inclined. At a top rate of $61 w/cart, Silver Lake is on par with other mid level courses in the area, but they also offer a mid day weekend rate of $30 walking / $40 riding, and the 3 pm twilight drops to a super bargain of $22 / $32. If you live on the south side and are looking for a traditional course that offers relatively good conditions and enough challenge to keep your interest, then the North course at Silver Lake should be an option.
Mr Z Rating
Layout - 7
Playability - 7.5
Conditioning - 7
Aesthetics - 6.5
Amenities -7
Value - 8
Total Score -72
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