Tamarack Golf Club resides just west of Route 59 at approximately 103rd Street at the southwest corner of Naperville, one of the early pioneers of sub-division golf in Chicagoland. My early impressions of Tamarack were not overly favorable; "flat", "bland", "penal" were adjectives that came to mind, with the common theme of "all the fairways slope to the water" being oft repeated (and there are a LOT of water hazards). But the 20 plus years of course maturation has been kind to Tamarack, and my stance has softened with each visit, to where I can now admit that yes, I do enjoy this course, in a masochistic sort of way.
Because Tamarack has regularly kicked this 20 handicappers butt over the years. The par 70 track packs considerable punch, with the back tees a lengthy 6,900 yards and a sizable 73.7 rating / 136 slope. The crowned fairways are not as severe as I remembered, but if you are off the fairway there is still a very good chance that you'll be in a hazard, as each and every hole has water in play to varying degrees. There are over 60 bunkers liberally sprinkled throughout, and between the sand and water, easy access to the greens is rare.
hich feeds into a pond that continues up the right side, and OB left with large evergreens in the rough. The green is an unusual front to back sloping kidney shape that is fronted by several deep bunkers. The 6th & 7th holes also stood out on the front nine, a par 3 with an elevated green perched above a lake, and a par 4 with the fairway funneled through bunkers and the green backed by a variety of trees and shrubs.
The back nine has two par 5's and three par 3's, with the 11th & 17th holes top shelf, tough to par 200 yarders with water prominently on display. The aforementioned 12th is the "signature" hole, featuring a tough drive up a small hill with a pond to the right, and a creek meandering across the fairway and connecting to another pond on the left towards the green. The 2nd shot is blind, so make sure a playing partner forecaddies to see if you find the narrow strip of fairway and avoide the water and the several bunkers that dominate the right side. The longest par 4 on the back, #16, will intimidate most all off the tee with ponds
bordering both sides of the hole to the dogleg, which turns left up to the green.
Everyone both the lowest handicappers would be advised to avoid the tips and stick with the middle sets of the 4 tees at 6,300 and 6,000 yards (but with a still difficult 70.8/130 and 69.3/127 rating / slope, respectively). Although the homes are set back from the course and are mostly a non-issue, several of the greens are uncomfortably close to the street (I scalded a sand wedge over the 10th green, luckily no cars or pedestrians were around), and the 11th hole is diminished by its
proximity to the passing traffic. You'll be crossing neighborhood streets no less than six times during the round, and I guess that's a good lead in to my real opinion of Tamarack...a bunch of good inidvidual holes that would be so much more if placed outside the sub-division. But as it is, still a stout challenge and a good value at under $60.
Layout (20%) - 7.5
Playability (20%) - 7
Conditioning (15%) - 8
Aesthetics (15%) - 6.5
Amenities (10%) - 7
Value (20%) - 8
Total Score - 73.75
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