Cantigny Golf - Wheaton

The first glimpse of the course as you turn off Mack Road into the grounds of Cantigny Golf in Wheaton is the 8th hole of the Woodside nine, 176 yards and all carry over water to an island green that's shared with the 6th hole on the Hillside nine.  This is just one of several "signature" holes at Cantigny, a 27 hole facility designed by Roger Packard that opened to much acclaim in 1989 (Golf Digest best new public course and top 25 public courses in America).  As Cantigny approaches its 25th anniversary, there is little doubt in my mind that it continues to be one of the finest public facilities in the Windy City area.

I played all 27 holes in 2011, the Woodside / Lakeside nines as an 18 hole round and the Hillside nine later in the year.  All 3 are traditional par 36 layouts, with the Woodside / Lakeside rated the most difficult at 74.2 rating / 140 slope from the 7,055 yard back tees.  I played the White tees (the 3rd set of 4 tees), which at about 3,100 yards for each 9 was just about perfect for my skill level.  The courses mostly consist of heavily wooded holes with a few prairie links style holes sprinkled in, but except for the starters on the Woodside and Hillside courses (parallel par 4 doglegs right), each hole is unique and separate.

It's hard to pick a favorite nine, but I tend to lean towards the Lakeside as the most dynamic and interesting of the tracks.  The 1st hole is a stunning par 4 through the woods with a heavily bunkered elevated green, and the 7th hole, a dogleg left cut through the trees, is equally engaging.  The par 3 4th hole has a water carry to a huge green and a monstrous bunker flanking the entire right side, and the 5th is a short, linksy par 5 that is studded with traps the entire way to the green.  The Lakeside ends with a par 4 featuring the fairway bunker in the likeness of Dick Tracy (not sure what the story is on that) and a green that juts into

the lake just west of the clubhouse, a truly testing finish.

I could make the same argument for the other nines, which are loaded with good holes and great views.  #2 on Woodside is a par 5 that is about as close to target golf as you find here as a creek snakes across the fairway about 100 yards from the green, and the other par 5 (#7) runs downhill with a right turn near the end which will impede access to the pin if you don't have the proper angle.  The 3rd hole may well be the best par 3 on the grounds, the longest at 227 yards and tucked deep in the woods at the far corner of the property.  The Hillside 9 is the shortest of the three (just under 3,400 yards from the back tees) but has arguably the toughest hole of the 27, the par 4 6th with water bordering both sides of the fairway and forcing a carry to the previously mentioned island green shared with #8 Woodside.

Cantigny caters to the discriminating golfer who wants a private club  experience without the annual dues and initiation fees, and the triple figure green fees ($115 with cart or caddie on weekends) will draw only thosee serious about the game.  For the ultimate frugal golfer like myself, this is a steep price, but the opportunity to play a classic layout is difficult to discount.  This is the height of public golf in Chicago (the view from the clubhouse of the 9th green Lakeside alone is worth a visit), a pristine track where you may not see anyone except the groups in front and in back of yours.  With the expansive onsite Golf Academy and the 9 hole Youth Links down the street to populate the future golfer pool, Cantigny has it  all covered.

Cantigny currently offers a significant discount at different times to Seniors (over 60) and Juniors (17 and Under) of $60 w/cart, and I'll be counting down the years for when I hit that senior age.  But until then, a viable option is a 9 hole rate where you can hoof it for $35 (and these are eminently walkable tracks), and a quiet morning with just you and this course will remind you of how special a round of golf can be.

Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) - 10
Playability (20%) - 8.5
Conditioning (15%) - 9
Aesthetics (15%) - 9
Amenities (10%) - 10
Value (20%) - 8

Total Score - 90

Cantigny Golf  27W270 Mack Road, Wheaton 630-260-8197 

27 holes - 4 tees
Lakeside - 3,437 / 2,686 par 36
Woodside - 3,567 / 2,739 par 36
Hillside - 3,394 / 2,497 par 36
Lakeside / Woodside 7,004 / 5,425 yds Par 72   74.2/140 - 70.5/131

M-TH  $85 walk / $105 ride
F-SU  $95 / $115  9 holes - $35/47
Srs (60)/Jrs (17&Under) - $60 w/c M-TH, SA-SU after Noon; 9 holes $20/32
10 minute tee time interval