Stony Creek Golf Course - Oak Lawn

I spent the morning of a sweltering hot Independence Day playing in a scramble outing at Stony Creek Golf Course in Oak Lawn.  The course, which opened in 1994, is hidden west of Central Avenue off 103rd Street on a small parcel of land that the course architects somehow managed to squeeze in 18 holes for a 5,000 yard, par 65 course (plus a driving range and miniature golf course, too!).  But "squeeze" is the optimal word here, as there are a few locations that you want to evacuate as soon as possible, especially the 12th green, which is a prime landing zone for any errant drives left off the 8th tee.



But hole proximity issues aside, Stony Creek is actually not a bad little course.  The tees, greens and fairways are all bent grass, there are close to 60 sand traps scattered through the layout (quite a lot on a 5,000 yard track), and there is a wide variety of trees, shrubs, evergreens and native grasses that adds to the aesthetics.  Although there are no ponds / lakes on the course (no room!), the actual Stony Creek flows through the middle of the property and is prominently on display on holes 7, 14 and 15, which require shots over the creek to varying degrees.  There are eight par 3's ranging from 210 yards (#5) down to 118 yards (#17), and the lone par 5 (#10) stretches out to 518 yards from the back tees (3 sets of tees here, with the shortest at 3,570 yards).

The 1st hole is a 350 yard par 4 with the driving range bordering the right side, and then 4 consecutive par 3's begin at #2, certainly not the ideal design but a concession that had to be made to fit 18 holes (the round ends with three par 3's, also).  The 6th  and 7th holes were 2 of my favorites, with the 6th potentially drivable for some at 323 yards, but with a narrow fairway and thick woods to the right and traps fronting the green, big hitters will need to think twice (or maybe not) about pulling the driver out of the bag.  The 7th hole, along with the 15th, are easily the most challenging and dramatic at Stony Creek, as both require crossing the creek through a narrow gap between the trees to get to the hole (my 4 man scramble team carded a double bogey on #7, ouch!).  In all honesty, you could take almost any hole at Stony Creek and drop it into another course and it would fit in nicely, but these 18 holes together, given the tight quarters and the alignment of the par 3's, is like putting a square peg into a round hole, no matter how hard you try, it just doesn't quite work.  Nevertheless, if this course was around when I was a kid (I grew up in Oak Lawn), I would have been here all the time, and that's really who Stony Creek is targeting, youngsters learning to play and seniors and women who are looking for a challenge but don't want the distance.  Although the course rating / slope is at 63.3 / 108, the tight fairways, big sloping greens and abundance of traps will test your skills.  The severe summer drought and the normally heavy play here has taken a toll on several sections of the fairways and greens, but that could be said of many courses in the area this year, and overall it was in decent shape.

So if you're in any of the player categories mentioned above, or if you're looking for a quick round (we sped around in a 22 team scramble event in a little over 4 hours) to practice long irons and your short game, then Stony Creek might be the perfect course for you.  At $40 w/carts (which had both ball washers and club cleaners), or $26 walking (plus a few more $'s off for residents), this course is reasonably priced considering its location in a major southwest suburb.  With the proper expectations, you just might have an enjoyable round.

 
Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) - 5.5
Playability (20%) - 7.5
Conditioning (15%) - 7
Aesthetics (15%) - 6
Amenities (10%) - 8
Value (20%) - 7.5

Total Score - 68.5
 

  Stony Creek Golf Course

5850 West 103rd St, Oak Lawn (708) 857-2433
3 tees, 5,004 / 3,570 yds, par 65
63.8/108  - 61.2/103 rating / slope
M-F $25/39 to 4 pm, $18/27 after 4
Sa-Su $26/40 to 4 pm, $19/28 after 4
Seniors (62) / Juniors (17 & Under) $20/34 M-F
Resident Rates Available
Driving Range on site