The Odyssey CC - Tinley Park

The First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park (or the World Music Theatre for people over 50 like myself) is a well known venue for Windy City music lovers.  Less well known is the golf course that resides a stones throw to the south, The Odyssey Country Club.  The Chief Design Consultant was two time U.S. Open Champion Curtis Strange, and playing this track is truly an odyssey and likely to reduce your stockpile of balls as water comes into play quite prominently on all but 2 holes.  The course is a combination of strategic bunkering, patches of prairie, numerous lakes, and undulating greens, and at a lengthy 7,100 yards from the tips, one of the longest layouts in the area.

The Odyssey flows through a housing development of the same name and I am not normally a fan of this type of course, but the subdivision was never totally completed and the homes that were built are at a comfortable distance to avoid unintended collisions with errant shots.  (Check out the huge house along the 8th hole with the basketball court which I believe was once owned by Antoine Walker.)  This is the proverbial course cut from a corn field, so any elevation changes are minor and manufactured.  The trees and evergreens (I love the blue spruces left of the 4th fairway) that were planted when The Odyssey opened in the early '90's have matured and add an extra element to the original links styling, but the lakes and bunkers (about 60) are the main contributors to the 73.8 rating / 136 slope from the back tees.  The other 3 tee sets at 6,600, 6,100 and 5,600 yards are nicely spaced to provide the right alternative for a variety of skill levels (I played the 6,600 yard Blue tees), but whatever distance you choose, be prepared for a long day if you stray off the fairway.

The 1st shot of the day will test your mettle with a lake to the left and three fairway traps right, with the water curling around to front the left side of a small green.  (Many of the greens are on the smaller side, unusual for a course built during this time.)  The 2nd hole is the toughest par 3, with the lake to the left, a sand trap fronting the green and OB tight behind.  The only par 4 over 400 yards on the front nine (there are four on the back side) is #6, a dogleg right with the houses making their first appearance right and water in play to the left off the tee which juts towards the fairway about 75 yards out from the green. 

The longest hole at The Odyssey is the 8th, a shade over 600 yards with fairway traps both sides and woods off to the right.  The fairway flows over and down a ridge at the 175 yard marker, with wetlands off to the left.  The front nine finishes with a par 4 that has water bordering both sides of the fairway and a creek crossing at 125 yards from the pin, with a narrow green providing an elusive target on the approach.

The back side is 150 yards longer and a smidge more difficult, with the 435 yard 10th hole a good indicator of the final nine holes.  The ever present water lurks to the right and the trees in the left rough are just large enough to be a nuisance.  The green is wide and shallow and not receptive to any long iron or fairway wood approaches.  The par five 12th hole is only 506 yards, but it will most likely play into the southerly wind, with a creek meandering across the fairway around 100 yards from the green.  But it is the last par 5 at The Odyssey, the 16th, that receives the attention.  The hole is 526 yards and normally downwind from the elevated back tee, with a very unique and penal fairway bunker interspersed through the trees on the left.  A solid drive down the middle will have longer strikers tempted to go for the green in two, but...the putting surface is small and encircled by water, one of the rare non par 3 island greens in the area.  Gimmicky, yes, but still a fun hole.

I think my favorite hole is the 14th, a long dogleg right par 4 that features the only semblance of mature trees on the course, as old growth hardwoods frame the fairway on both sides at the turn.  The final hole is another long par 4 (442 yards) that runs parallel to the 9th, with the same creek crossing the fairway and the water hazard tight to the green on the left.  The grand clubhouse and banquet facility provides the backdrop to this difficult finish.

The top rate at The Odyssey is $66 with cart on weekends ($55 weekdays), with midday and twilight rates available (plus an early bird special of $38 before 7:30 Monday thru Friday), and coupons on the website are almost always accessible.  There is a driving range on site, but it's inconveniently located on the other side of the 1st green.  The carts are equipped with GPS, a nice feature at this price point, and the course was in good condition the day we played in early June.  The Odyssey has never been one of my go to courses, a solid track but not enough variety or "wow" holes for my taste.  But it's priced right, easily accessible (just south of I-80 at the Harlem exit), and you just might hear some live music during your round (we were treated to a Pitbull sound check for that evening's concert).  My recommendation is that this challenging layout is worth a visit.


Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) - 7.5
Playability (20%) - 8
Conditioning (15%) - 8
Aesthetics (15%) - 6.5
Amenities (10%) - 8
Value (20%) - 8

Total Score - 76.75 

The Odyssey Country Club

19110 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Tinley Park

708-429-4837

4 tees, 7,095 / 5,564 yds, par 72

73.8/136 - 69.3/125 rating / slope

M-F $40/55 to 2 pm, $30/45 to 4 pm, $23/34 after 4
Sa-Su $66 w/c to 1 pm, $48 w/c to 3 pm, $37 w/c after 3

M-F $38 w/c before 7:30
M-TU  $30/45 7:30 - 11:30 am
Drivng Range On Site  GPS Equipped Carts

8 minute tee time intervals