Schaumburg Golf Club

No golf course would appreciate being referred to as "Concrete Acres", but I heard this phrase used more than once to describe the old Golden Acres, a private golf club located on Roselle Road south of Higgins/Route 72.  The Village of Schaumburg stepped in and purchased the property in 1989, and after an extensive update led by architect Bob Lohmann, reopened as the Schaumburg Golf Club in 1992.  After playing all 27 holes at SGC over the last year, I can assure you that the "Concrete Acres" moniker no longer applies, as this is a refined, well conditioned Windy City public golf facility.

The original course was opened as the Westmoor Country Club in 1927, and the 3 nines (Tournament, Baer, Players) are all traditional parkland tracks that flow over a wooded, somewhat hilly piece of northwest suburbia.  All the tracks are between 3,200 to 3,400 yards in length from the tips, not overly long by today's standards, with the Players nine one shot less than the others at par 35.  There are elements of prairie and protected natural areas in numerous spots, especially on the Baer nine, and water is in play on about two-thirds of the 27 holes.  Sand traps are strategically placed but not overwhelming in total, probably 20 to 25 per nine, but the green complexes are uniformly quick and undulating and the feature that best protects par.

I'm hard pressed to pick my favorite nine, but if forced to choose, I'd go with the Players nine.  The 6th hole (or #24, as the holes are numbered sequentially with the Tournament 1-9, Baer 10-18, and Players 19-27) is a 440 yard par 4 with a tight blind tee shot over a slight ridge with Roselle Road to the right (thick woods will keep most wayward shots off the street), and then downhill with a carry over water and wetlands on the 2nd shot and several sand traps near the green, with the water hazard wrapping around the left side, easily the most memorable hole at Schaumburg.  The next hole is a short par 4 (354 yards) with an inlet of water from the previous hole to be cleared off the tee, and another pond to the left the last 150 yards. 

The 8th (26th) hole is the only par 3 over 200 yards (221 from the back tees), with OB right and an elevated green adding a few more yards to the tee shot.

The Tournament nine begins impressively with a beautiful par five (at 555 yards the longest at SGC), a sweeping dogleg left from an elevated tee, with the fairway banked from the right and water off to the left, and an uphill approach at the end.  The 3rd hole is a tiny par three at only 129 yards, but the carry over a creek to a huge two tiered green ably protects par.  The 530 yard 4th hole has a big view from the elevated tee, with the creek flowing up the right side and feeding into a lake that guards the green, and the 5th hole is a deceptive par 4

that appears much longer than 340 yards, as the drive must carry another pond and the 2nd shot is uphill, most likely from an awkward stance.

The Baer nine is the longest at 3,400 yards, thanks to the three long (415 yards +) par 4's.  The right side of the 12th hole is jail with numerous mature hardwoods, and any hole locations on the front quarter of the green are difficult to get close to as the putting surface behind slopes quickly away.  The 15th has prairie on both sides of the fairway and a pond the last 150 yards on the left to the big green, and the 18th tops out at 443 yards, and I'm sure the water to the left tight to the green has ruined many scorecards over the years.

The 5 holes that run perpendicular to Roselle Road (8, 9, 17, 18 and 23) are a little on the tight side, and passing by the 17th green and 18th tee to reach the 9th tee seemed odd, plus the distance from the 22nd green to the 23rd tee across the parking lot is substantial, but those are the only negatives that come to mind.  All three nines were in excellent condition over my 2 visits (Tournament nine last summer, Players/Baer last month), as there are very few rough edges to the bent grass tees, greens and fairways at SGC.  The courses are very playable and straight forward, but still challenging as the slope / rating tops out at 71.1/130 on the

Tournament-Baer combo.  The top greens fee will hit $73 with cart on weekend mornings, with the twilight rate of $51 starting at 3 pm, and there are discounted rates on the SGC website that provide deeper savings (I played early on the Friday after the 4th of July and paid $35 w/cart).  Throw in the elegant prairie style clubhouse, onsite practice range and the standard 10 minute tee time intervals, and Schaumburg GC is a top golf choice in the Windy City.

 

Mr Z Rating

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

Total Score - 84
       

Schaumburg Golf Club

401 N. Roselle Road, Schaumburg

847-885-9000

27 holes, 4 tees
Tournament Nine - 3,238/2,445 yds, par 36
Baer Nine - 3,406/2,410 yds, par 36
Players Nine - 3,197/2,429 yds, par 35
Players/Baer 6,603/4,839 yds, par 71 

71.3/129 - 63.4/111 rating/slope (men)
77.4/134 - 67.6/114 rating/slope (women)

M-F $43/62 to 3 pm, $33/45 after 3, $20/30.50 9 Holes
Sa-Su $54/73 to 3 pm, $39/51 after 3, $23/33.50 9 Holes
Seniors (55) $27/46, $12.50/23 9 Holes M after Noon, Tu-F before Noon 
Juniors (17 & Under) $23/42, $10/20.50 9 Holes M after Noon, Tu-F before Noon

Onsite Driving Range - 10 minute tee time interval