White Pines Golf Club - Bensenville

The tag "Pines" in any golf
course name may conjure up visions of a heavily wooded, old school track from a bygone era, and that's exactly what I found when I visited White Pines Golf Course, the 36 hole facility currently operated by the Bensenville Park District.  The layouts date back to the late 1920's and feature thousands of mature deciduous trees and evergreens that create a scenic west suburban playland.  I tackled the 6,600 yard, par 72 West course on a weekday afternoon in August (the East course is a 6,371 yard par 70 and is generally considered the more difficult of the two by the regulars I asked).  My younger golfing partner wanted to play the tips

(71.5/127 rating/slope), so I decided to join him, and despite being humbled by his drives consistently sailing 100 yards past mine, I still managed to scratch out a mid-90's score which could have been much better if I sunk a few putts on the gently sloping, oversized greens.  On my next visit, I'll most likely move up to the 6,335 yard White tees (70.2/124).

To say the fairways at White Pines are tightly tree lined would be an understatement, as the West course has thick woods bordering most every hole.  If you aren't straight off the tee, you'll be spending a lot of time chipping 4 irons back into the short grass.  No drive is tighter than the claustrophobic par five 3rd hole, an incredibly narrow tunnel with

200 yards needed from the back tees to clear the pond that occupies the left side.  The hole opens a bit afterwards, with a creek meandering across the fairway 30 yards from the green.  The par 5's as a group are solid and among the best holes on the course.  The 5th, the shortest at one step shy of 500 yards, is a slight dog left with a pond right halfway to the pin which continues across to the left 75 yards short of the elevated green.  The 11th and 15th both turn slightly left, but where the 15th is a modest 515 yards, the 11th is a shoe lace popping 613 yards, a true 3 shot (4 for me) hole, with the green well protected first by the creek 50 yards out, then by 3 traps and the ever present hardwoods tight nearby.

There's only one par 4 over 400 yards, and the 4th hole has one of the more forgiving looks off the tee, although the fairway bunker right narrows the landing area.  The 370 yard 6th hole has a nice view from the elevated tee box, a slight bend right with water framing both sides, and a patch of native grasses to the right of the green. 

The 10th starts the back side off innocently enough, but Collins Pond first fronts, then wraps around the left side of the big green.  The par three 2nd hole crosses the same hazard on the way to the huge putting surface and the longest par 3 at 196 yards, #17, has a mega trap right guarding a seemingly football field sized green (I reached the front and had a 120 footer for birdie on my way to a three putt bogey).

White Pines had gained some notoriety for being one of the first area facilities to erect an inflatable dome to provide year round practice access, and this space is used as a driving range when the dome is down in the summer.  The total site covers 240 acres, and I'm always amazed how they're able to wedge 36 holes, a driving range, and a good sized clubhouse into this small of a space, but it works pretty well.  I tend to be partial to parkland courses, and White Pines is the definition of that type of design.  The green fees top out at $57 with cart on the weekends, which is in line with the other courses in the neighborhood, and the 9 minute tee time interval is a big plus and welcome

relief for golfers weary of 5 hour plus rounds on a high traffic muni.  I had played White Pines several times over the last 30 years, but it had been a long while since my last visit, and I was really impressed by the conditions and the classic layout, although you won't really find the jaw dropping "wow" holes that separate the good from the great courses.  That said, I thoroughly enjoyed my round and I'm looking forward to returning and playing the East course in the near future.

 

Mr Z Rating

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

Total Score - 77.75

White Pines Golf Club
500 West Jefferson, Bensenville
630-766-0304   www.whitepinesgolf.com
18 holes, 4 tees - 6,624 / 5,751 par 72
71.5/127 - 70.2/124 rating/slope (men)

76.2/132 - 72.9/125 rating/slope (women)
In Season Rates

M-F $35/52 to 2 pm, $25/37 to 6 pm, $15/27 after 6;
SA-SU $40/57 to 2 pm, $26/38 to 5 pm, $15/27 after 5
Seniors (62) $27/37 M-F before 2
Juniors (17 & Under) $25 walk M-F, SA-SU after 1 pm
Resident Rates Available     Onsite Driving Range
9 minute tee time interval