Golf Club of Illinois - Algonquin

I made my initial visit to the Golf Club of Illinois right after it opened back in 1987, the memory seared in my brain liked it happened yesterday.  I played the first 8 holes in 2 under bogeys (that's six over par for non-20 handicappers), but an 8 on the par four 9th hole started a fescue fueled fiasco that spiraled out of control to a back nine nightmare that ranks among the worst scores of my 40 year golf history.  So I decided that this year I needed to return to Algonquin and face the demons of my golf psyche, which I did on a sunny Sunday in late September.

I noticed early on that the vast seas of knee high native grasses that were the feature of the original Dick Nugent / Bruce Borland collaboration were greatly reduced from what I remembered, so although this par 71 monster may have been caged to some extent, there is plenty of remaining challenges that it carries a lofty 74.4 rating / 137 slope from the 7,000 yard Black tees.  I was feeling good on a beautiful fall day so we (my north side golf buddy and I) played from the 6,600 yard Blues, probably a little too much course for me (72.4 / 132), yet despite back to back triple bogeys early (3rd and 4th holes), I kept my composure and shaved 10 strokes from the admittedly low bar set from my previous round 25 years ago to stay in double figures.

As we readied ourselves to begin the round, the friendly starter offered the standard "Don't be above the hole", but at GCI this advice is acutely appropriate, as the greens twisted and turned and dipped and dived in every direction imaginable, accentuated by the surprisingly smallish size of many of the putting surfaces, quite unusual for a modern era track.  These were among the best I've played this year, very receptive to approaches and smooth as glass, a joy to three putt on, which I had a few.  Water is not a major factor, with the 2nd, 4th, 12th, 13th and 18th holes the only ones were a ball might find the bottom of a pond, but the 90+ sand traps of all shapes and sizes that are liberally sprinkled thruout and the remaining patches of prairie more than makes up for the absence of H2O.

The one hole that you may have heard about, #11, is an outrageous 678 yard par 5 that sprawls across the entire north end of the property, the longest in the Windy City area, but there are several others that deserve attention.  The 12th hole is just shy of 400 yards, with water left and woods/OB right.  A fairway bunker is carved into a mound past the water, and the double-tiered, elevated green is especially difficult with back pin placements.  The 8th hole is of similar length, a dogleg left with several traps at the turn, and cavernous bunkers on each side of the green and the prairie tight behind. 

The 13th hole is the longest par three at 218 yards, all carry over the pond shared by #12, and the 4th hole, the shortest at 175 yards, also requires a tee shot over water with a large trap fronting the green.  The 17th hole is downhill and just over 200 yards, with the narrow sliver of the lower section of the putting surface shared with the 10th hole an elusive target.  The 18th is a fun finish, only 366 yards but with a small pond sitting below the width of the shallow green, so any approaches short are in the drink and any long are in the weeds, a chance for pars or double bogeys being equally likely.

Although there is no mistaking that this is a sub-division layout, the routing keeps the homes out of harms way, and the minimal street crossings and the moderate distance between holes, coupled with the gently rolling northwest suburban topography, makes this an easy walk if that's your preference.  The course stays pure to the prairie links model, with trees acting only as barriers on the fringes, so if you hit a hardwood you are most likely heading out of bounds.  In true links style, the dearth of trees makes GCI a testy adventure when the wind is howling.

When it first opened, the Golf Club of Illinois was a hot destination and a frequent member of top Windy City course lists, but the proliferation of construction in the 1990's has seen GCI all but disappear from the discussion, and it does suffer slightly from a commonality of some holes that tends to plague links style tracks, but distinctive touches such as the wood planks buttressing the fairway trap on the 3rd hole help (though I'm not sure of the purpose of the rock strewn waste area between the 14th and 15th holes, except to scrape the bottom of my 5 iron).  Yet there is so much I liked here, from the onsite driving range, nicely appointed clubhouse, upscale conditions, smooth electric carts, and even the concrete cart paths, that I'm disappointed I waited so long to make a return visit.

So all this must cost a pretty penny, right?  Well, the weekend rate is $45 walking / $59 with cart before 1 pm, dropping to $33 / $47 the rest of the day, and the cost Monday - Friday is $12 - $13 less, a very simple fee structure that is more than reasonable for what GCI has to offer.  We played at 1 pm and the course was not crowded (yes, the Bears were playing), and we sped around in an amazing 3 hours 15 minutes, which I'm sure is the exception and not the rule, but the 10 minute tee time interval (very rare at this price point) goes a long way to ensure a proper pace of play.  Will I be making the drive to the Golf Club of Illinois again?  The answer is an emphatic "YES"!

Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) - 8
Playability (20%) - 8.5
Conditioning (15%) - 9
Aesthetics (15%) - 7.5
Amenities (10%) - 8.5
Value (20%) - 9.5

Total Score - 85.25

Golf Club of Illinois

1575 Edgewood Drive, Algonquin
847-360-4732   www.golfclubofil.com
18 holes, 4 tees - 7,011/ 5,569 par 71
74.4/137 - 70.9/128 rating/slope (men)

76.6/136 - 72.8/128 rating/slope (women)
In Season Rates

M-F $32/46 to 1 pm, $21/35 after 1;
SA-SU $45/59 to 1 pm, $33/47 after 1;
SENIORS / JUNIORS $18/32 M-F
Onsite Driving Range
10 minute tee time interval