Gold Course at Green Garden Needs Dose of TLC

The wide open online tee sheets the day before a beautiful October weekend was the first sign that something was amiss at Green Garden Country Club.  After turning off Manhattan-Monee Road into a near empty parking lot on a Saturday morning, I felt certain that our round here was destined to disappoint.

We had our choice between the 18 hole Gold and Blue courses for our mid-morning tee time in far south suburban Frankfort, so we picked the more interesting and challenging Gold course.  The 6,700 yard par 72 layout sports a 70.9 / 122 rating / slope (69.5 / 118 from the 6,300 yard middle tees we played), a good match for my average skills.

I counted only 30 or so sand traps and most of those greenside are off to the edges so access is open, but creeks and ponds are in play to varying degrees on a dozen holes, most prominently the island green on the par five 10th.

The first hole is a surprisingly demanding start, a 446 yard uphill par 4 with the fairway split by a culvert filled with thick grasses that runs a few hundred yards to the huge, 55 step deep green.  It was the arrival at the putting surface, however, that partially explained why golfers were staying away from Green Garden in droves, as hundreds of bumpy depressions covered the green, making it near impossible to putt.  The

par five 2nd hole, the longest on the Gold course at 579 yards, had a similar ending, another good hole compromised by a rough green, and the dual three putts on my scorecard to start had me agitated.

Things were slightly better on the par three 3rd hole (196 yards with a water carry), and the green conditions improved as we continued through the round.  Unfortunately, many of the tees and fairways were thin and weedy, obvious signs of overriding neglect of basic maintenance.  And that's a shame, because the Gold course is an entertaining layout.

Access to the 4th tee crosses into a newer section of the course that holds the next 13 holes, and there are enough twists, turns and elevation changes here that kept my interest.  The dogleg left 4th is a good risk / reward opportunity, as the two fairway traps and several trees at the bend are penal if you attempt but fail to carry, but success will leave a short iron to the pin on the 400 yard par four.

The 7th hole starts a stretch of five that all have merit.  The 388 yard par four has a pond that borders the left side, which may need to be carried on the 2nd shot depending on the angle to the two-tiered green.  Another pond fronts the tee on #8 and extends up

the right side, and the 343 yards to the green is uphill and plays longer, with the sloping putting surface out of sight from the fairway.  Two par threes bookend the 10th hole, with the 9th featuring a downhill tee shot to a big left to right angled green with thick woods providing a pretty backdrop, and the 165 yard 11th hole twenty yards longer over the same water hazard that engulfs the 10th green.

The signature hole is a shorter par five at 507 yards, but the drive is narrow and uphill, and anything less than a near perfect tee shot will leave a layup and a tricky

approach to the to the putting surface tightly surrounded by the hazard.  The other par five on the back nine, #14, is a bit longer than #10 and has the creek running across about halfway to the elevated green.  The 14th runs parallel to the 5th hole on the Blue Course, and make sure you're on the correct tee box or you might be halfway down the fairway before you realize you're playing the wrong hole (at least the couple on the Blue Course had a good laugh at our confusion).

The course crosses back for the last two holes, but the short (332 yard) and simple 17th does not prepare you for the big finish on #18.  The downhill tee shot on the 429 yard par four has little margin for error as the fairway funnels through a narrow opening over the creek at just over 200 yards out.  Mature trees block the right side and any drives left need to be either laser straight or over the creek if off center left.  The fairway then bends right, and if you avoid a penalty stroke off the tee, a long shot into one of the biggest greens on the course awaits.  A pushed drive to the right into the creek, a chip out of the woods back to the short grass, two more shots to reach the green, and a final three putt (my 7th) on the unpredictable greens left me with an 8 and a blown chance to break 90.

And that's the story of my round at Green Garden Gold: a beautiful day on a fun layout that was marginalized by below average course conditions.  This facility has a lot to offer, as the 45 holes (there's also the 9 hole Emerald course) over rolling topography, an extensive driving range and training center, an inflatable dome for winter practice and a nice clubhouse are all good features, and I sincerely hope that they get their maintenance house in order soon.  I will look forward to returning to Green Garden, but it won't be until I hear that conditions have improved.

Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) - 7.5
Playability (20%) - 7.5
Conditioning (15%) - 5
Aesthetics (15%) - 7
Amenities (10%) - 8
Value (20%) - 7.5

Total Score - 71

Green Garden Country Club
9511 W. Manhattan-Monee Rd, Frankfort
815-469-3350   www.greengardencc.com
Gold Course - 3 tees, 6,713 / 5,422 yds, par 72
70.9/122 - 69.5/118 rating/slope (men)
71.1/116 (women)
Blue Course - 3 tees, 6,670 / 5,187 yds, par 72
71.2 / 118 - 69.8 / 115 rating/slope (men)
70.9 / 117 (women)
M-F $30 walk/$40 ride to 2 pm, $25/30 after 2
SA-SU $40/50 to 2 pm, $30/35 after 2
Emerald Course (9 holes) 3 tees, 3,224 / 2,347 yds, par 35
35.4 / 122 - 33.9 / 115 rating / slope
Driving Range Onsite
8 minute tee time intervals