WCPGG 2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

Every year I set a goal to play 1,000 holes of golf, and though I usually come up a few short, a November trip to sunny Phoenix pushed me past the magic number in 2015. Besides the 54 holes in Arizona, I played 3 rounds of hot (108 degrees) desert golf in Palm Springs in September, 72 holes in scenic Galena in May, and a quick 18 in Cancun in February to start the year.

But the great public golf found in the Windy City is what I look forward to most, and I visited 33 different courses from the northern suburbs to the Indiana state line last year, with 7 first time stops included in the list. That doesn't include a late season visit to Mistwood, a course I've played several times before, but my 1^st encounter with the acclaimed renovation by original architect Ray Hearn. 

Top 10 11 12 13!

I played many fine courses last year, which made it difficult to compile my usual top ten list, so I expanded it to a baker's dozen, and some really good layouts still fell short. Here is my list of the 13 Windy City public courses that were my favorites in 2015:

Cantigny (Wheaton) – Whether it's the Woodside, Hillside or Lakeside nines, a round at Cantigny has never disappointed. The triple digit greens fee makes this a once a year treat for me, but the pristine grounds, beautiful clubhouse, expansive practice area and exemplary service makes it feel worth the price.

Ravisloe (Homewood) – The classic designs of Donald Ross can be found at a number of Chicagoland courses, but south suburban Ravisloe is the only one recognized by the Ross Society that is open to the masses. A magical walk back to the golden age of golf.

Mistwood (Romeoville) – The recent changes incorporated by original architect Ray Hearn enhanced an already good layout. The 20 sod wall bunkers add to the Scottish links vibe, the new clubhouse looks amazing, and a visit to Mistwood is worth the effort.

Chalet Hills (Oakwood Hills) – Designer Ken Killian considered Chalet Hills his best work, and this under appreciated, unique par 73 layout is loaded with great views of the varied topography near Cary. The historic Broken Oar on the Fox River is a great place for an after round beer and burger.

George Dunne (Oak Forest) – The king of the Cook County Forest Preserve courses has always been a top layout, and improved conditioning are returning it to must play status.

Arrowhead (Wheaton) – The 27 hole layout a few miles east of Cantigny is an excellent option at a 1/3 less cost. New white sand bunkers and other upgrades ensure that the course is not over shadowed by the grand clubhouse.

White Deer Run (Vernon Hills) – Routed through an upscale neighborhood in the north suburbs, watery hazards on almost every hole and over 80 menacing bunkers made White Deer Run one of the toughest tracks I played in 2015.

Harborside (Starboard) – It's hard to imagine the transformation from land fill garbage dump to upscale 36 hole links facility, but designer Dick Nugent's creative flourishes work well on this barren strip of land along the shores of Lake Calumet. Summer twilight tee times is a great way to avoid the $100 green fee.

Big Run (Lockport) – Few area courses can match the topographical drama offered by Big Run, and the par fives at the end of each nine are intimidating monsters.

Cog Hill #2 (Lemont) – The little brother to Dubsdread, the less expensive and more playable Ravines can hold its own with most area courses.

Highland Park – First time visit to this north shore layout revealed a country club feel among the hundreds of mature hardwoods at an appealing park district price.

Springbrook (Naperville) – Super solid Roger Packard design successfully mixes traditional parkland style with prairie links touches.

Prairie Bluff (Lockport) – Vast prairie links layout has an appropriate minimalist feel, with acres of native grasses flowing over the focal bluff in a quiet corner of Will County.

My biggest surprise was a first time tour of the Eaglewood Resort Course in Itasca. The course is short on distance (6,017 yard par 72), but the heavily wooded, hilly property was scenic and well maintained, and the 60 deep bunkers and 3 ponds lended enough challenge for my skill level, as the 8 par fours between 270 – 370 yards is the perfect length for a distance challenged senior.

Dream Eighteen

Choosing 18 out of the 567 individual holes that I played in the Windy City area last year is a tall order, but reliving my rounds on a cold winter's day is a great way to pass the time and think of the summer to come. I'm certainly no expert in golf course architecture, but these are the holes that stuck in my mind long after the ball hit the bottom of the cup, and some were found in unlikely places:

Par 5's

Mistwood (Romeoville) 15^th Hole 583 yards – A 90 degree dogleg over the northwest corner of Loch St. James will give bigger hitters a chance to flex their muscle and show their nerve in the hope of getting home in 2, but the landing zones are fairly tight all the way to the green. Great view from the mound behind the green.
Carillon White Course (Plainfield) 9^th Hole 568 yards – The normal end to the 18 hole routing at Carillon has a pond fronting the tee and the entire left side, with a 2^nd pond splitting the fairway. Safe is aiming right but fun is finding the short grass between the ponds. Someday I want to hit 10 drives and see how many I can keep in play...

George Dunne (Oak Forest) 11^th Hole 538 yards – Few holes give me heartburn like this diabolical double dogleg. Pond #1 off the tee is the 1^st risk reward choice, and the placement of the 2^nd shot (stay left) is the key to have the best angle to the green fronted by pond #2. I've ruined a few good rounds on this hole...
Ruffled Feathers (Lemont) 6^th Hole 518 yards – The only Pete Dye design in Chicagoland, the 6th encompasses some of his over the top flourishes. A water carry off the tee leads to a blind second shot over a mound that bisects the fairway. The water hazard continues on the left to the green sitting below the fairway.
Chalet Hills (Oakwood Hills) 18^h Hole 494 yards – Great view from the tee as the short par 5 curls left around the featured lake. Bust a tee shot and you could be in position to reach the green in 2, but there's not much room between the water and OB right so the smart play might be to leave the driver in the bag.

Par 4's

Harborside Starboard (Chicago) 16^th Hole 425 yards – The “High Road” begins the return to the clubhouse at the Starboard course, as bunkers split the fairway, and any shot heading right risks dropping off the “High” and down into Lake Calumet.
Cog Hill #3 (Lemont) 13^th Hole 416 yards – The #3 course may be the easiest on the Cog Hill property, but the 13^th hole is no pushover. Thick woods border the left side, with a testing approach to an elevated green protected by a well situated sand trap.
Big Run (Lockport) 2^nd Hole 415 yards – Nothing hidden from the elevated tee as the hole is front and center. A pond left is in play on the drive and Long Run Creek crosses the fairway, but the uphill approach to a blind green is a difficult test early in the round. 
Cantigny Lakeside (Wheaton) 9^th Hole 410 yards – Tough drive between woods left and water right, and the peninsula green tucked in the pond is a difficult target. And the “Dick Tracy” trap is pretty cool, too...

Prairie Bluff (Lockport) 5^th hole 401 yards – The starkness of the acres of prairie is well represented by the dogleg left 5^th hole, as the 3 fairway bunkers left are surrounded by thick native grasses. Uphill approach is to a deep, deceptive green.
Naperbrook (Naperville) 16^th hole 399 yards – The 16^th is a good example of the winding prairie links style found on the back nine at Naperbrook. Wetlands are hidden on the right side and a cluster of 5 traps frame the left. Another 5 bunkers surround the sloping double green shared with the 12^th hole.

Oak Hills (Palos Heights) 4^th Hole 380 yards – This sporty par 34 course has a big time par 4 at the west end of the property. An accurate tee shot is needed to stay out of the pond on the left and away from the OB right, and a magnificent oak tree guards the right side of the uphill approach. 
Cog Hill #2 (Lemont) 13^th Hole 330 yards – The view from the tee on the short, uphill par 4 is one of the best on the property. Three fairways bunkers protect the landing zone, plus 2 more traps front the steeply elevated green.

Par 3's

Highland Park 11^th Hole 198 yards – No room for error as the right side of the green is tight to the pond and thick woods run the length on the left at this very good north shore park district course.
White Pines East (Bensenville) 8^th hole 193 yards – A narrow chute between mature hardwoods over a creek to a huge green is a highlight at this parkland style par 70 layout.
Bolingbrook 8^th Hole 173 yards – The 15^th hole island green at this Arthur Hills prairie links design gets most of the attention, but I prefer #8. A water carry to a 15 yard deep kidney shaped green is a similar test but a more natural feel and visually striking.

White Deer Run (Vernon Hills) 4^th Hole 172 yards – A water carry over a stacked boulder wall with several pot bunkers fronting the putting surface has a nice wooded backdrop at this challenging north side course.
Ravisloe (Homewood) 15^th Hole 154 yards – Six deep bunkers surround the elevated green at the back edge of this classic Donald Ross design.

Total Course – 6,767 yards Par 72

Tournament Tested

There are several amateur tours that operate within the Chicago area, and 2015 was my first opportunity to experience golf using the USGA rule book, which means play it where it lies, stroke AND distance, and no “gimme's”. I played the first three holes in an encouraging 1 over par at the Weekly Challenge Golf Tour event at Cog Hill #2, but my fortunes quickly shifted from terrific to horrific.  The low point was failing to find shots in

the rough that were obviously in play on the 6th and 16th holes, and returning to the original shot location with a penalty stroke tacked on is both humbling and irritating. I'm sure my 103 put me near the bottom of the score list.

I fared a bit better at the Golf Week Amateur Tour tourney at the Starboard course at Harborside. The GWAT uses a triple bogey cap per hole to speed up play, and this rule definitely eased some of the jitters I may have otherwise felt. I only utilized this once during the round, so you can add a shot to my official score of 96, and I take some consolation in having the best round in my foursome, though nowhere near the winning total.

Both events were extremely well managed and I had a great time, and special thanks to Rob Maguire of the Golf Week tour and Dennis Karns of the Weekly Challenge for letting me test drive my average skills in the amateur golf world. Will I join one of the tours in 2016? A definite “maybe” is the non-committal answer.

(A Few) Memorable Shots

The law of averages dictate that out of 5,000 plus shots, I would have a few memorable ones that would stand above the rest.

I came oh so close to scoring my first hole-in-one on the 7^th Hole at the Carillon Red course as my tee shot landed within a foot of the cup and rolled around the edge for a tap in birdie.

The 10^th hole at The Meadows in Blue island is a short par 5 that played downwind on my first ever visit in October. My second shot 4-wood bounded over the green by about 10 yards, but the chip shot was dead center for my one eagle in 2015.

I finally made it out to Mistwood near the end of the year to test the updated design, and a cool, overcast and very windy day and spotty play made for a forgettable score, but I did have the highlight of my season on the 16^th hole. I pulled my 2^nd shot on the par 4 into Loch St, James, and I was hoping to salvage a bogey with an 80 yard pitching wedge, but to my surprise the ball landed short, released and disappeared into the hole for an unlikely par.

19^th Holes

I love spending time with my buddies after finishing the round discussing the merits of the course and all the great shots we played, and we uncovered several good 19^th Holes, both on and off the course:

The Broken Oar (after Chalet Hills) – 100 year old bar and grill sits on the east bank of the Fox River. Outdoor patio is a great spot to enjoy all the river activities.

The Filling Station (after Pottawatomie) – Classic photos adorn the walls at this old gas station turned bar & grill in downtown St. Charles.
Fareways Grill at Cantigny – Grab a window seat overlooking the 9^th hole on the Lakeside nine and enjoy a burger, beer and one of the best 19^th hole views in Chicagoland.
Lassen's Sports Bar & Grill (after Ravisloe) – Extensive craft beer menu and very reasonably priced sandwiches makes for a great place to relax after a round at Ravisloe.
The Nest Bar & Grill at Bolingbrook – The 76,000 square foot clubhouse dominates the open southwest suburban landscape, and the food and service matches the upscale setting.
The Pier at Harborside – The great view of Lake Calumet and the 18^th holes on the Port and Starboard courses are the draw at the clubhouse restaurant.
Traverso's (after Oak Hills) – Classic thin crust pizza in the laid back beer garden off Harlem Avenue was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon after golf.

In and Out of the Windy City

Although my focus is the great public golf that the Windy City is blessed with, I'm not adverse to playing a private course when invited. One such opportunity was at the River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst, a classic parkland track from the 1920's that featured the slickest greens I encountered during the year.

I started the year with a quick 18 holes at El Manglar in the Riviera Maya region near Cancun, a par 3 Nicklaus design that was three hours well spent on a family vacation.

Eagle Ridge in Galena is an easy 3 hour ride from Chicago, but the dramatic topography dwarfs anything found in the Windy City. From the 9 hole East course through the North, South and spectacular General eighteens, Eagle Ridge delivers a top flight golf experience.

I spent a week in Palm Springs in September, and if you can deal with the 100 degree temps, this is a perfect time to play some fantastic desert golf at a reasonable price. I decided to pass on the brutal TPC course at PGA West and settled for the Pete Dye designed Mountain course, which was plenty enough course for my marginal skills. The Firecliffe course at Desert Willow was a highlight, a championship Fry / Hurdzan creation that was unique (and welcome) for the absence of onsite homes. I also visited the North course at Indian Canyons, a former private club that was the one time home to Hollywood legends Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and the stories told by the long time employees and the classic pictures adorning the walls were as good as the golf.

My golf season ended on a whirlwind 3 day golf trip to Phoenix in November. Although the top public courses like Troon North, We-Ko-Pah and Quintero were out of my price range comfort zone with green fees in mid $100's, the Ken Kavanaugh desert designs at Verde River and Longbow, and the unmistakable Pete Dye touches at the ASU Karsten course were all solid options at half the price.

But there's no place like home, and Windy City public golf is among the best the U.S. has to offer.  I can't wait to tee it up on the way to my next thousand!