2021 YEAR IN REVIEW - WINDY CITY PUBLIC GOLF ON THE UPSWING IN SLOW RETURN TO NORMALCY

If the 2021 golf season felt like an endless loop of covid calamity, well, I can't totally deny that sentiment.  But the reality shows that local public golf courses continued to thrive, as a round with a group of friends on one of the fine Windy City tracks remained a preferred way to spend quality time outdoors and to escape from the upside down daily life.  Weekend tee times remained in high demand, and good luck trying to find a Saturday / Sunday slot on late notice.

I was able to play 1,044 holes of golf in 2021, including 837 in Chicagoland spread across 37 courses, an expansive sampling of the local offerings ranging from Kankakee and Channahon to North Chicago and Round Lake Beach.  First time visits and long overdue returns were covered, with the season starting in early April at The Bridges of Poplar Creek and stretching to a rare December round at Coyote Run.  But although my 20 handicap golf game wasn't always up to even that average standard, each and every round had the hopeful excitement that this would be the one I'd tie everything together with a best round bow. 

And travel golf was back on the itinerary, as rounds in Indiana, New York, Maine and California were part of the 2021 experience, plus a return to Galena and a day trip to one of the most unique Land of Lincoln layouts I ever visited rounding out the road show.

NEW EXPERIENCES AND OLD FAVORITES

My criss-crossing across the Windy City brought me to 6 first time stops in 2021.  It took a Golf Moose voucher to entice me to make the 60 mile drive to Round Lake Beach to play

Renwood.  The expectation was admittedly tempered for a course that tops out at $44 with cart on weekends, but the 6,200 yard par 72 play had a high fun factor across the distinctly different 9's, with the back ratcheting up the challenge, especially the twisting, uphill par five 16th hole where a par is well earned.

Boone Creek features 27 holes distributed across the mix and match Valley, Creekside and Prairie 9's.  Another shorter distance layout (each 9 stretches between 2,900 to 3,200 yards), I was able to play all 27 holes on a misty Saturday in May, and there was enough variety and interest to encourage a return in more favorable weather conditions. The Valley/Creekside 18 was $55 to ride, and the added Prairie turn was an extra $14, a good value at the Bull Valley facility.

North shore courses tend to be a bit pricier than other Chicagoland regions, but the $55 weekend fee at Foss Park is an enjoyable exception.  The North Chicago muni can stretch out to 6,800 yards, but the par 72 layout still packs plenty of challenge for the average golfer from the 6,400 White or 6,100 Black tees.  The 4th, 5th, 13th and 14th holes wind through a thick stand of woods at the southwest end of the property, a welcome shift from the mostly open layout, and a creek runs right up the middle of the course as the prime penalty zone.

The Glenview Park District owns 27 holes of vastly different golf.  The 9 hole Glenview Prairie Club is a par 31 short course full of native grass areas and big, sloping greens, while the 18 hole Glenview Park GC is a traditional

parkland layout.  The 6,100 yard par 70 course was updated by Rick Jacobson in 2015 to address chronic flooding issues and was in excellent playing condition on my visit in July.  I played the Prairie course as a morning warmup for an afternoon 18 using a CDGA member special, a really good day of golf in the northern burbs.

One of the last rounds of the year was at Willow Hill in Northbrook. The 3,000 yard par 35 course was designed by Dick & Tim Nugent and is perched high on top of a landfill, and the wind will always be a factor at this links style layout.  A 35 station grass driving range is also onsite and a commitment by ownership to upgrade the course and facility is apparent.  I'm looking forward to returning when the work is complete.  And the view of the Chicago skyline in the distance is pretty cool, too.

I also returned to some old favorites that had fallen off my radar.  Deer Creek in University Park was a frequent play when it first opened back in the '80's, and it's matured nicely in the subsequent years. The 15th (par 5) and 16th (par 4) stand out, and at rates under $50, Deer Creek remains a prime south suburban value.  The Cary Country Club sits on a great piece of land with big views and significant elevation change in the northwest suburbs, and provides a  friendly price point for golfers of all skill levels.  

I hadn't been to the Odyssey since 2013, and the course continues to operate as a non-profit focused on providing Veterans, Active Military and Special Needs individuals with golfing opportunities.  The course maintains the linksy feel with ample opportunity to navigate the

numerous water hazards and wetlands, and the signature 16th hole is the rare island green on a par 5.  And although Big Run is a short drive from my home in Lemont, I need to be in the right frame of mind to play this monster of a golf course.  I teed it up there on the July 4th weekend, and I played pretty well, too.  Although rumors continue to swirl of the imminent sale of the property, if you haven't yet played there, make it a point to visit, it's a worthy trip to the southwest suburbs.

CLICK HERE to see all the courses I played in 2021...

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

After a year hiatus, I hit the road again to sample golf in other parts of the USA.  A week spent in magnificent Maine in June allowed me to play Sugarloaf Golf Club, ranked as the 4th best

course in the state by Golf Digest.  The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design is down the road from the ski resort of the same name, and the vistas of the western Maine mountains are spectacular.  The course is a beast of a layout, with a 75.2 / 150 rating / slope from the tips.  I thought I'd be safe at the 6,200 yard tees (but still a hefty 71.8 / 144), but after 2 tries my best ball score from each round was still a humbling 100, but the experience was worth every shot.

In August I went to Southern California, with the home base for the week a resort in Escondido, about 35 miles north of San Diego.  Torrey Pines was on the radar, but the 2021 US Open host was down a course (the North was closed to recover from Open foot and auto traffic) and I decided not to jump
through the hoops needed to score a tee time on the South course and settled for a stop at

the pro shop for some Torrey Pines logo wear.  

But there were plenty of other nearby options available that showcased the SoCal mountain scenery.  I played 5 rounds total, with the highlight being Maderas Golf Club in Poway.  The Johnny Miller and Robert Muir Graves design is considered the top-rated course in San Diego County and in the top 30 public courses in golf rich California as ranked by GolfWeek, and it lived up to the lofty reputation, a fantastic routing with stunning views from every angle. 

Closer to home, I'd been told by several fellow golfers that I needed to make the drive down I-65 in neighboring Indiana to play Sandy Pines in DeMotte. The miles of cornfields in every direction did not prepare me for what I found at this course, one of the best I played in 2021.  Elevated tees, ridges, wetlands, amazing green complexes and much more define Sandy Pines, all at a super affordable price.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed if you make the 90 mile trip from Chicago.

Back in Illinois, I had heard for years about a mysterious and mythical course in Marseilles, about an hour west of Joliet.  No sand traps, but plenty of unusual hazards (a row of large evergreens completely blocking the fairway,

extreme shot angles to the green, super narrow tree corridors, to name a few) and a routing where a Sherpa guide would be welcome are all found at The Bourne.  This "Club in the Country" is far different than anything you'll find in the suburbs, and the heavily wooded and hilly LaSalle County terrain does not lack for drama. This course needs to be experienced at least once, and I'll have a much better idea on how best to attack this rugged, one-of-a-kind course the next time I visit.  CLICK HERE for the full story on my day at The Bourne.

I CAN PLAY THIS GAME...AND THEN I CAN'T

I love to golf, which is different than saying I'm a good golfer.  The lowest my Index has reached since I've been tracking has been 15, and it usually hovers between 17 and 20.  I'm guessing in my younger days I might have been closer to a 13 at some point, but the fact is

I've never broken 80 in the 50 years I've golfed, and that goal gets less likely with every passing year.  

But I have my moments.  My best 9 in 2021 was a 4 over par 40 on the front side at the Odyssey that included 6 pars, but my mojo faded and I finished with an 87.  I strung 5 pars together (holes 6 thru 10) at Naperbrook, but double bogeys on the first 3 and last 3 holes doomed that round from being special.  I played well at Sandy Pines (6 pars and only 1 double), until a 9 on the par five 7th hole (#16 on the day) killed that positive buzz.  I did have several solid rounds at +/- a shot or two to bogey at challenges such as Bartlett Hills, Tanna Farms, Heritage Bluffs, Big Run and Ravisloe, but good front nines at top courses Prairie Landing and Highlands of Elgin quickly evaporated into back 9 disasters.

A September Saturday in Joliet at Wedgewood was the perfect encapsulation of my uneven golf game.  I tore thru the front side at 5 over 41, with 4 pars and a 50 foot birdie putt on the par four 5th hole, and I overcame a triple bogey on the 11th with 3 more pars.  A five on the 534 yard 18th hole would have put me in at a season best 83, and I was feeling good after I split the fairway on my drive.  And then...2 balls in the water, an approach over the green, a lousy chip shot and 3 putts and I'm writing an 11 on the scorecard, an epic meltdown that cut to the core of my golf psyche.

I did have 13 birdies total for the year, surprisingly 2 in the same round at Foss Park and RedTail in the Village of Lakewood.  But an early August round at the Golf Club of Illinois in Algonquin is the one birdie I'll long remember.  Although the acres of native grasses have all but been eliminated from the prairie links layout, GCI still presents a pretty stiff challenge, epitomized by the 11th hole, a 678 yd par 5 that is the longest in the state.  The hole played at 612 yds from the Red tees, and after 3 shots I still had about 90 yards to the green.  I hit a knock down 8 iron into the wind, it landed on the green and rolled about 30 feet before it disappeared into the cup.  And that's why I love to golf...

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2022

Settler's Hill in Batavia has for years been a prime example of reclaiming landfills for golf, and I'm excited to see what kind of magic designer Greg Martin has conjured with his year long renovation. The course is scheduled to reopen in the Spring of 2022, and a new clubhouse and a driving range will be added at the Kane County Forest Preserve District facility.  Already an entertaining play, it will be fun to see the changes to the course, which I heard includes 2 new holes, and if Martin's previous work locally at Coyote Run, Phillips Park and The Preserve at Oak Meadows is any indication, this could be special.

Heritage Bluffs has been rebranded as The Bluffs of Channahon, and an extensive remodel and expansion of the clubhouse is in the finishing stages and will add an extra dimension to the improvements already completed at this excellent course.  And the new clubhouse at the Preserve at Oak Meadows has finally been completed and opened in 2021, and I've heard the expansive mid-century modern style building is a fitting addition to one of the best courses in the Windy City.  It's been over 10 years since the original tudor style clubhouse, a leftover from the Elmhurst CC days, was destroyed by a fire, and I can't wait to have an after round cocktail and a burger at the new version.

Mill Creek in Geneva has been closed for a couple of years, but the word is out that it will be reopening in 2022 under the management of GolfVisions.  My feelings on Mill Creek have fluctuated over the years, but there are some undeniably good holes scattered thru a layout that tends to push the golf design envelope, and it will be interesting to see what changes were made to improve the playing experience.

At the other end of the spectrum, I've heard from reliable sources that Gleneagles will be closing this summer.  I've played in a golf league there for years, and it was obvious that the owners were not investing money into the long term maintenance of the course, so this doesn't come as a huge surprise.  But anytime a historic Windy City club (the Red and White courses both date back to the 1920's) shuts their gates, it's a sad day.  I knew this announcement was imminent and this land has tons of potential for golf, but my guess is another housing development will be coming soon to the southwest suburbs.  

By my count there are 13 full length courses that I have yet to play in Chicagoland, and I'm chipping away at the list every year.  One of them is Heritage Oaks in Northbrook.  If that name doesn't ring a bell, this is the old Sportsman's Golf Club, which reopened late in the 2021 season after being closed for a Rick Jacobson renovation.  Jacobson did a great job at nearby Sunset Valley a few years ago and I'm looking forward to crossing Heritage Oaks off my list in 2022.

One good sign that things are changing for the better is the return of the Chicago Golf Show.  The event was a covid cancellation in 2021, but will return to the Rosemont Convention Center the weekend of February 25-27, and hopefully this is a precursor to a great golf season in 2022.  See you on the links!