Chicago Golf Club

Last week the four of us were lucky enough to play Chicago Golf Club.  We were fortunate enough to have Bill Shean walk around the entire round with us.  The man is a walking encyclopedia of golf.  Two time US Senior Amateur champion as well as one time British Senior Amateur champion.  I have had very few better days (if any) on a golf course.  Bill and CGC are treasures of the game.

Originally routed at its current site in 1895, Chicago Golf Club was rebuilt by Seth Raynor (according to Bill under close direction from Macdonald) in the early 1920s.  I am not sure who actually gets architecture credit for it, but it doesn’t really matter.  It is beyond great.

Chicago Golf Club instantly established itself in my top 10 I have played in the world.  It has some of the scariest and at the same time fun green complexes in golf.  Second only behind Prairie Dunes probably.  Like Piping Rock the course is massive in scale.  It is routed around a central pasture area in a clockwise fashion.

Hole #1

Hole #2 - Road Hole

The bunker left of the green certainly plays much bigger than it is, but given it is lined with rough it doesn’t gobble up balls at the same rate as Shoreacres or Piping Rock.

Hole #3 Biarritz

Like Piping Rock, Chicago does not mow the front pad to green height.  With out the course being extremely firm running the ball through the swale isn’t really an option.

Hole #4

The green on #4 is treacherous.  Anything not hit to the center of the green rolls off in every direction.  Pinehurst #2 on steroids, but a ton a fun.  I luckily chipped in for par after unsuccessfully holding the putting surface with my second or third shots.

Hole #5 Leven

Hole #6 Plateau

This green has a lot of square corners that would seem very out of place but just seem to work.

This is probably the most fun green on the course.

Hole #7 Redan

Wow, a Redan of massive scale.  223 yards!  In my opinion the play is to hit it long and left and putt back up the hill because at that length anything with a hybrid or a wood comes in too hot to stay on the green.  Such a fun hole.

Hole #8

Hole #10 Short

This green has two of the famous thumbprints.  Making birdie on this short hole is nearly impossible due to these horseshoes.

Hole #11

Hole #12 Punchbowl

One of my new favorite holes in the world (RCD #4, Oakmont #3, SHGC #14, and PV #17 being the others)

Isn’t it great to see the fairway cut right into the bunkers.  Such a great site when the strategic hazards are really in play versus 10 yards inside of the rough line.  Unfortunately I hit it in this bunker for 1/2 shot penalty.

Cross bunkers 100 yards out from the green to make the player work to hit a good layup shot if they land in the bunker of the tee.  On top of that, you can only see a little of the pin from just 100 yards out.

Huge false front green to repel the weak shot, but once you get on the green the punchbowl rewards you.

From behind the green

Hole #13 Eden

I continue to scratch my head on the creative liberty needed to view some the Edens I have seen recently with the real thing.  I can’t see the Strath bunker on this hole (or at St Louis) really?

Hole #14 Cape

This is the hole where the out of bounds was introduced as rule to the game.  Guess where I hit my tee ball after a 5 minute discussion about the origins of the out of bounds rule.

Hole #16

Looking back up the fairway toward the clubhouse on #16

Hole #17 Alps

Bill Shean had a great story on this hole.  George Bhato was out with him one day and stopped in the fairway, took a very long look, and declared this hole an Alps hole (minus the actual Alps of course).  Again, I scratch my head to see it, but a fun, fun green either way.

#17 green

Hole #18

The clubhouse from the 18th green

Charles Blair Macdonald’s house on the left side of the Cape Hole #14.

The original Macdonald routing

What an absolutely fantastic day of golf and history.  I certainly have never learned more on a golf course than with Bill Shean at Chicago Golf Club!