Terry Lavin's My Home Course on Olympia Fields North Course is posted

[Ran Morrissett]

Imagine working downtown in a hustling, bustling city like Chicago.

One minute you're at your desk, the next minute you've hopped aboard a south bound train, and fifty minutes later, you're at the door steps of Olympia Fields Country Club.

You meet your out-of-town friends there, who have spent the night in one of 45 (!) guest rooms in the mammoth clubhouse.

You have the option to play the South Course, which retains much of the charm since Tom Bendelow laid it out 85 years ago.
Or you can play the longer and tougher North Course, which will host the U.S. Open in 2003. Mark Mungeam's excellent work (especially in regards to the bunkers) has restored plenty of ruggedness and challenge to the North Course, which Willie Park laid out in 1922.

Indeed, at that time, the North Course was the fourth course for Olympia Fields, making it one of the true centers of activity in American golf in the 1920s.

It is WONDERFUL to see the U.S. Open return to such an historic site and deserving course.

Cheers,

[SPDB]

"#1: 580-yard par 5. This is a relatively benign starting hole ... and will give a good player a shot at an eagle or a birdie"

580 yards....shot at eagle? I need to see this.

[Jeff_Lewis]

Ran, who wrote this for Lavin? He isn't this articulate!

[Ben C. Dewar]

That is great article, glad to see the pictures.  Looks like a special place.

The pictures of the sixth and the 14th are great.

My question is will much be lost in reversing the nines?  Also is it likely we will see woods on the 8th?  Does it play much longer then 247? (Seems like a funny question.)

[Ran Morrissett]

Sean,

The 1st is generally downwind and there is a slope in the landing area that propels balls another 30 yards forward - if you avoid the three bunkers, that is  

Jeff,

Rick Holland says he's going to whip you next time you two play.

Ben,

As for reversing the nines, the regular 8th and 9th are both first class golf holes made all the better by their excellent greens, so they will provide a fine finish. And with the wind quartering against the players, I would think that yes, you well see some metal woods off the '17th' tee - which is GREAT.

On the downside, the 6th (now the 15th) is not very inspiring and the best stretch of holes is definitely on the 'regular' back nine (in fact, the entire side is of exception). Plus, it's a shame that the regular 13th, 14th and 18th holes won't appear in as pivotal a spot during the round.

Still, given the 18 hole wall to wall coverage of the US Open, you'll get to see them all.

Cheers,

[Ben C. Dewar]

Thanks Ran,
That will be great to see a long par three challenge.  I was talking to someone about Jasper the other day and mentioning that there were two par three over 230.  Even though downhill, nice to be challenged with at least a long iron.

Anyway, I guess we will to wait a little while, but it will be a great tournament.

[Paul Richards]

Terry, affectionately known by the moniker of
"Tree F*g", used to be the only person that
was a member of the three clubs located on
Western Avenue on Chicago's south side.  Glad to see he hasn't lost his gift with a
pen.

Terry, still waiting for my invite to OFCC!?!?!  

[cardyin]

I played the North course two weeks ago on a terribly wet day.  I hope I'm still around in 2003, because it will be a blast watching the pros try to handle the course in the U.S. Open.  It probably will play about 7,150 and par 70.  Some of the course reminds me of Medinah (tucked in an oak forest), and some of the holes (particularly the elevated green sites on holes 3 and 14) are breathtaking.  It truly is one of America's greatest courses.

[cardyin]

I played the North course two weeks ago on a terribly wet day.  I hope I'm still around in 2003, because it will be a blast watching the pros try to handle the course in the U.S. Open.  It probably will play about 7,150 and par 70.  Some of the course reminds me of Medinah (tucked in an oak forest), and some of the holes (particularly the elevated green sites on holes 3 and 14) are breathtaking.  It truly is one of America's greatest courses.

[Jeff_Lewis]

Ran,

I understand that Rick Holland can't type, or he would be on these discussions every now and then, but if he can't read, tell him I would love to see it. And tell tree hugger, well done!

[Jeff_Lewis]

Ran,

I understand that Rick Holland can't type, or he would be on these discussions every now and then, but if he can't read, tell him I would love to see it. And tell tree hugger, well done!

[RJ_Daley]

Here is a place where I can take myself to the woodshed for some of the things I said on the other thread about technology and money and how the USGA and PGA network seems to only give Fazio or Rees - the Open Dr., assignments to remodel a venue for their major tournaments.  Could anyone elaborate on the selection of Mungeam to do this work?  Was it a joint decision of USGA and club, or did the powers that be in USGA push for their guys and the club called the shot and picked their own man?  I have seen other pictures of the remodel work at OFCC as well.  It seems that by comparison to work done by Rees at Bethpage, that more respect and care was put into restoring bunkers with original placement relative to where they come into play in the routing given the backing up of tees needed due to today's length.  And, it seems that the craftmanship in bunker work was to follow closely the original shapes and design.  Is that a fair assessment?  Like Medinah, it seems that the demand off the tee and batting it around the course will be a highly strategic/accuracy matter about playing it between the tree tunnels.  But, this is what midwestern, woodland golf design took into account as it was growing in the days of Bende and Park.  They routed them in the woodlands and still used what nature offered in ridges, elevation changes, and natural drainage ways.  It looks like Mungeam didn't do any grading to eliminate blind areas, just bunker remodelling-restoration and lengthening.  Is that accurate?

[RJ_Daley]

Also in the interest of accuracy, I read that in Bende's day, when they picked the land to construct the course just off the rail line, they got an unusually diverse in elevation change property that was atypical for the mostly flat lands of Illinois countryside.  I wonder if there were as many trees there at the begining or if those now stately oaks and other mature hardwoods were actually planted 80+ years ago and are now grand daddies?

[GarySmith]

I don't know if Olympia Fields was heavily treed at the time of design, but I believe Medinah was. In fact, I think there are a few oaks there that core samples date to pre-revolutionary war times. Medinah has every tree on all 3 courses referenced on computer, or so I've been told. That is one club that may just break out into a riot if the team of Stihl, Poulan, and Husqvarna is ever brought in for consultation.

[ofccsupt]

Here is a little clarification on Olympia Fields North Course.  The USGA allowed the Club to select Mark Mungeam to do the renovation for the Open.  Mark has been working with the club for over ten years and was the architect for the first renovation prior to the Senior Open in 1997. There was no presure on the club to hire the "Open Doctor".  The USGA monitored the renovation and I feel the project turned out better due to their involvement.  McDonald and Sons was the contractor.  This fall the fairway/rough borders were recontoured. Landing areas average about 29 yards wide.

Most, if not all of the oak trees, were here when the course was constructed in 1922.  They are about 170 years old and date from the time when the first white settlers started to control fires. The west half of the course was farmed prior to construction so there are no mature oaks there.  Many trees were planted on the west half in the 1960's after a tornado came through and as a reaction to Dutch elm disease.

The North Course, known as the #4 Course until the late 1950s, was the final course built of the original four courses. Willie Park Jr. spent at least 40 days living at the club during construction. Tom Bendelow was the architect for the other three which were constructed between 1916 and 1920.  During that time, James Foulis was the Pro/Greenkeeper at OFCC, so I am confident that Bendelow and Foulis would have worked together.  A company called Carter's Tested Seeds was hired to build the North Course. Their construction forman, Fred Krueger stayed on as greenkeeper until his death in 1940, for all four courses and was responsible for many of the changes and upgrades to all four courses.  Many bunkers were added for the 1928 US Open.

[BY]

OFCCSuper,
Since you say had gone through renovation for 10 years, what did the USGA do or undo?

[ofccsupt]

When the club was selected for the Senior Open a 'master plan' renovation was in progress.  The master plan involved reworking bunkers, leveling and adding tees, recapturing lost green space, etc. The club never anticipated a US Open so the renovation was not too drastic in terms of length or depth of bunkers.   After the club was selected to host the Open, All of the bunkers were deepened, new tees were added to lengthen the course (7177 yard, par 70)and two greens were redone because they had too much slope at US Open green speeds.