Wannamoisett, Salem, and Desert Forest aren't the only ones feeling 'unloved' in the latest GD rankings.
This is from today's Chicago Tribune.
------------
Cog Hill view: Magazine ratings out of bounds
April 21, 2005
Cog Hill's No. 4 course, "Dubsdread," didn't see its greens infested with crabgrass last year. Its sand traps didn't go barren. Overflowing creeks didn't trash the fairways.
And nobody, not even the pros, said the course was too easy.
By all accounts, No. 4 enjoyed a good season. That's why the May issue of Golf Digest has Cog Hill's owners and patrons a bit perplexed.
In its annual ranking of golf courses, "Dubsdread," the area's top public layout, fell out of America's top 100 for the first time in years. Last year, the course checked in at 60th.
Cog Hill officials took great pride in having No. 4 ranked among the nation's best. So, naturally, they are wondering why their crown jewel suffered such a big drop in a year.
"Sometimes what's popular changes over the years," course owner Frank Jemsek said. "I feel we're still a top 100 course. But it's kind of like talking about my kids. I'm prejudiced."
It seems No. 4, a fixture since 1964, fell victim to a change in Golf Digest's rating procedure. The magazine's panel consists of 800 national reviewers, with each course evaluation factored in over a 10-year period.
This year, Golf Digest decided to remove the tradition category from its review, which had been in place since 1985. According to Golf Digest course architecture critic Ron Whitten, who oversees the ratings, Cog Hill received seven (out of a possible 10) tradition points for hosting a PGA Tour event. The Western Open has been at the course since 1991.
However, Whitten said there was a feeling the tradition category unfairly "propped up" old courses at the expense of newer venues.
"We finally concluded the bonus category had outlived any useful purpose," he wrote.
As a result, the ratings went through their biggest turnover ever. There are 18 new courses on the list, which bumped out 18 incumbent courses, including Cog Hill's No. 4.
"I had our ears boxed for years about the tradition category," Whitten said. "Now that we've done it, we're hearing from the other side."
The Western Golf Association is one of those voices. Last year, Cog Hill was the sixth-toughest course on the PGA Tour.
"To me it is ridiculous to take out the tradition component," said John Kaczkowski, tournament director for the Cialis Western Open. "The truest test of a course is how well it holds up to the best players in the world. If you start at 1 and go to 18, Cog Hill is one of the strongest tests on the PGA Tour. That's why Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh play every year."
While Cog Hill fell, Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove made a dramatic ascent. The course rose from 99th to 45th in the latest ratings.
Because both are Chicago-area courses, fair or not, they have been subject to comparisons. Many local golf observers wonder how Rich Harvest got ranked that high—only six spots behind fabled Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton—while Cog Hill got bumped.
Rich Harvest is the creation of Jerry Rich, who made a fortune developing computer systems for Wall Street. An avid golfer, he started designing holes on his property. Eventually he developed a full 18-hole course in 1998. Sparing no expense, Rich's course boosts lavish conditioning and several eye-popping holes. The course is set to host the 2009 Solheim Cup.
"In terms of aesthetics, Rich Harvest has it [big-time] over Cog Hill," Whitten said. "Rich Harvest has the wow factor. The only thing I can fathom is that our raters went out there not expecting much and were blown away."
However, as a golf course, Whitten says Cog Hill has "stronger shot values than Rich Harvest." In Golfweek's rankings of courses built after 1960, Cog Hill places 47th while Rich Harvest didn't make the list.
One Golf Digest rater contends Rich Harvest has too many unfair holes. The course rating is a whopping 78 from the back tees, and features an artificial grass tee on one hole.
"I don't care if a course is difficult," said the rater, who asked not to be identified. "But is it difficult and fair? There are spots where [Rich Harvest] is not fair at all. It's not a fun course for most people."
Jemsek won't engage in the debate. He knows putting down Rich Harvest won't help his cause.
For his part, Whitten says No. 4's architect, Dick Wilson, is one of his favorite course designers. He calls Cog Hill "a great public facility."
"This is just a reflection of public opinion in 2005," Whitten said. "This doesn't mean there won't be a resurgence for Cog Hill."
Jemsek is focused on looking ahead, not behind. He says he has talked to a noted architect about making some revisions to No. 4. He prefers not to mention names, "just in case it doesn't pan out."
Jemsek learned from his father, Cog Hill founder Joe Jemsek, that courses evolve over time. He remembered Joe saying at the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah that "there's only three holes the same as when I used to play it."
While Frank Jemsek isn't planning to redo No. 4, he knows there is room for improvements.
"Fortunately, we have extra land to continue to work with to make the course better," Jemsek said. "Our goal is not only to get back on the list, but to move up on it."
esherman@tribune.com