Chicago Highlands [Spring 2009]

[JR Potts]

Here is some additional information on Chicago Highlands.  It is an Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest design.

http://www.chicagohighlands.com/index.php

[PThomas]

Ryan - is this a done deal, or are they hoping to get it done, do you know?

thanks

[JR Potts]

Paul:

It is a "done deal."  They are soliciting memberships.  $115k for regulars and 100k for founding members I believe.  They are hoping to have the range done in late 2007/ early 2008 I believe.  However, nothing has been built yet so I'll officially call it done once I start seeing bulldozers.

I will e-mail you (or anyone else that wants it) the membership proposal if you would like to see it.  It is an interesting read.

[Dan Moore]

Rather astounding.  What was that land used for before?  

[SL_Solow]

Very pricey for Chicago!  Newer clubs have had some difficulty in filling up although several have been less than full service.  I would be interested in seeing the material.

[JR Potts]

It was/is a landfill.

[Jerry Kluger]

Is that a golf course in the background beyond the water tower?

[Tim_Cronin]

The photo is looking north. This is between 22nd Street (Cermak) and 31st Street, with the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) immediately to the west. It's surrounded by golf courses. The Butler National / Oak Brook complex is maybe a mile to the west. Fresh Meadow is directly to the north (Jerry, that's the course you see there), and Meadow Lark, a Cook County FPD nine-holer, is immediately to the south.
If it's a landfill, that probably means Hills/Forest can't go too far when it comes to elevation changes, unless they want a methane flare in place of a waterfall! (Google Earth, incidentally, indicates about 20 feet of elevation change.)

[Dan Moore]

If it's a landfill, that probably means Hills/Forest can't go too far when it comes to elevation changes, unless they want a methane flare in place of a waterfall! (Google Earth, incidentally, indicates about 20 feet of elevation change.)

Within 7 or so miles there are 9 clubs:  Oak Park(Ross), Glen Oak(Bendelow/Langford), Butterfield(Langford), Ruth Lake(Langford), La Grange(Bendelow/Langford), Edgewood Valley(Diddle), Riverside(Langford) and River Forest(Maddox) and Butler National(Fazio/Fazio).  

Is there really a market for a high end course like this?  

With all those Langford's nearby maybe they should do a Langford tribute course.

[Tim_Cronin]

This could end up being the Ruffled Feathers of the '00s. Private to start, public eventually.

[PThomas]

a good new course in the area would be nice....

[Dan Moore]

Paul,

Do you think this has the potential to be that course?

Excluding Liberty National and Bayonne which have significant, obvious site advantages over this location, are there any successful high end private courses on landfills?    

[PThomas]

sure it's possible Dan, if it's a good design

but I cna't think of any good privates on a landfill off the top of my head...

[Glenn Spencer]

115 k for Arthur Hills on a landfill? You guys are making this up, right? I hardly think this is fair. The inflammation in my back has been acting up and all this laughter is not good for it.

[Rob_Waldron]

A couple of friends of mine are the developers, Joe Hills (Arthur's son) and his brother in law tom Healy. Hills and Healy have developed two courses in Maryland, Waverly Woods and Blue Mash. Arthur designed both and is a partner. This is their first attempt at a private club. They told me the demand for membership has been very strong.  

[Dan Kelly]

You can certainly see why they chose the name Highlands.

I don't know when I've been more reminded of Scotland.

[Tim_Cronin]

Rob, can you post a routing? Art will have to be very imaginative to come up with something memorable on that piece of ground.

[JR Potts]

Tim:

Go to the website that I linked.  There is a link for the rough routing under the "scorecard" tab.

[Phil McDade]

Tim:

Routing is kind of a classic two loops -- front nine is an inner out and back loop, and back nine circles clockwise around the rim of the property. The site plan calls for four or five ponds on the back nine, on the property nearest I-294. Does Illinois allow digging into landfills deep enough to create ponds? They don't up here north of the border in Wisconsin.

I play fairly regularly at a decently regarded daily-fee course outside of Madison that sits right next to I-94, and IT IS LOUD. I can't imagin what it would be like next to 294, which probably has five times the traffic as I-94 around here. Of course, there's always mounding!!

[Dan Moore]

[Tim_Cronin]

Dan,
Thanks for posting; I couldn't get it to come up on the website.
Two practice holes are a nice thought, range looks big enough (though too narrow for my slice!), and if the designated fairways are really as wide as shown, would allow for multiple lines of play to some greens.
As for the water hazards, they may well be on a non-landfill area of the grounds. They're all in a line adjacent to the Tri-State. Perhaps that area was untouched.
This would be the third Hills course in the area, behind Stonewall Orchard, a decent layout with some cool holes, and the controversial 18th, which I like, and Bolingbrook, the muni on flood retention land with too much water (naturally) and too many holes I can't remember, which isn't good. Huge range, though, to go with the crazy-large clubhouse.

[Dan Kelly]

Architects:

What do you see here?

[Paul Richards]

Keep in mind that the 'competition' to this course:
>Butterfield(Langford), Ruth Lake(Langford), La Grange(Bendelow/Langford), Edgewood Valley(Diddle), and Butler National(Fazio/Fazio), and Hinsdale.

In general, have long waiting lists (up to 8 years in some cases!) and high initiation fees (average about $80,000 and up to Butler's $150k).  

And, except for Butler, none of the rest will be found on any Top 100 list right now.

So this price in this market isn't as outrageous as you might suspect.

[C. Squier]

You gotta love that the routing picture shows the 294 logo.  I can only imagine the conversation in the art room:  "Hey, I think highlighting the major tollway adjacent to the property will really get people interested!"

[Paul Richards]

Having visited the property, I can say that the views of downtown Chicago are pretty amazing.