In 2005 I volunteered for the Walker Cup and walked the grounds of the Chicago Golf Club. The first thing I noticed was how open the course was. As I walked the course, I appreciated that the course did not need trees as a defense. In fact, trees really come into play on two holes, numbers fifteen and sixteen. From the clubhouse lawn, the entire course is laid out in front of you. It is very much like Muirfield in this regard.
The second, and most important to me architecturally were the greens and green complexes. The greens are all large, undulating, well bunkered, and many are elevated from the fairway. Several greens are square like, cut at ninety degree angles. I’m not qualified to say whether this is a strong architectural feature or not, but it sure looks cool.
After his first round at Muirfield, Tiger was a little flustered because he missed several putts. He said the greens were not overly fast (maybe 8.5), but holes were cut where it was really difficult to read what the ball was going to do as it got to the hole. I read this to mean that there were many subtle breaks that were not easily visible. The same thing happened to me several times at Chicago, where the ball did not move where I expected it would. Another unique feature at Chicago is how many greens have sections where they fall off, and you are not aware of this until it is too late.
The holes that fooled me the worst were #8 and #18. The eighth green slopes toward the back, especially the further back the hole location. The eighteenth green appears to slope from back to front. From pin high putting from the left side of the green, my ball did not move right one iota.
Six holes on the card add two hundred seventy five yards to the total yardage. I think the three holes where this makes the greatest difference are numbers 8, 12, and 17. These three make marginally difficult two shotters into ones that require two “glorious golf shots”, in the words of Ben Wright.
Hole #1 450 yards
An interesting feature of Chicago is the hardest three holes are numbers 1,2, and 3. The first is a straight hole. The fairway dips down then rises to a well bunkered green. Though it is not the Redan hole, were it a one shotter it would certainly qualify. The green is open on the right side. Even a long approach is difficult to run up the open slot due to the severity of the uphill slope.
Hole #2 440 Yards
This is similar to the Road Hole. It’s a long two shotter. The tee shot is slightly downhill, the second slightly uphill. The fairway is pinched inward around 270 yards off the tee by a cross bunker on the left hand side. The right portion of the green has a very severe false front, and the Road Bunker must be carried on the left to the back left pin placement. The hole is similar to #14 at Piping Rock.
Notice the large false front.
Hole #3 219 Yards
This is Chicago’s Biarritz Hole. Unlike #6 at Shoreacres or #9 at Yale, there is no putting green on the short side of the dip. Though the green is wide and deep, one does not want to be in any bunker left, right or long; the shot is severely uphill. The green slopes pretty well from back to front.
Hole #4 536 Yards
This is a Cape type hole doglegging slightly left. Ideally you want to hit a power draw off the cross bunker about 280 yards out. I really like this hole because if you go for it in two shots and do not wind up on the green, you’ll wish you had laid up between 90 and 110 yards out. It has a similar shape and yardage as #18 at Shoreacres but much more penal around the green. The green is elevated with a large false front and is surrounded by bunkers nearly three hundred degrees. It cannot be stated strongly enough to avoid the greenside bunkers. They are extremely deep.
Hole #5 320 Yards
Short Par 4 without too much trouble. The long hitter should be aware of the little bunker guarding the left portion of the green. This green is fairly large for a short approach but can play tricky in a stiff wind. It’s similar to the short fifth at Piping Rock.
Hole #6 395 Yards
Relatively straightforward tee shot. The devil is in the approach. The green is elevated with another large false front. The further back the flag, the more difficult the second because the green is pinched inward, halfway back by a dastardly bunker on the left. The green is two tiered.
Hole #7 207 Yards
Perhaps I’m a rarity on this site, but I’m not a huge fan of the Redan Hole. I’ve played North Berwick at least a half dozen times and just don’t appreciate the architectural significance of #15. If there is any wind, I think the hole becomes hit and hope the ball ends up no worse than long and left.
Seven at Chicago is a very good hole. The front half of the right side of the green is a false front. The lip above the left greenside bunker is very tall and makes it difficult to tell how much green is on the other side. This left side is where the hole is usually cut. However, there is a good fifty or sixty feet from front to back. A well struck shot will easily hold any part of the green above the false front. As with many holes, any shot that misses the green will result in a severely uphill pitch.
Hole #8 413 Yards
The drive is semi blind over a cross bunker, down a gentle slope to a fairway that tapers inward. I’m reminded of the tee shot of #7 at Piping Rock. The second is interesting for a Macdonald: deep bunkers lie short and right of the green. The putting surface is angled like #12 at August, an oval shape that runs from front left to back right. The ideal approach is from the left side.
Hole #9 403 Yards
Drive straightaway over a cross bunker. The second shot is over water that should not come into play, as it lies forty yards short of the green.
Hole #10 139 Yards
This is a gorgeous one shotter over the water. The green is almost completely surrounded by two bunkers, similar to #5 at Yale and the original #17 at Piping Rock. The two tiered green is very undulating.
Hole #11 410 Yards
From the tee this appears to be a straightforward two shotter. In reality it’s anything but. The hole is a mild dogleg left. The longer the drive, the more narrow the landing area. Deep rough on both sides awaits missed drives. The approach is uphill to a green that runs front right to back left, very Redan like. Again, there is a strong false front that must be negotiated.
Hole #12 414 Yards
The drive is semi blind and the left side should be favored. If one misses right, there is a fairway bunker and deep rough. The resulting shot will have to clear a deep greenside bunker. From the left side, the bunker is not really in play. However, The great feature of this hole is the two tiered punchbowl green. The back right part of the green is lower than the short left. The player has a good chance of one putting if on the correct level and a very difficult two putt from the wrong one.
Hole #13 149 Yards
A beauty and a devil simultaneously. The green is very well bunkered but the player will not be punished for coming up a little short. The green runs from front left to back right. It rises in the front and falls off to the back. Again, two putts are difficult if not on the correct side of the spine.
Hole #14 351 Yards
This is a wonderful short two shotter. The drive must carry a large diagonal cross bunker to a fairly generous fairway. The best approach is from the right, but if one misses right a bunker or deep rough will be quite punishing. A short iron should find the green. If not, a horseshoe shaped bunker will grab poor approaches. The strong player must be aware of not spinning his wedge into the bunker. The approach shot is similar to the second at Yale, however there is no drop off on the left side.
Hole #15 393 Yards
This hole is pretty straight. A deep bunker lies just left of the fairway about two hundred forty yards out. On the right side there are actually trees that come into play. The approach is to a square shaped green guarded by bunkers in all directions but short.
Hole #16 525 Yards
Even though there are trees that come into play left and right, it is a phenomenal driving hole due to the bunkering. A large cross bunker cuts off the left half of the fairway. Then there is the cross bunker on the right another forty paces forward. After driving, the second shot should favor the left side, as trees line the right. There is a false front of the green and a spine in the middle, dividing the left and right sides.
Hole #17 382 Yards
This is a straight, slightly uphill hole guarded by a cross bunker on the right about two hundred forty yards off the tee. The approach must clear two more cross bunkers to a large square green that slopes severely from back to front. There is a tee 83 paces behind the regular. From there, the hole reminds me of #10 at Muirfield due to the length, width of fairway, and bunkering.
Hole #18 425 Yards
The course ends with a semi blind tee shot over a set of bunkers on the right side. The fairway slopes downward and to the left, so a low draw is ideal. The main trouble greenside is a bunker right and a bunker just short and left. The green is a generous sized square with many subtle breaks.
Conclusion and other observations
This is one of the few courses I’ve ever played that I truly did not care what my score was. I was relaxed and enjoyed every step. The golf course is not that difficult until you start believing the golf course is not that difficult. Each shot must be given proper concentration and respect. When the wind is up, the course is very difficult for players of all skill levels.
An interesting feature is how many bunkers sit behind greens. I counted twelve holes that had back greenside bunkers. I have to assume they don’t see too much action unless the flag is cut back and the hole plays downwind.
If you recall the bunker Ernie Els hit into on #18 at Muirfield, there are several of these at Chicago. They tend to be long and narrow, leaving awkward stances and shots must carry steep slopes.
If I could do this over, I would have taken fewer pictures of tee shots and approaches and paid more attention to the green complexes with better analysis.