Briarwood

[Lenny Polakoff]

I had the opportunity to play Briarwood in Deerfield, IL with Shelly Solow on Tuesday. I was in town on business and stuck for a place to play with a client.  Shelly very graciously invited us out as his guest even though we had never met or spoken.

First I have to say that Shelly is just about a nice a guy as you will find.  He is also very passionate about Briarwood as he should be.  Briarwood is a wonderful Colt  & Allison which was renovated by Mark Mungeam in 2001.  It has a wonderful collection of holes and was in impeccable shape.

I wanted to publicly acknowledge not only how enjoyable Briarwood was, but how much I enjoyed meeting and playing with Shelly.  He is a first class guy at a first class golf course.  If anyone else has the opportunity to play with Shelly or at Briarwood, I highly recommend it.

Thanks again Shelly for a great day and looking forward to hosting you next time you are in NY.

Lenny

[Mike Policano]

Lenny,

Briarwood is a little gem out there. And Shelly, well what can you say? Probably nothing. Shelly is the only guy I know who talks through his own swing! At least it is entertaining although Shivas might be able to argue the other side.

[Steve Lapper]

Ahhh...dear old Briarwood....

Over my 13+ earlier years in Chicago, I've had many a wonderful day up there. It's a gem and will always have a spot in my heart as the place I smacked the King of Chicago his Airness #23 around for 18holes and cleaned out his deliberately kept skinny wallet. He tried ye olde "Aloha'" press only to airmail the green for a 2X. Needless to say, he got me back a few times, but never again at Briarwood!

 We used to play up there after am trading sessions for weeks on end and never ceased to enjoy it.

[Adam Clayman]

I played there long ago, and more recently w/ Shelly. The changes are amazing and the new hole is quite good. As Barney has stated B4 the clubhouse is so beautifully appointed, with a more modern feel than the stuffy old wood paneled version of class, it makes me feel like I'm having comfort food.

Steve, There's a great story about MJ when he first moved to town and the club's visitor policy. Was your round there with him, during those early days?

[Steve Lapper]

I played there long ago, and more recently w/ Shelly. The changes are amazing and the new hole is quite good. As Barney has stated B4 the clubhouse is so beautifully appointed, with a more modern feel than the stuffy old wood paneled version of class, it makes me feel like I'm having comfort food.

Steve, There's a great story about MJ when he first moved to town and the club's visitor policy. Was your round there with him, during those early days?

Adam,

   Yes, the "spanking round" took place at Briarwood, although we have played at other Chicagoland venues (with mixed results). As you probably know, MJ's unchallenged "visitor" streaks at many places were lengthy and he was adept at resisting offers to join, however he did finally cave and join a few places. Mike had a great short game and a more erratic long game, but his greatest strength was his trash-talking and "in-your-face" wagering. After drinking multiple fluids at the halfway house, he'd actually bet who would have to take the next leak!