Langford Par 3 Winnetka Golf Club

[Ira Fishman]

Growing up, we used to have a blast playing a Par 3 course at Winnetka Golf, a public facility outside of Chicago. We had no clue about architecture. The club states that the Par 3 course is a Langford design (same for original 9 holes on full length course).


Can anyone confirm that it is a Langford? It sounds as if it was a very early version in the US of a Par 3 course.


Thanks,


Ira

[Sven Nilsen]

Here you go.


Aug. 3, 1961 Chicago Tribune -

[Ira Fishman]

Sven,


Thanks. I don't know if you ever played it when you were in Chicago, but it was a lot of fun and not easy. I played the 18 hole course a ton--solid course although Chicago dead flat. It was first sign up at 5 or 6 am for tee times on the weekends so we often used to bowl all night. Ah, to have the energy of youth.


It is pretty cool that 43 years passed between Langford's first design there and the Par 3 course.


Ira

[PCCraig]

I've played the par-3 at Winnetka quite a few times. It was always a fun little course, but its a long way from Lawsonia. It was pretty run down but it had great bones as shown by the 8th hole.


We played it a ton in the winter as it used to be about $10 and they kept the greens open year-round. If it was over 40* and no snow on the ground it was a prime day for the Winnetka par-3.


We used to play a month worth of spring matches between my high school and the New Trier team, which included a par-3 tournament the first week as a warm up. The HP at the time used to set it up super hard with some crazy pins which was always fun.

[Peter Flory]

I live down the street and go out there with one my sons a few times per year.  The green pads are Langford-like in some spots.  It's not very good overall, but does get a lot of play from kids.  It is in such a great area that it would be extremely popular if it were renovated.  Drainage is bad on it and on most of the Winnetka 18-hole course as well, so renovation work would probably cost way more than it otherwise should (similar to the Reserve at Oak Meadows project). 

[Ira Fishman]

Peter,


The memories from 45+ years ago remain fond. Plus the Par 3 course was still young then.


Ira

[Tim_Cronin]

I live down the street and go out there with one my sons a few times per year.  The green pads are Langford-like in some spots.  It's not very good overall, but does get a lot of play from kids.  It is in such a great area that it would be extremely popular if it were renovated.  Drainage is bad on it and on most of the Winnetka 18-hole course as well, so renovation work would probably cost way more than it otherwise should (similar to the Reserve at Oak Meadows project).

There are a couple of holes on the par-3 layout that, if there's a baseball game going at the nearby diamond, you have to watch for foul balls or a drive to deep left field. And it's the only baseball field I know of where an outfielder might run into a bunker.