I recently went to the website for this new facility opening in Chicago in a few weeks, and though it has already been discussed (and derided not just a little here due to the expense) here a bit, the course website now has a bunch of photos on Picasa.
http://picasaweb.google.com/BaxGGHC/ChicagoHighlands02#I have to say, I'm very impressed with the photos. Maybe it is just a deft hand with Photoshop, but the pictures look really impressive. So I called for more information, and I got a call back right away. (the photos were taken by an amateur, btw) They're having an open house this weekend for prospective members, which doesn't include me as I live downtown and this is just too far of a drive for me, but the developer invited me out to come walk the course. I've never played Chicago Golf, but the developer has, and said he really took a lot of lessons to heart in his years of playing CGC.
He assured me that the course was quite walkable, and that they focused on using 200 acres for the course itself. No houses, etc. I recognize that many of you will scoff at the facility itself, as it seems a bit over the top, but let's focus on the course here for a moment: What are your thoughts? Does anyone look at this and think to themselves, "another Art Hills course"? I've played MANY Hills courses, growing up in Michigan, and playing down in Florida, and to me, this looks NOTHING like a typical Art Hills course.
The par threes in particular look really impressive. at 7500 yards, and 6 sets of tees, they're clearly looking to host some PGA/USGA stops, but from the photos, it looks like a minimalist design to me. And yes, I realize the irony of that statement...
If the weather cooperates, I'm going to walk the course a bit on Saturday, so hopefully I'll have some updates for those who give a hoot.