Is the reason more info isn't exchanged about Chicago Golf Club...

[V. Kmetz]

1.  it's exclusivity and privacy are at a premium and not many are privileged to report?

2.  it represents CBM architecture before it has matured, is on a flattish ground, and was made for Charlie's slice in the clock wise layout?

3.  it represents CBM architecture before it imported the template British holes overtly as principle?

4   some combination of those elements

5.  something else.

i'd love it if someone in the know would direct such inquiries to a place where they have been fleshed out.  there were forty pages of Chicago Golf club hits in the thread search and I may have missed pertinent info scanning them...

cheers

vk

[C. Squier]

Guessing it's b/c CGC is incredibly difficult to get access to and not many have played it compared to the other top courses discussed daily. 

[Steve Salmen]

There are a lot of golfers in Chicagoland that have played their whole lives and never set foot at Chicago Golf.  I think the reason is simple: there are not a lot of members and in order to play you must be accompanied by one.

Since the course was changed by Mr. Raynor in the 20s, I think you'll find no trouble recognizing the Road, Biarritz, Redan, Eden, Short, Cape, etc.  In the absence of elevation change, the 17th reminds me very much of the 10th at Muirfield.

[Bill_McBride]

The 2005 Walker Cup was a great opportunity for many to walk the course who would never have been able to see it otherwise.

And yes, it does have the "Muirfield" routing to accommodate Macdonald's left to right tee balls - front nine clockwise around the perimeter with OOB always left, and back nine a loop inside.

[Tom_Doak]

V.

Steve Salmen  has it about right.  I have been the consultant there for several years, but I still n eed to be accompanied by a member or the superintendent when I am out on the course.

The original, pre-1900 course did hug the boundary, but the 1925 revision does not ... I have played golf there numerous times and don't remember seeing anyone even close to going o.b., though I guess it is possible on a few of the holes with a massive hook.

They are expanding the greens now back to the very edges of the fill pads, and I never realized just how big those greens were ... close to six acres in all!  I told them they might need to stop before they eclipsed Old Macdonald. 

[John Kavanaugh]

Chicago Golf Club is the University of Chicago of golf.  Neither really fit the good people of the great State of Illinois and thus suffer in the eye of popular opinion.

[Colin Sheehan]

Speaking of green expansion on a Macdonald course, we have done direct comparison to the outlines of the Yale greens from 1934 and the present day and in spite of all the expansion in the past few years, there is still a tremendous amount to reclaim out there, including holes 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 (the back-half), 12 and 18, to say nothing of restoring the third, which will be three times to the current size.

[Rob_Waldron]

Chicago Golf Club is a very interesting and unique club. There are only about 150 members which is by invitation only. The club recently voted down putting air conditioning in the main dining room. (It seemed rather odd however my member host was rather proud of this fact) The only conditioned space is the pro shop and grill room off the Men's locker room. The lockers are old school and a large man could easily fit inside of one. As Mr. Doak commented the greens have recently been enlarged to re-capture lost putting areas. The result is very large putting surfaces with several "squared off" greens. The course is fun to play and offers a variety of approach options via air or ground. Needless to say most foursomes seemed to be comprised of a member and three guests.

[Steve Salmen]

Tom,

My host likes to tell of the time he played with a younger, aggressive member.  On the 17th hole, he hit his ball OB on the other side of the second hole.

V,

Regarding privacy, I think the membership highly values it.  I did a photo tour and regret posting it to GCA.  Though my host was fine with it, I think some members don't like publicity of any kind.

[Morgan Clawson]

Only 150 members - WOW. 

The monthly fee must be really steep.

Are there many other prominet clubs with a membership that is that exclusive?

[Mark Chaplin]

I'm privilaged to have played Chicago Golf Club a couple of times, the members I have met are charming but as has been said earlier they greatly value their privacy and their admissions policy fits with their requirements to ensure the membership fits well with each other.

6-7 fourballs is an average day so very few people ever get the opportunity to play the course.

Rob - that is now the third time in ten years the membership have rejected aircon!

[PThomas]

sorry, but i would have voted for the air cond!

[PCCraig]

Only 150 members - WOW. 

The monthly fee must be really steep.

Are there many other prominet clubs with a membership that is that exclusive?

Morgan:

I can think of two similar clubs in Chicago alone that have 150 members or less.

[John Kavanaugh]

sorry, but i would have voted for the air cond!

Why, so your wife can meet you for dinner after a round. Not my cup of tea.

[PCCraig]

I've been lucky enough to have played Chicago a couple of times and it really is a great place to spend a half a day. The membership is exclusive and they value their privacy, however from what I have experienced they appreiciate interest in the course's design history and its architecture. I've found that CGC is about as pure of a "Golf Club" as I've ever seen...the members are almost always good players (or were in their younger days), play fast, and take the game and course seriously.

I would be very interested in knowing exactly how much CBM is left in the design as from what I know the course is essentially a Seth Raynor after his redesign in the 1920's.

[PCCraig]

Chicago Golf Club is the University of Chicago of golf.  Neither really fit the good people of the great State of Illinois and thus suffer in the eye of popular opinion.

What does this mean?

[Morgan Clawson]

Pat,

I would imagine that a lot of the same guys at Chicago belong to the other 2 that you referenced.  Life is good.

John,

   LOL

[John Kavanaugh]

Chicago Golf Club is the University of Chicago of golf.  Neither really fit the good people of the great State of Illinois and thus suffer in the eye of popular opinion.

What does this mean?

I'm off to golf.  Could someone else explain this to Pat?

[PCCraig]

Pat,

I would imagine that a lot of the same guys at Chicago belong to the other 2 that you referenced.  Life is good.

John,

   LOL

As a matter of fact the one member at CGC that I know is!

[PCCraig]

Chicago Golf Club is the University of Chicago of golf.  Neither really fit the good people of the great State of Illinois and thus suffer in the eye of popular opinion.

What does this mean?

I'm off to golf.  Could someone else explain this to Pat?

Don't bother.

[Bill_McBride]

Tom,

My host likes to tell of the time he played with a younger, aggressive member.  On the 17th hole, he hit his ball OB on the other side of the second hole.

Steve, was he left handed?   

[PThomas]

sorry, but i would have voted for the air cond!

Why, so your wife can meet you for dinner after a round. Not my cup of tea.

i dont care what you think, i dont enjoy being inside a building with no air when its 95 with high humidity

[Steve Salmen]

Bill,

He is right handed.  Earlier this year I hit the 5th fairway from the 6th tee.  My host said he'd never seen anyone drive there.

[C. Squier]

Only 150 members - WOW. 

The monthly fee must be really steep.

Are there many other prominet clubs with a membership that is that exclusive?

And far, far fewer actually still play golf.  It's a tough ticket needless to say.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,

He is right handed.  Earlier this year I hit the 5th fairway from the 6th tee.  My host said he'd never seen anyone drive there.

I was thinking an aggressive swing off that 17th tee across the 2nd fairway would most likely result in a huge hook!