Conway Farms to host 2013 & 2015 BMW/Western Open

[PCCraig]

It's official:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/golf/ct-spt-0209-bmw-championship--20120209,0,7111207.story

[Bill Seitz]

Unfortunate but expected result for Cog Hill.  Too bad, really.  I know the players don't like the changes, but I really think if in 2010, the course had been in as good of shape as it was in 2011, the 2011 criticism wouldn't have been quite as extreme.  It's also unfortunate that the ill will between certain players and Rees Jones has left the Jemseks without a PGA Tour event.  I wonder if this will have any long and short term effects on greens fees for Dubs. 

[Ross Harmon]

Obviously, this was a long time coming and no surprise. Hopefully the Western Open will continue to rotate courses this year as I'm looking forward to it being in my native state of Indiana this year and my current home state of Colorado in 2 years! Maybe Cog Hill could get back into a rotation with other midwest and Chicago area courses.

[Tim Nugent]

I fail to understand the logic of Conway being 35-minutes from Downtown Chicago as a negative.  Heck, it sits right of the interchange of I-94.  Plus it is that much closer to Milwaukee.  In a metro area boasted over 10 million people, it really doesn't matter where it is within a 35-mile ring, as long as there is ample parking nearby.
Of course the best place for the Western was Bultler which practically sits at the intersection of several Interstates and is about as central to the popultion as you can get.  But, alas it has a politically incorrect membership policy. Like Butler, I'm sure Conway will be able to piggy-back on all the nearby corporate parking lots on Sat and Sun.
It's a sad commentary when the Tour says it is worried about how it will look on TV (holes 4-7).  There will be plenty of spectators. I thought the idea was to get the best course for the players.  Silly me.

[J_ Crisham]

I fail to understand the logic of Conway being 35-minutes from Downtown Chicago as a negative.  Heck, it sits right of the interchange of I-94.  Plus it is that much closer to Milwaukee.  In a metro area boasted over 10 million people, it really doesn't matter where it is within a 35-mile ring, as long as there is ample parking nearby.
Of course the best place for the Western was Bultler which practically sits at the intersection of several Interstates and is about as central to the popultion as you can get.  But, alas it has a politically incorrect membership policy. Like Butler, I'm sure Conway will be able to piggy-back on all the nearby corporate parking lots on Sat and Sun.
It's a sad commentary when the Tour says it is worried about how it will look on TV (holes 4-7).  There will be plenty of spectators. I thought the idea was to get the best course for the players.  Silly me.

Tim,  If this is about getting the best course for the players it would not be at Conway. In all fairness ,Conway is good but is it in anyone's top 10 in Chicago? Of the courses that could handle the BMW it isn'teven in the same league as OFCC North or South for that matter, North Shore, Medinah etc. It will be a good fit for BMW's potential customer which is obviously the selling point.

[PCCraig]

I fail to understand the logic of Conway being 35-minutes from Downtown Chicago as a negative.  Heck, it sits right of the interchange of I-94.  Plus it is that much closer to Milwaukee.  In a metro area boasted over 10 million people, it really doesn't matter where it is within a 35-mile ring, as long as there is ample parking nearby.
Of course the best place for the Western was Bultler which practically sits at the intersection of several Interstates and is about as central to the popultion as you can get.  But, alas it has a politically incorrect membership policy. Like Butler, I'm sure Conway will be able to piggy-back on all the nearby corporate parking lots on Sat and Sun.
It's a sad commentary when the Tour says it is worried about how it will look on TV (holes 4-7).  There will be plenty of spectators. I thought the idea was to get the best course for the players.  Silly me.

Tim,  If this is about getting the best course for the players it would not be at Conway. In all fairness ,Conway is good but is it in anyone's top 10 in Chicago? Of the courses that could handle the BMW it isn'teven in the same league as OFCC North or South for that matter, North Shore, Medinah etc. It will be a good fit for BMW's potential customer which is obviously the selling point.

Jack,

I agree. I think even the Glen Club would of been a better choice. As the article states the whole Glen area would allow for concerts/parties/etc. which Lake Forest doesn't quite offer (unless you count the nearby Bob Chins ). Conway has a very high quality / active membership, but I think the Tour players might miss Cog after one or two years at CF.

[Terry Lavin]

Conway Farms was designed to completely frustrate our friend Mr. Morrow.  It has been a walking only course since day one, but there are cart paths on every hole.  Just ridiculous.  Plus there's a nice Vegas style limestone lined creek on the final hole and framing trees around pretty much every green. 

Despite those infirmities it's a good golf course and a fun golf course if you play from the proper tees, but it's not in my Top Ten in town.  They can make it better and they can make it harder, but they did that at Cog Hill and the pros still bitched.  I have no inside information whatsoever, but I'm guessing that they will play there once or twice and the event will move to Butler down the proverbial road.

[Jud_T]

Is there enough room for good spectator flow out there?  Where's the parking?

[J_ Crisham]

Jud,  There are lots of expansive yards in Lake Forest to wedge cars in -if that fails the corporate lots would be my guess. Keep in mind that being scheduled in Sept ensures a fairly quiet Weds-Friday unlike back when the Western was historically played in July.

[Mark Johnson]

ai bit surprising to me.... Word on the street was that chicago highlands was going to be getting 2015

[PCCraig]

ai bit surprising to me.... Word on the street was that chicago highlands was going to be getting 2015

Mark,

Chicago Highlands in 2015? Really? First I've heard of that.

[Mark Johnson]

I have two friends who are members there and they were shocked when they heard.

The Monday of the BMW a few PGA tour guys (i know Furyk was one) along with Finchem played the course and loved it both for the course and the space to put corporate stuff.   Apparently the PGA requested a couple of changes which the club had already hired an architect to complete.

Also, from my point of view, from a golf perspective it isn't even close.

[SL_Solow]

This has been in the works for some time.  Plenty of parking nearby with shuttle buses planned, not dissimilar to Cog and OFCC.  Luke Donald is a member who holds the course record and he is purported to have worked hard for the course.  If your friends were surprised they must not be around much as this has been an open secret in Chicago golf circles and the members I know all were aware.  As for the course, it is a fine Fazio.  Depending on your preferences, you will like it a lot  or think it is good but not great.  It is viewed as a players club so they maintain difficult rough and fast greens.  Therefore it will not be hard to fit the tour model.  Access from downtown is easier than Cog.  I feel terrible for the Jemseks who are the soul of Chicago golf but the changes to Cog and the corporate influence made this happen.

[Tim_Cronin]

Not so fast, my friends. Conway wants 2013 and 2015 in a package, but there's a hurdle in jump for that to happen and it's in San Francisco. See this, please (in a shameless attempt to goose web hits!): http://www.illinoisgolfer.net/blog/

[SL_Solow]

Sorry I misinterprted.  apparently the surprised members were at Chicago Highlands.  From those I know at the WGA, I have never heard that course in the conversation but who knows?

[Mark Johnson]

Sorry I misinterprted.  apparently the surprised members were at Chicago Highlands.  From those I know at the WGA, I have never heard that course in the conversation but who knows?

Thanks for the clarification.   I guess it seems like Highlands were used as a stalking horse to help in negotiations with Conway.

[Terry Lavin]

Chicago Highlands was in the conversation for the West Suburban BMW dealers invitational. Honest mistake.

[SL_Solow]

An additional question;  the press reports and Golf Channel's feed describes Conway as a "links stle course".  Can anyone explain to this long time Chicago native who has travelled to play links what that is supposed to mean?  I get the marketing but its not necessarry to sell Conway which is a nice course and a good challenge.  Links?

[Jud_T]

That's pretty funny.  I wonder how they plan on shepherding 30,000 people around the course.  There are 4 or 5 holes just off the top of my head which would be pretty tight for viewing.

[PCCraig]

An additional question;  the press reports and Golf Channel's feed describes Conway as a "links stle course".  Can anyone explain to this long time Chicago native who has travelled to play links what that is supposed to mean?  I get the marketing but its not necessarry to sell Conway which is a nice course and a good challenge.  Links?

Conway is a links if your definition of "links" is a course with 9-12 holes with very few trees, a housing development, marshes, and ponds.

They do have a sod stacked - style bunker on the 8th which if you squint might be something resembling what you would see on a links course. 

[Jud_T]

Pat,

The funny thing is that green is one of the least natural looking things on the entire course IMO...

[Tim_Cronin]

An additional question;  the press reports and Golf Channel's feed describes Conway as a "links stle course".  Can anyone explain to this long time Chicago native who has travelled to play links what that is supposed to mean?  I get the marketing but its not necessarry to sell Conway which is a nice course and a good challenge.  Links?

Each hole links one homesite to another. Except the fourth hole, which is by the railroad and thus links Conway to Prestwick. And which has room for 47 people a day to get to the fifth tee.

[PThomas]

[They do have a sod stacked - style bunker on the 8th which if you squint might be something resembling what you would see on a links course. 

talk about out of place....

[Howard Riefs]

Not so fast, my friends. Conway wants 2013 and 2015 in a package, but there's a hurdle in jump for that to happen and it's in San Francisco. See this, please (in a shameless attempt to goose web hits!): http://www.illinoisgolfer.net/blog/

Seems that the Tour is trying its best to jump that hurdle so Conway Farms gets the BMW Championship in 2013 and 2015. From the SF Chronicle:
 
"We've told all the parties the same thing throughout this dialogue: Look, we have a contract with the city of San Francisco to bring the penultimate playoff event there in 2013 or '14," tour executive David Pillsbury said Wednesday. "Until we are able to secure approval from the city to do otherwise, we plan on honoring our contractual agreement.

"We're hopeful, but it's not done until it's done. ... I think ultimately (the revised agreement) is good for the game of golf, for San Francisco and for Harding Park."

Rec and Park general manager Phil Ginsburg plans to soon bring the proposal, which includes another marquee PGA Tour event in 2017, '18 or '19, to the commission.

"We are in the process of finalizing an amendment that would move a tour playoff event to 2016 but also add two Schwab Cups," Ginsburg said.



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/15/SP0S1N845F.DTL