[Sven Nilsen]

If this is the kind of bickering you find in a normal Beverly foursome, I'm glad I moved out of town.  Should have figured the Judge couldn't handle Mr. Lewis' leisurely pace, from pegging the tee to getting the ball in the air their aren't many quicker.

Love the tour so far guys, and hope to chime in a bit more as we come down the stretch.

Some quick thoughts on 13 and 14:

- these are two great holes to drop a few balls and try different putts. 

- the tee shots on the two holes play very similarly for my game.  On 13 a hit a draw off the tree line on the right, and prey I don't block it.  On 14 I'll play the same shot, hoping to run out to the left side of the fair leaving a good angle into most pins.

- 14 is one of my favorite short par 4's in Chicago, rivaling the 6th at OFS, the 17th at Glen View and the 6th at Skokie.

All the best,

Sven

[Andrew Lewis]

Hole #15 (Par 4, 465 yds, 454 yds)

The drive – The 15th hole turns back to the north and plays parallel to the long par 5 11th.  It oftentimes signals the real start of the match; thankfully, a bar has been installed between the 15th and 17th tees in case the golfer’s nerves require steadying.
Just as 13 and 14 provide two takes on the short par 4, 15 and 16 offer outstanding examples of the stout two-shotter.  From the slightly elevated tee, the entirety of 15 is immediately in view. 

Several ridges drape across the width of the fairway with the general slope of the land from the player’s right to left.  The golfer can sling the tee ball off said ridges’ backsides in order to benefit from added roll, and likewise lose distance when hitting into an upslope.  Left is the preferred miss due to the slight right-hand bend of the hole and a series of obstacles that obscure shots from the right side, including a cluster of trees that jut into the fairway some 180 yards from the green and a tree and bunker short-right.

The golfer is free to play either a draw or a fade – whatever he believes will position his ball in the left half of the fairway to open up the approach.  I would note that although the train tracks beyond the 11th hole should not be in play, a friend a former college baseball player has proven that they can be.

The approach – From the right side of the fairway or right rough, the player will need to shape a fade to navigate the trees and bunker mentioned above and find the green, which is open at the front and at grade, and thus will accept running approaches – and important aspect given that most approaches will be hit with a mid-iron to fairway wood.

The left side provides a better angle, in line with the opening to the green framed by the right bunker and another that sits short left.  Recovery shots from short of the green are generally easier than from the left, right or back, so judging distance on the approach is important.

The green – The green is large and accessible, fitting the length and difficulty of the hole.
Although the full surface presents as a rectangle with the thin edge facing the player, it plays as more of an hourglass due to depressed areas on both the left and right sides that cause balls to fall off toward the fringe.  The front and middle of the green are generally flat, notwithstanding the dominant slope of the land toward the railroad tracks to the left.  The back section rises slightly to a sharply canted back-stop at the far end of the green, which was reclaimed during the restoration.

The size of the green means that recovery shots should find the surface, but to do so and run the ball close to the hole will require greater skill.

[Terry Lavin]

This is a great two-shotter that calls for a long tee ball with the left side being preferable. The second shot is usually around 200-220 for most players so the bunkers short of the green get a lot of action. This hole would be a lot better if the club had accepted Prichard's recommendation. He wanted to cut a bunch of trees right of the fairway and move the fairway in that direction while moving the fairway bunker to a more perilous location. As it is, the fairway bunker is more than 300 yards off the tee and in place only to catch bad second shots.

[JC Urbina]

Andrew.

This hole is one of my favorites at BCC.  Terry , I really like the way the hole sets up as is.  The green contours and backstops allow for very creative use of the whole green space and is one of the reasons I enjoyed playing this hole. I threw a few balls into various bunkers around the green, I was able to use the slopes at the  back of the green to get close to the pin locations that they had set up that day. 

[Quinn Thompson]

…the best par 4 of "the Lot", of the old "Lake Shore", was across the street, at Evergreen Golf Course…the 15th hole…with the railroad tracks hugging the right side on a big tilt of fairway coming from the moraine on the left, from the old 7th…If one could snap one into the hill, and keep his or her ball in play, well, the next 6 iron was aimed towards the telephone pole in the distance…for there was still a rise to clear that I had yet seen a tee-ball carry….there was plenty of running up the hill like Sergio back in those days, thinking it was good…the green had no real say in it, should she say something…It was all tee-ball and approach and luck…Good fun…best par 4 on the South Side of Chicago.

[Andrew Lewis]

Andrew.

This hole is one of my favorites at BCC.  Terry , I really like the way the hole sets up as is.  The green contours and backstops allow for very creative use of the whole green space and is one of the reasons I enjoyed playing this hole. I threw a few balls into various bunkers around the green, I was able to use the slopes at the  back of the green to get close to the pin locations that they had set up that day. 

Jim --

It sounds like you were fortunate to see a back pin.  A shot with a long iron or even fairway wood that lands short of or just on the green and releases back to the hole on this green is one of my favorite on the course.

The criticism I might offer, though, is that the large trees off the back of the green overhang too much of the green recaptured during the restoration, which negates some of the potential benefit of said reclaimed space when playing recovery pitches to back pins.

The same could be argued throughout the course -- although the tree removal undertaken during the restoration was a success in terms of both playability and turf conditions, there is certainly much more that could be done.

Cheers, Andrew

[Terry Lavin]

Andrew,

There are two large ash trees between 15 green and 16 tee that need to be removed.  One might consider one of the oaks on the left side of 15 green, but it doesn't cast any morning shade, which is the primary concern.  As for the big burr oak behind the green, that would be the last tree to be cut down on the course, in my estimation.  The turf problems there are more due to the decision to just cut down the rough to green height rather than reseeding the area.  It was a cost savings move that backfired, IMHO.

[J_ Crisham]

Andrew,

There are two large ash trees between 15 green and 16 tee that need to be removed.  One might consider one of the oaks on the left side of 15 green, but it doesn't cast any morning shade, which is the primary concern.  As for the big burr oak behind the green, that would be the last tree to be cut down on the course, in my estimation.  The turf problems there are more due to the decision to just cut down the rough to green height rather than reseeding the area.  It was a cost savings move that backfired, IMHO.

+1    Terry/Andrew,  I can't figure out why it is always wet in the right rough about 50-60 yds short of the  15 green. We were looking for a ball yesterday afternoon and it was pretty wet. As an aside, the rough is still nasty just about everywhere on the course.

[Andrew Lewis]

Andrew,

There are two large ash trees between 15 green and 16 tee that need to be removed.  One might consider one of the oaks on the left side of 15 green, but it doesn't cast any morning shade, which is the primary concern.  As for the big burr oak behind the green, that would be the last tree to be cut down on the course, in my estimation.  The turf problems there are more due to the decision to just cut down the rough to green height rather than reseeding the area.  It was a cost savings move that backfired, IMHO.

Terry --

I wasn't talking about turf from a sunlight perspective...more from a roots perspective.  The back portion of that green always seems splotchier than the rest of the surface.  But I agree that burr oak would be a tough sell and probably not worth fighting for.  The trees that are messing up 7 green on the other hand...

Cheers, Andrew

[JC Urbina]

Andrew,

The pin on # 15 was set up in the back portion of the green. The run up and elevation changes on this green were perfect for playing the shots I was trying to produce.   A down hill hole with a green as nicely inserted into this topography is hard to pull off, this green does it very well.

# 16 is another great green inserted into a hillside location.  These greens are very hard to do in my opnion.

[Matthew Sander]

I believe 15 is our tour guide's favorite hole at Beverly, at least it was at a point in time. I think what makes 15 stand out is that its green is the most blank canvas of any out there. By blank canvas, I mean that its low profile allows for any type of shot that your imagination creates. Now, some hole locations suggest some shots are better than others, and I'm also not suggesting that the green is ho-hum and boring. It is quite good, but it is less aerial than the other greens.

I don't think I've played to a back hole location, but it would be neat to see how that backstop can be an aid to greenside recovery shots.

[Mark Smolens]

Remember the days when getting your drive "over the hill" on 15 was a big deal? Now, with the advent of the modern ball and driver even a bunter like me can occasionally catch one on the face and do it.

Though it's hard to pick a "favorite" hole at a place like Beverly, 15 has to be high up on any list...

[Sven Nilsen]

15 is one of those love/hate holes, where each golfers personal relationship depends on the outcome of their last time playing it.

Although the miss on the tee ball is left, I find I want to aim up the right side and hit a hard draw that will run out and get over the hill, hopefully ending up middle left with a decent angle into the green.  From there, for me, its still a long iron or fairway wood, which I'll try to run on.  But as with all things golf, the best laid plans often go awry.  I've been in the trees on both sides of the fairway and have found myself with a wedge for my third on many occasion after having to punch one back to the fairway.  I'd gladly take anything greenside in two on this hole every time.

As mentioned earlier, the combination of two short holes (13/14) followed by two longer holes (15/16) provides for a great stretch of golf, with the two earlier holes rewarding precision, while the latter place a demand for distance (a theme to be continued down the rest of the closing stretch).

[Andrew Lewis]

Hole #16 (Par 4, 434 yds, 405 yds)

The drive – A counterpoint to 15th hole’s rollicking fairway and downhill approach shot to an open, at-grade green, the 16th hole turns back to the south and plays across flat land and requires an aerial approach to a green attractively benched into a hillside on the right.  The back tee box sits on an elevated pad, whereas the middle box is not.

A bunker cuts into the right side of the fairway around 225 yards from the back tees and marks a rare instance on the course in which challenging a hazard off the tee does not confer any reward.  If the player clears the trap and finds the right side of the fairway, he will be forced to face his approach around a large tree 50 yards short-right of the green, whereas approaches played from the center or left side of the fairway, or even the left rough, offer more open line into the target.

The approach – The player will typically have a mid- to long-iron in hand after a well struck drive, and face an uphill approach to the elevated green.  A single bunker guards the front right of the green, with the hillside into which the green is benched providing further defense.  A string of three bunkers well below the putting surface ring the left side.

Shots from the right side of the fairway almost inevitably require a fade in order to navigate the tree mentioned above.  From the center, the player has options.  And from the left, a draw is preferred.

To most hole locations, the player would do well to play for the center of the green and try to hole a longer putt, rather than end up short-sided with a very challenging up-and-down.

The green – Another large green defined by sharp back-to-front slope, the 16th also features modest right-to-left cant off the hillside.  Recovery shots can be relatively simple if one has missed on the long side; otherwise, stopping the ball near the hole from the hillside on the right or traps to the left is very, very difficult to do.  And misses long to a back pin are nearly unforgiveable, due to the steep drop-off behind.

Uphill putts can be very makeable; downhill putts require a defense-first mentality.  The typical dominant slopes on this green lack the perpendicular ridges that create what for me are the more interesting “trout pool” effects and counter-breaks.  It certainly isn’t the worst green on the course, but it also isn’t the best.

[Terry Lavin]

A stout two-shotter with a second shot made more challenging by a big maple 60 yards from the green on the right. In conjunction with the bunker in front on the right side and the hill on the right from which the green juts, the tree subtly moves the player's attention away from the preferred line of attack, bringing the left bunker into play. The green has a counterintuitive tilt on the left side but is predominantly back-to-front and right-to-left. Take par and get ready for the hardest hole on the course, the demonic #17.

[Andrew Lewis]

Hole #17 (Par 3, 209 yds, 202 yds)

The drive –  The golfer exits the back-right corner of the 16th green and walks up, over and down the hillside to the 17th tee – or, more accurately, to one of the 17th tees.  As with the 14th hole, 17 features alternate boxes that vary the distance and angle of play.

The main box is elevated, and the hole plays fairly straight in a just-south-of-east direction, past two traps that line and pinch the right side of the fairway – yes, this par 3 has a proper fairway – to a green edged by two traps on the right and one on the left.  The golfer will typically hit a long iron or rescue club, although a 3-wood or even driver may be needed if playing directly into an east wind.

The primary alternate box is located some 40 yards to the south of the main box.  Also elevated, this tee lengthens the hole by some 20 yards and also brings the string of bunkers right of the fairway and green directly into the line of play.  For somebody who favors a draw, the hole becomes considerably more difficult from this box.

A third tee was recently constructed below the primary alternate box at the base of the hill.  The angle is the same – i.e., bunkers directly in the line of play – but the distance considerably shorter at around 180 yards, albeit slightly uphill.  I have not yet used that box and thus cannot comment on how the hole plays.

The green – If the golfer is smart or lucky, he will find himself just off the front-left of the green in Cavvy’s Corner – the preferred location from which one can get up and down, and miles better than hitting the green but stopping above the hole.

The green itself is a built-up pad that tilts severely from back to front.  The greenside bunkers bottom out well below the putting surface, and the back edge falls away severely back to grade-level rough.

The front of the green is a fairly uniform sheet of back-to-front terror, whereas the rear-left and rear-right sections, formed by a vertical spine, feature more subtle sliding breaks both off the spine and from back to front.

A back or middle pin offers the best chance to hit the green and leave an uphill putt, front pins should be feared, and experienced players won’t even bother with precise yardages and instead will just play short to Cavvy’s Corner.

A birdie will almost certainly win the hole, a par will have a good chance, and even bogie can be enough.

Other commentary – Of the Chicago-land courses I have played, the closing stretch of holes from 15 through 18 may represent one of the most engaging – and surely offer one of the most challenging – ends to a round of around.  Two stout par 4’s, a long par 3 and a double-dogleg par 5 which, on the card, are the #6, 18, 14 and 4 handicap holes, respectively – an important feature to consider when playing a match.  The presses, rolls and re-rolls in the scotch component of the Beverly Game and the auto-presses in the Nassau components mean that the final putt on the 18th green can really, really matter. 

(Insider’s Tip – Again, please do not, under any circumstances, agree to play the Beverly Game.)

[Terry Lavin]

A great player can challenge this green with a high floater but mere mortals are best advised to play short and left, hitting two clubs less than if going for the flag. This greatly helps taking double out of play even if it fairly invites a bogey. Long is very, very wrong here as it's nigh impossible to keep even a lob/flop on the green coming back.

[Phil McDade]

Sorry to go back to 16 (17 is a great par 3), but is the hill to the right of the 16th green still covered with trees? Unlike, say, the towering oaks at the back of 15 green, the trees on the hill on 16 don't seem to serve a purpose other than to perhaps keep stray shots away from 15 tee? I know Beverly has done some very good tree-cutting, but wouldn't this be one area where some aggressive tree removal might expose -- and perhaps come into play -- the wonderful small hill adjacent to 16 green?

[Andrew Lewis]

Sorry to go back to 16 (17 is a great par 3), but is the hill to the right of the 16th green still covered with trees? Unlike, say, the towering oaks at the back of 15 green, the trees on the hill on 16 don't seem to serve a purpose other than to perhaps keep stray shots away from 15 tee? I know Beverly has done some very good tree-cutting, but wouldn't this be one area where some aggressive tree removal might expose -- and perhaps come into play -- the wonderful small hill adjacent to 16 green?

Hi Phil -

Yes, the trees on the hill to the right of 16 green are very much still there, but they aren't what keeps the hill out of play -- the large maple some 50-60 yards short-right of the green plays that role due to the way it so severely blocks access to the green from the right side of the fairway.

Best, Andrew

[Jason Kang]

A great player can challenge this green with a high floater but mere mortals are best advised to play short and left, hitting two clubs less than if going for the flag. This greatly helps taking double out of play even if it fairly invites a bogey. Long is very, very wrong here as it's nigh impossible to keep even a lob/flop on the green coming back.

Terry, Andrew, et al

has 17 green always been at that grade, or was it ever "leveled off" slightly?  Just curious as other clubs with a similar template hole have elected to do so (I imagine that that is always an intense and interesting discussion, esp on a classic design).   

[Terry Lavin]

To my understanding, it has never been altered in that way.

[Andrew Lewis]

Hi Jason --

I also have not heard of #17 green being altered.  And if it required "leveling off" to reach its current amount of tilt, then the prior incarnation wouldn't be playable at today's green speeds.

I appreciate your comment, however, on the template aspect of this hole.  We spend a lot of time on this site discussing the Mac-Raynor-Banks templates for par 3 holes, but very little (that I have seen, at least) on those of Ross.  Could be interesting for a separate thread...

Best, Andrew

[Matthew Sander]

Playing catch up here...

Hole 16 - I really love this hole. As a matter of fact after reading some of the descriptions and thoughts about this par 4 I'm considering myself a bit of an empty suit, but shamelessly so. It seems that other opinions aren't quite as lofty as mine, and I probably place too much emphasis on the beauty of the hole. It is a looker though. Even if it is not in the discussion for best hole on the course, it is a candidate for my favorite...if that makes any sense.

The way that green is just perched and benched into the small hillside really fits my eye. The fact that I have multiple birdies on the hole should help to prove that it isn't one of the stiffer challenges on the course. It certainly is the least difficult of the finishing stretch, but it is not particularly short.

The drive is fairly accommodating, although as previously mentioned the left side is best. Not only do you take the trees short/right out of play, but you are hitting more into the slope of the green.   

Hole 17 - I still haven't seen enough of the area's best to say with any certainty where 17 ranks among Chicagoland par 3s, but others have placed it pretty darn high and I am in no position to argue. It is one of those holes that remains remarkably playable for a conservative approach while being tough as nails when played aggressively.

I haven't played from the far right teeing ground yet, which undoubtedly ups the ante by taking the run up shot almost entirely out of play.

[Andrew Lewis]

Hole #18 (Par 5, 575 yds, 557 yds)

The drive and layup – 18 turns to the north and plays as a long, par 5 back that snakes first to the right and then back to the left before finishing just below the covered veranda at the south-east corner of the clubhouse.

The tee box angles the player slightly to the left of the green’s location in the distance.  The southern end of the driving range and a grove of trees line the right side of the fairway to the dogleg-right bend, which begins around 250 yards away.  A second shot from the trees on the right will almost certainly result in a low punched recovery shot.

The left side of the fairway is more open, although trees also can come into play if the golfer’s drive runs too far.  Recoveries from the rough offer more options, as the angle is better and the trees less dense.

Well-struck drives that find the fairway will pose a fine strategic question:  layup short of a large bunker on the left side of the fairway cut into a hill some 150 yards from the green, or try to fly or thread one’s ball between that and a right-side fairway bunker that begins atop the hill around 130 yards from the green.

The approach – If the layup finds the fairway short of the left-hand bunker, the player will face a blind (from the left) or blind-ish (from the right) shot over the hill, further complicated by a large tree which, from that angle, blocks the direct path to pins on the left half of the green

If the layup successfully challenged the fairway bunkers, the player will have anything from 125 yards from the fairway atop the hill to 75 yards from the base of the hill on the other side.

From any angle, the golfer will do well to keep his ball below the hole.  And while this has been true on nearly every other hole, it is very much the case on 18.

The green – 18 sets up as a large rectangle that is narrow on the front and back edges and long on the sides, with a slight protrusion out at the back right – which, incidentally, is pinnable.  Bunkers line both the left and right sides, and rough and OB in the form of a hedge and the clubhouse protect the back side.

The slope from back to front is profound, such that an uphill 20-foot putt will be preferred to a 5-foot downhiller or anything from pin-high.  The only flat (or at least flatt-ish) putts will be found on a thin ledge at the very rear of the green.

Many matches and nearly every scotch game played at the Bev will come down to the 18th hole, and the fact that nearly any score can be made from any position after the tee ball – whether good or bad – makes for a fine and action-laden finish.  Pars can win the hole, and bogies can halve.  Or, in the case of your narrator’s round earlier today, one’s partner can stuff an approach to two feet from 115 out for a conceded birdie (plus prox, ball and total, for the umbrella in a scotch game) for a delightful end to a morning round.

[Terry Lavin]

OMG, the round is finally over!  Stay left off the tee, right on the second and stay below the hole with the approach. I'm done opining, but it's a great finisher for us mere mortals, even if the big guys can bomb it over the tree, cut the dogleg and have a shot at eagle. I'd need a gun and I'd have to settle for a red-tailed hawk. See everybody in a couple days!

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