Canal Shores Transformation - Golf History on the North Shore - Zoom Meeting

[Jason Way]

Thanks for sharing the link to the article Buck.  Grateful to Tony, Graylyn, and the folks from Links for their support.

The media support of our transformation continues.  Matt Ginella will be out this week with a crew to produce a story that should air toward the end of the week on Morning Drive. 

While that hub-bub is going down, here is what I am noodling on:



Anyone want to help me build a beta version of a 5-hole Kids Links in the next few weeks?  Could be done quickly and easily I think, so I am going to try and make it happen.

[Peter Flory]

What does a beta version mean?  It would be easy to draft it digitally and be able to test it on a simulator and view it from different angles.  Or do you mean go out and stick pins in the ground and circle the new greens, etc? 


I really love reading about this project.  I'm not originally from the area and haven't played it, but have driven by it many times and always thought that it was a miracle that it still existed.  Efforts to save it would be impressive enough, but it is actually turning into something that has architectural interest. 

[Jason Way]

Thanks for following along Peter.  What I mean by "beta" is creating the 5 holes using the 2 holes, a practice green, existing features, and materials we have on hand in that area.  Ultimately, we want to partner with First Tee to do a full renovation of this part of the property to create a legit Kids Links and practice area.  For now, tinkering to test the concept. 

[Howard Riefs]

Congrats to Jason on getting Matt Ginella to visit Canal Shores while he was in town for the BMW Championship earlier this month...


http://www.golfchannel.com/video/community-run-canal-shores-course-chicago/

[Jason Way]

I posted a recap of our volunteer work this year on my site:

https://geekedongolf.com/2017/11/26/journey-along-the-shores-part-18-annual-volunteer-recap/

Given the ongoing connection of our project to this community, I wanted to share some additional thanks here.

Thank you to GCAers for their efforts and support in 2017: Howard Riefs, JJ Shanley, Andy Johnson, Peter Korbakes and Shel Solow.

Thank you to the area Superintendents who lend us materials, equipment, labor and expertise: Brian Palmer, Scott Vincent, Curtis James, Scott Pavalko, Justin Van Landuit, Brian Bossert, Todd Fyffe and Chuck Barber.

Thank you to the architects and shapers for the visits, work, expertise, encouragement and offers of support (I wish that I could have taken you up on more of it in 2017): Dave Zinkand, Drew Rogers, Todd Quitno, Quinn Thompson, Justin Carlton, Dave Esler, Mike Benkusky, Jim Urbina, Shawn Smith, Rob Collins, Andy Staples, Keith Cutten, Jeff Mingay and Brett Hochstein.

Thank you to members of the media for the coverage and legitimization of our dream chasing: Dave Lockhart, Tony Dear, Graylyn Loomis, Matt Ginella, D.J. Piehowski and Jay Rigdon (I've compiled the stories to date in the original post on this thread).

I am sure that I am forgetting some people, and for that I apologize.  Every contribution from every one of you is appreciated.  Here's to more progress in 2018, which if all goes according to plan, will include bulldozers.  Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.

[Jason Way]

Checking in with a few updates:

Our LA/Eco firm completed their work on the ecological component of the Master Plan.  It is set to be approved by our Board at their February meeting.  Finalizing the golf component of the plan, which includes completing negotiations with NU and First Tee is next.  Progress has been slow, but there is progress and I am encouraged. 

I put together a closer look at the subject of trees as a supplement to the Eco plan for those who are interested in learning more about the method to our chainsaw madness:

https://geekedongolf.com/2018/01/28/journey-along-the-shores-part-19-all-about-the-trees/

We have also put a Closing Stretch Makeover project on the spring calendar, and I am working on lining up the resources.  The 17th and 18th holes are two of the worst on the course currently.  We will attempt to address drainage issues, while also tweaking grass lines, expanding greens, and doing a few bunker (re)builds.

Here is a quick sketch I did:



Updates to come on the scheduling, which is obviously weather dependent.  Hit me up if you are interested in pitching in.

[JReese]

Plans to pave over significant portion of 10th fairway. 



https://canalshores.org/dontpave10/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/evanston/community/chi-ugc-article-taxpayers-would-pay-500000-to-pave-10th-fai-2018-10-30-story.html

[PCCraig]

They only do 12,000 rounds?


It would certainly be a shame to pave over the 10th hole. Given the attention it's getting from the community I wonder if it'll pass but in the end it might depend on how determined ($$) the developer is.

[George Myers]

Thanks for putting up the article.


Timely as the vote is for tomorrow, November 1.


I hope it gets shutdown and it seems that there has been an outpouring of support over the past month, so locally, this has been in the news for the last 6-8 weeks.

[George Myers]

live video from meeting


people are still making statements before the vote... as of 11:22 am CST


http://mwrd.granicus.com/mediaplayer.php?event_id=9dd65793-26f4-43e6-8e31-ccb1379c9ef0

[George Myers]

great outpouring of support to oppose the easement, however, the MRWD decided to defer the vote.

Frustrating.

[Buck Wolter]

Don’t we know how this ends?

[Buck Wolter]

Easement granted
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2018/11/15/city/mwrd-votes-5-4-in-favor-of-easement-at-canal-shores-golf-course/

Lawyers converge
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/wilmette/news/ct-wml-mwrd-keefe-easement-vote-tl-1122-story.html

[JReese]

Figured that was coming since they delayed the vote until after election day.  Interesting, but not surprising to see one of the business partners with just a little political clout.  That's the Illinois Way. 

[Jason Way]

As 2018 draws to a close, a recap seems to be in order. First, thanks to all of you who continue to support our efforts to transform Canal Shores. It makes a difference.

PART 1
I have been quiet on the updates since January because not much has happened on the renovation front. Our Board did not make meaningful progress on pushing that initiative forward. A new, more action-oriented regime takes the reins in January, and I am hopeful that we will get back on track.

There was plenty of activity in 2018 though. In the spring, we focused on grass lines and bunker rehab. There is a recap of that work with photos on my blog -> https://geekedongolf.com/2018/11/04/journey-along-the-shores-part-23-the-year-that-cs-became-a-golf-course/  Working with Tony and his crew on the grass lines gave me yet another layer of respect and appreciation for the work that Superintendents do, and how frustrating the management piece of their job can be. On more than one occasion, we spent weeks establishing a line only to have one of the staff roll over it on a mower at the wrong height. Serenity now!

Of course, the brush/tree clearing continues. One of our guys did the training to be a burn boss (outstanding title) and we held several burns. Chopping is fun. Chopping then burning is fun squared.



The course was busy throughout the summer. Youth golf camps were packed. The Murray Brothers had their outing. Local concert venue Space hosted an outdoor music festival featuring Mavis Staples and The Indigo Girls. We had golf geeks visit from around the country. And Erik Anders Lang and Andy Johnson held a Chicago meetup and played in a twentysome. Good stuff across the board.
 

[Jason Way]

PART 2
The battle over the proposed road on the 10th hole got plenty of publicity. I stayed out of that scrum because there were enough cooks in the kitchen. Although the idea of building that road is offensive and stupid at a number of levels, it doesn’t matter all that much in the long run for the golf course. Based on what we learned while creating the Eco Master Plan (https://canalshores.org/eco-master-plan/), that area of the property is very complicated with wetlands and highly valuable stands of oak trees. I doubt that the final renovation plan will include a hole in the corridor currently occupied by the 10th.

This fall, we have been back to chopping, aggressively so since the weather has been favorable. We’re giving away free firewood, and looking for ways to repurpose as much of the wood as possible, like upgrading a cart bridge over a wet area between 9 and 10. Volunteer sessions are scheduled to resume in January.





Two weekends ago, we held the 4th annual Reverse Jans. GCAers Schmidt, Korbakes, Johnson and Sternberg, as well as a couple dozen other goofs were in attendance. We raised a nice little chunk of change that will be put toward paying two years of the lease on a new Carryall for our Super Tony.



Again, many thanks for your support this year. It is great to have so many of you stopping by to visit when you can. Hope that trend continues in 2019. In the event that anyone wants to make a tax deductible donation to the annual fund, here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/CanalShoresAnnualFund

Happy holidays to you all.

[Ira Fishman]

Any updates for 2019? Always enjoyed following the progress.


Ira

[Jason Way]

Yesterday marked the 5th annual playing of the modern Reverse Jans at Canal Shores, as well as the 15th anniversary of the winter outing that started it all. Our very own Phil McDade made the trip down from Madison to join the fun. He will be providing us with photos and commentary on this thread in the coming days. Suffice it to say for now, a good time was had by the members of The Honourable Company who braved the chill.

2019 was a year of progress and an update is in order. Before diving in, many thanks to GCAers who continue to lend their support in ways big and small to our dream chasing. It matters.

PART 1 - HAPPENINGS
 
Perhaps the most frequently asked question I get is about the 10th hole dust-up. After the MWRD vote to approve the easement for the private road, nothing new happened. The landowner has other hurdles to clear. The upshot of the dispute is that the relationship between MWRD and the community association running the course has deteriorated, leading to further financial issues. My outside perspective is that there is potential to emerge from this period with a streamlined oversight arrangement, which would be great. It’s complicated though, and some folks seem to have difficulty acting like adults at times, so we are in wait-and-see mode on bigger projects.

On the ground, the course was incredibly busy. Our youth camps have grown to the point of bursting. We had more events than ever. The SPACE concerts expanded from 2 to 4 nights. We did approximately 12,000 rounds that got counted, which means that we were likely closer to 15,000 all in. The thing that had us as jazzed as anything was a new camp organized to expose disadvantaged youth to the game. I was not personally involved in that initiative, but it was very cool. I wrote about it on my site here: https://geekedongolf.com/2019/09/complicated-but-perfect/

Another highlight was Tom Coyne’s visit with Joel Murray. Many thanks to Tom Young from Ballpark Blueprints for making that happen. The video is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkyKqBBGUW0&t=2s  They also did a fun podcast from the Legion bar above the pro shop. I saw the other thread about “influencers”, and my perspective is pretty simple. After Matt Ginella, Erik Anders Lang and Tom Coyne came out, more golfers followed them. For a course like ours, the awareness raised by these people is categorically good, and we appreciate them. If Jon Cavalier came out with Riggs from Barstool Sports, or the NLU guys paid us a visit, we would love it. Bring ‘em all on.

Up next, the course...

[Jason Way]

PART 2 - THE COURSE

Although we aren’t into the full scale renovation yet, we did make further improvements to the course this year. In the spring, all of the bunkers got a refresh again. As a novice, I am still surprised at how much the shapes and structures change due to one year’s use and growth. The church pews on #18 didn’t make it through the winter because I didn’t anticipate what being underwater would do. I removed two (five was too many) and rebuilt the two at the low end using sleepers. They seem to be holding up better thus far. Fingers crossed.



We also tested out a new method of surface drainage by creating a wee burn in front of the 17th green, with a big assist from a few of the NewClub guys. That worked like a charm and is now a beloved feature, especially among the kids.



I wrote about the project on my site here: https://geekedongolf.com/2019/07/canal-shores-wee-burn/  A buddy helped me get some drone photography of the closing stretch. Visible are the horseshoe bunker and wee burn on the 17th, and the church pews above on the 18th. In the spring of 2020, both of those greens will get a significant expansion which will be a big upgrade.



In the fall, we got back to tree and brush clearing, starting the 16th hole. The before and after view below of the tee shot tells the story pretty well.






I wrote about that project, which will continue throughout the winter here: https://geekedongolf.com/2019/11/opening-banks/  One very encouraging thing about this season is how positive players, visitors and members of the community have been about our work. I used to get asked what I was doing in a less-than-friendly manner. Now, folks walk by and say “Keep going”.

Stay tuned for more from Phil, and if there are any big leaps in progress in 2020, I’ll let y’all know. Happy Holidays.

[Jason Way]

If I recall correctly, it was Brian Schneider on Derek Duncan's Feed the Ball podcast who said that 80% of the potential for improving a course can be realized through better tree management and grass lines. Through the winter and on into the spring those are the two areas that received our focus at Canal Shores.

Volunteers continue to come out and do great work on the course, especially on the tree+brush removal front. We had clearing projects going from end to end, but the two that stand out involved opening up a view to the temple and Lake Michigan on the 6th, and uncovering of the beautiful old El bridge on the 12th.

Some photos for perspective:



The banks of the canal at the north end where it goes under Sheridan Road and meets Wilmette Harbor were originally dunesy. Of course, over time, they have become completely overgrown. Volunteers from NewClub came out during the winter and made a first big step toward restoring this dunescape by clearing out a big patch of brush and trees, opening up a sliver view to the lake.



Work on this area of the course will continue in the coming seasons until it is wide open.



Farther south along the canal, the banks had a hardwood savannah feel in the early days. Mostly grass and prairie flowers with dotted trees and shrubs. That is the direction that we are headed in the long term with this zone. A group of neighbors on the 12th hole organized themselves during the COVID shutdown to do incredible clearing work. The bridge is now in full view.



What these groups accomplished was incredible. It's hard to describe just how gnarly those two areas were. They are also a great bunch of people. I wrote more about them here: https://geekedongolf.com/2020/05/canal-shores-volunteers/

The shutdown also allowed me to tackle a project that has been on my mind for a while. Our 17th and 18th greens had gotten ridiculously small, and I finally badgered Tony enough to let me start the process of slowly expanding them back out to the edges of the pads.

The intention for 17:



The intention for 18:



I got a seed donation from one of the area clubs, bought some topdressing sand, and got an assist from one of the local Supers on aerifying. We did an initial scalping, punched the expansions, seeded and topdressed. Over the course of 8 weeks, I have been mowing an inner and outer loop down, and adding more seed and sand to trouble spots.

The 17th as of mid-May:



The 18th as of mid-May:



We are actually farther along than these photos indicate now. I'm waiting on updated drone shots. We were able to put a test pin in the front section of the 17th green a week or so ago, and it promises to be great fun. I can attest from direct experience to the possibility of putting into the wee burn from the back tier.



More tinkering with expansions is happening now on the 1st, 14th, 15th and 16th greens. We intend to keep chipping away at it every spring and fall until they are all done.

One final project got knocked out during May. The back section of the 1st green was slowly dying because of lack of light and root growth. We took two trees out and limbed the others (hoping to take down one or two more). The back slope of the green pad was already a mess and was going to get even worse from the pruning, so we decided to put a couple of bunkers in. For shits and giggles, we decided to give them a timbered look. I got connected with the local lumber store, and they donated a truckload of pallets. We broke them up, busted out the shovels, and got after it.









The shutdown has been hard on the operation financially, but I'm sure we'll find a way to muddle through. It is great to see players out on the course again, enjoying these improvements and the others we have made in recent years.

Hope to see you GCAers out there along The Shores some time soon.

[Jon Wiggett]

Great work Jason!!!

[Will Spivey]

Jason, what amazing work! I've been following your progress on Instagram, and the transformation is remarkable. Congratulations to you and your team of committed volunteers.


I don't get to Chicago often, but I'm going to put Canal on my list.


Well done.

[Peter Flory]

Thanks for updating us!  The green expansions are a great move.  And the new bunkers look really good. 

[Jason Way]

Appreciate the kind words gents, and all of the support that the GCA community has given to us as we continue to move the course forward.

[John Mayhugh]

Amazing initiative. Congrats.