As I’ve said, played it by far the most of any course in my life. My parents have had a place there for 20+ years and there really isn’t that much to do in Galena. Anyways… one of my buddies went on a weekend golf trip there and got eaten alive by the North Course after I told him i like it better than the way over hyped General. I know the course like the back of my hand and forgot how tough it is especially not knowing some of the bailout spots and blind tee shots. Can’t wait to get back this spring!
Fond memories in Galena, an alumni has a summer home in Eagle Ridge, our whole team stays there for the 36 hole event and we did some really stupid things in and around that house throughout the years.
7, 8, 9, and 11 are not fun to play with people and coaches watching haha.
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Very difficult. Has come on hard times as far as conditioning. CDGA Am is there in 2021, I think. Good thing its a match play event because rounds would take FOR-EV-ER if it was 4 rounds stroke play. There was a four ball qualifier there two years ago and the scores were quite high for that type of format.
Pound for pound the BEST value in the greater Chicagoland area.
$35 to walk on the weekend, lots of elevation change and a really fun routing.
I never get tired of playing there.
I have a tournament out there in June, any advice? Never played out there and dont think i will get a chance to before the tournament. Was thinking of snagging a Golf Logix book
Agree to disagree. Maybe I need to give it another shot.
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Small world lol! My school was the host for that event (Benedictine Grad). That tournament was a nightmare to coordinate for my coach but both the north and the east were awesome tracks for tournament golf
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Good list for Must Play and Favorites
My must plays are:
Highlands
Mt Prospect
Ravisloe
Crook
Stonewall Orchard
THawk
Pine Meadow
I haven’t played much out McHenry County way in a year or so but would probably add:
Foxford
Joke Grove has always been fun to me
There was one course in Woodstock but its closed and is a campground now but I can’t remember the name
I usually end up in a steady rotation of:
Pine Meadow
Crook
Waiting on invites to private clubs
Somewhere cheap on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon
Rinse and repeat
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Whenever you’re ready, I’m always down to play!
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Deal. I’ll save some Wilson Staff balls from @anon43372372 so it doesn’t get too awkward looking for my ball.
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Not sure why everyone hates Ruffled Feathers. I thought people loved forced carries and 9ft reeds in front of tee boxes?
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You would have loved Mill Creek in Geneva. Nothing but forced carries and house lined fairways
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Been following the individual top ten lists - Been giving a lot of thought to this and made my list which is a combination of highlights and most played (in no particular order) in Chicagoland during 2021
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Flossmoor GC (it’s private but you can get on by calling or thru the CDGA - highly recommend, the back nine is absolutely incredible)
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Pine Meadow (hadn’t played here in 10 years or so because it had been poorly maintained in the past. Went back up this year and between proper conditioning and the awesome drought-forced firm and fast conditions, it was great)
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Wilmette (special place in my heart. Strategically, not really a thinking course - it’s all right there in front of you which can be a nice change of pace. I like to play here when I’m looking for a confidence builder and it’s incredibly close for us city dwellers)
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Ravisloe (nothing more to say here other than 12 should ALWAYS be played as a par 4)
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Shephard’s Crook (I’d venture to say it’s the best course in the country w/o a driving range)
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Kankakee Elks (Lot to say about this course, affordable, incredible layout and like Andy Johnson has said, it’s a restoration away from being a standout)
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Calumet CC (Cal had some ups and downs this year but by the end of the season its conditioning was starting to return. Here’s to hoping it’s open all next season and the greens come back because the bones are there and interesting for a flat piece of property)
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Prairie Landing (for whatever reason I never made it out here this season but have been playing it for years. The front is one of my favorite nines in all Chicagoland. Surprised it doesn’t get more conversation on this thread)
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Spring Valley CC (okay, this is in Wisconsin but only 45 mins away and I only played it once. But, man, it’s got bones. Old Langford Moreau. Highly recommend Chicagoland refuges to get up there at least once)
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Dunes Club (Okay, okay - yes, a bit exclusive and in New Buffalo but if you’ve seen the recent EAL interview with Keiser, if you can make yourself available, you can play by paying the guest fee and I’d recommend spending the day out there. Get a group, play matches the way the course was intended. I had the opportunity to play some world class courses this past year but the experience at Dunes took the cake. Implore any and all to visit.)
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That place was the final straw and I pulled the trigger on a range finder.
I think I laid up with a 5i from an elevated tee in to the pond on a par 5?
And they had the “no driver” 10th rule, which after the previous 9, I definitely angrily ripped the hell out of a driver over the road and neighborhood to position A.
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My biggest design complaints about Milf Creek:
The 4th was a horrible par 5 and required you to lay up 2x
The 7th and 8th the tee boxes were built backwards blinding you from seeing the the fairway/green.
9 was super dangerous bc you had no idea where the group ahead of you was
10 the no driver thing was a dumb local rule for like a year after the land owner got sued or something like that
But the worst part of it all who puts a POND on the entire left side of a driving range?
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Allow me to indulge on my own personal “guide book” for Prairie Isle.
1 - Perfect “handshake” par 5. Lots of room to test the driver on your first swing of the day, but still enough trouble out there to make you think. At 511 it’s VERY gettable, but anything short right takes away birdie. I’m not a fan of opening par 5’s, but this is the perfect balance of test and forgiveness
2 - Cool tee shot through “jail” (we’ll revisit on 16) that doesn’t have to be driver. Dump one out there 200 yds and you’re only a 150yds away. A good “warm up” par 4 after an opening par 5 to find your swing.
3 - Awesome par 4 dog leg left up the hill. The green is biarraz-y with a huge kicker right of the green, so anything that’s bouncing has a chance to feed down towards the hole. Left doesn’t kill you, but those moguls are an awkward stance.
4 - One of my favorite holes out there. Choose how far you want to leave your second, and pick an angle as the safer you play, the farther your second shot becomes. I never read that green right, but it’s a cool little pocket of the golf course
5 - By now the only club you’ve likely not hit is in the 4,5,6 iron area…which is where this 190yd par 3 comes in. It only plays about 180, and the back to front green is forgiving. Solid par 3.
6 - Into the “open prairie” part of the course, a 444 par 4 gives you a big fairway and a “Tiger line” over the left bunkers. Really fun tee shot, but admittedly that green is meh…
7 - A heftier par 5 that’s still gettable with a proper tee shot. The green is in a really cool spot slightly uphill and two tiered. Scorable, yet challenging if you’re offline from the tee.
8 - We’re talking what…like 30 yards downhill? Really cool par 3 that is playable over and over again.
9 - I ain’t gonna front…I HATE 9. It’s one of the two ballbusters out there, and I always miss the fairway left in the sh*t. It also always seems to play into the wind which makes 440 yards feel like 490. But I respect a good challenge, and any tee shot in that fairway at least gives you a chance.
10 - 518 par 5, challenging tee shot if you pull driver BUT you don’t have to. Of course this is “No Laying Up” so a proper tee shot gives you a chance at a big receptive peninsula green. It’s a cool hole. A little bizarre how much water there is in that southwest corner of the property (8 and 10) but I’m here for it.
11 - The beginning stretch of “amen corner” if you will, driver is almost too much as a 3 wood leaves a 7iron straight up the hill to another cool green site. That back right tier is diabolical, and thoughts and prayers if you have to hit it there.
12 - Best hole on property. 374 means driver isn’t necessary, which is why the most flat and widest part of the fairway comes at the 180 range. The pinch point is hard AF, and you’re boned if you roll down either the left or right valley. But driver on line will bound down the hill and leave you a short wedge into the best green on property. This hole feels like it belongs in northern WI with all the lodgepole pines.
13 - From the highest point ALL the way down to the green, just avoid blowing your tee shot right into the valley and you’re good to go. Enjoy the view of the Fox River Valley in the distance.
14 - Driveable par 4 depending on conditions, it’s the perfect risk/reward hole. What you can see is the safe layup, and a courageous driver over the right fairway trap has a chance at running up the front of the green.
15 - 162 yd par 3 peninsula green with 4 distinct tiers. I could hit balls here all day long.
16 - Tricky tee shot as you DON’T wanna be right in jail (remember 2?). Driver over the dogleg corner gives you a short approach, but anything right runs through the fairway into the ponds. Tough tee shot, pretty simple green
17 - More elevation change! The green on this par 3 is SUPER back to front, but I love that it’s a mid iron and has a chance to hold the putting surface.
18 - Locals know the aggressive line is actually in the right rough near the fairway bunker, so your second shot is a mid iron over the deepest bunker on property. Otherwise, the layup second needs to be placed far enough away from the trees guarding the right side of the hole. It’s a weird par 5, but a closing 5 means birdie or eagle opportunities…the perfect way to end your round.
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I am shocked it went under. After that last visit, I think I’d seen enough.
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There are talks if it opening up with Tanna Farms to make a 36 hole complex like it was originally designed to be. Someone is still maintaining the course since it’s been closed so I’m assuming it will open back up in the future under a new management company
F**k Tanna Farms.
I’ve only played it once and it was super beat up. Tees looked like minefields and the greens had ball marks all over them. We also got caught up in a torrential downpour on 10 that had winds so strong the lakes and ponds had waves with caps on them. Since the routing did not bring you back to the clubhouse after the front we had a two mile cart ride back to the clubhouse on bumpy, up and down cart paths. It felt like a bad golf themed Six Flags water ride.
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The Golf Visions effect. Lease a course and run it with no budget.
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