Chicago Golf Club

Rankings

Golf Digest:  #14

Golfweek:  #10 Classic

 A lot of my course reviews will be less hole-by-hole, and more of my observations and enjoyment of the experience.  Chicago GC ranks near the top of the list in terms of experience.  Partially because I realize that with a membership of ~125, I'm extremely lucky to have played it twice.  

In my profession, I spend a lot of time evaluating public real estate companies.  I contacted one such company's COO to discuss suggestions for golf in Chicago, and gave him the usual Top 100 list to choose from, but left Chicago GC off the list because I thought it was an impossible ticket.  He responded with his choices for top Chicago courses, and said if I was open to playing Chicago GC instead of the options I provided, he could arrange it.  Talk about good fortune!  What a score.  

Chicago GC is understated all the way around.  The sign at the driveway is small, the locker room appears virtually untouched by time, and the pro shop is modest.  Even the scorecards are lacking flash.  I could probably count on one hand the number of other groups I saw during each visit.  Everything feels perfect.  

The caddies are young mid-western kids that may or may not know much about golf, but they keep up, help out as best they can, and avoid heat stroke (well, not all of them.  We lost a caddie during my first visit on the 9th hole.).  While I'm not an "architect guy," I'm starting to notice cool attributes that early 20th century course designers use.  CB MacDonald designed Chicago GC, and he has a distinct style.  Many greens fall off steeply into bunkers that generally run around the back half of most greens.  So you can't miss by much or you'll spend lots of time at the beach.

I love the old school locker rooms and clubhouse.  A handwritten membership application was hanging from the board in the locker room during one of my visits, and the applicant appeared to be quite pedigreed.  However, the process is the process, and he had to jump through all the same hoops.  Pretty cool.  

I can't wait to go back.  Knowing a member is a luxury, but it may not last forever.  I hope to make another trip, but also have a lot of Chicago courses to check off the list.  Luckily the best one was my first.