Co-Owner of Emancipation Brewing, Golf in my spare time! Tweets are mostly about golf and a little about beer.
Plainfield, IL
Joined January 2012
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A rental club story for the ages. I used rentals at Kapalua (only golf on the trip). I asked if they had an X-flex set. No chance, I thought. Then they bring out a full set, brand new in plastic, including the Scotty. I took off the plastic and hit every single club on the range!
It’s playing Culver 4 times.
Each time you round the bases, leave the longest club in your bag by the parking lot. It’ll get better every time.
What’s the best 36 hole day in golf?
Rule: Max 20 minute drive between courses.
Pebble Beach and Cypress is the clear #1. (First tee time at Pebble a must.)
Other contenders:
Royal Melbourne/Kingston Heath
Sunningdale 36
Old Course/Kingsbarns
What else?
Modern vs. Retro Clubs, exhibit #2
Hole 7 at Culver, 419 yard, uphill dogleg left Par 4.
Modern Clubs: 2 iron around the corner, Pitching Wedge, 1 Putt Birdie
1/2
Retro Clubs (1950’s set of Blades & Persimmon): Driver, 7 iron, 2-putt Par
Thoughts?
My thoughts are that less forgiving clubs can hit just as good of shots as modern clubs, but punish mis-hits so much more. Extrapolate slight mis-hits over 72 holes of tournament golf and it exposes mediocre ballstrikers. This is why the pro game needs less forgiving clubs more than it needs a rolled back ball, in my opinion.
Modern Clubs vs. Retro Clubs on the same hole, same day. Hole 9 at Culver, a 480 yard Par 5.
Modern clubs: Driver, 8 iron, two putt birdie
1/2
Idlewild CC in Flossmoor, IL flies under the radar, and after seeing it this week, I think that’s going to be changing…
Long story short, it’s already a place I could play every day without getting bored or beaten up. Add in all the recent tree removal (some thanks to storms) and the upcoming renovation work, and it’s only going to get better! 1/?
Now, the staff. I had the pleasure of meeting @IdlewildCCMemC, @idycc, and the new Head Pro, and they’re all 100% bought in on improving what they already have. Kurt already has the place in pristine condition, which is super impressive given the weather this year. The turf is firm and fast, and the greens and tees are great. They’ve clearly got the team to make some serious moves. That’s most of the battle. 3/?
Now, because I believe in honesty… First a disclaimer that I’m not an architecture expert, just an enthusiast. Here are the things I think are holding it back:
- Double hazards: there are multiple spots where a tree(s) are guarding a bunker. In one spot, there’s a tree guarding a bunker guarding a water hazard.
- Greens: like many courses, it’s clear that the greens have shrunk over the years, and these greens have a lot of character, so expanding them could take them from good to great
- Trees: The storms and other tree removal have done wonders when you look at before & after pictures. But, there are still areas where leaving one tree could do the work of multiple, and I’d love to see more thinning out of trees as time goes on. And, a couple tee shots that have tree interaction that I think is negative. (Pictured)
- Bunker shaping: there’s some inconsistency in bunker shaping, with some being grass faced and others sand flashed. It would be neat to see a more consistent character, and if there’s a Langford connection, I think playing up their grass faced, flat bottom style would be great.
The good news of all this? They’re about to start some renovation work, and after speaking to the staff a bit, it seems like they’re planning to address all of this! 4/?
Looking forward to seeing Idlewild this afternoon!
🚨🚨 ATTENTION CHICAGO YOUNG PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS 🚨🚨
Tired of public golf?
Tired of fighting for tee times?
Tired of 5+ hour rounds?
Tired of planning your weekend around whether you can actually get on the course?
We get it.
Maybe you've always assumed joining a private club wasn't realistic this early in your career.
You might be surprised.
Saturday's weather looks great.
Come see Idlewild. Play. Meet some members. Have a drink.
You might find out that private-club golf is more attainable than you thought.
DM us. Come see what Idlewild is all about.
Google Maps these days is like “Hey I know you’re on the fastest and most direct route, but would you consider this alternative that’s 18 minutes slower, has $9 in tolls, and more traffic?”
For the other car lovers out there… Rate this 2 Car solution of a relative - 997 Turbo & Jag Super V8 long wheelbase.
Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville, Indiana is the latest @LangfordMoreau that I’ve visited on my quest to see them all!
I played it in a tournament years ago, maybe 2011 if memory recalls, and it’s so far improved since then that I almost don’t recognize it, and as such, haven’t counted it on my list until now. They’ve been brutalized by bad storm after bad storm all year, yet I’m still impressed by how they’ve managed to keep conditions playable.
It’ll never be a top XYZ course, but that’s not a bad thing. Not every course needs to, or has the funds to, do a many millions of dollars resto/reno, costing the membership tons at once. Do I have course critiques? Yes, I’d especially love to see some mowing line changes (widening some fairways toward hazards), less trees, and expanded greens, but do I think it needs to happen overnight? No! After talking to the Pro, they’ve clearly got a nice plan in place to make improvements over time in a responsible manner, and that’s commendable. Plus, based on the last time I saw it, they’ve been on the right track! It’s not the course I remember.
It seems like a great course to play at every day, and has all the makings of a fun club to spend time at - good golf, super friendly staff (and knowledgeable - the head Pro was great to talk with about all things golf architecture), and what seems like a good diverse group of ages of membership.
I so appreciated the hospitality from my host, and while sadly he wasn’t able to be there, I’m sure we’ll get to tee it up sometime!
Low cut 5-iron into one of the many great green complexes at Pfau. This course will test your entire game and then some!
Good Langford morning from Northwest Indiana!
@dave_hegan sad we aren’t teeing it up!
