GVC11

Played the course in ideal conditions. Greens were marked up. I spent a good amount of time talking to people that were sitting at the clubhouse after the round. I couldn't find one person who liked the redesign and in particular the goofy greens. Then we started talking about the last string of reviews. We came to the conclusion that either the course management or the course architect must be either paying people or getting all of their friends to write a favorable review. Every unfavorable review is followed by 5-10 5 star reviews. Those that play the course know there is something fishy about a mu I course getting so many 5 star reviews. It tells me that someone is trying g to hide the fact that virtually no one likes the redesign. Stupid greens, stupid random mounding off of the fairways, a really poor finishing 18th hole situated well away from the clubhouse and 5 hour rounds. Now let's see another 5-10. " This is the best course.ever" reviews following this one. The positive reviews are too obvious of an attempt to cover up the real sentiment of the average golfer who plays this course. .

I had a chance to play the course approximately a year after the redesign re-opening. While there have been some hole design changes on 1, 4, 9, 10,,11,&12 & 18, there really isn't much that they could do to change the course given the size of the property. Essentially, you have a muni layout without any real memorable picturesque holes. But then again, isn't that what a municipal course usually offers?

This brings me to the main gripe. I played with many long time MP regulars that are actually relatively good golfers with handicaps ranging from low single digits to about 20. These "regulars" were unanimous in their opinion of the greens. They roll smooth but are too tricked up for the clientele. I'm sure the redesign committee in MP had good intentions with the architect that they picked but they lost site of the fact that MP is a muni course. The tricked up greens with multi-tier designs just don't fit. The regulars that play there are mostly in agreement on this fact. You could hit a shot 6 feet away from a pin placement and end up 30 feet away if the ball spins to a different tier. This might be OK for the pro or competitive golfer but for a less skilled golfer or newer player, this will lead to frustration. I've said this before, in an era that golf is trying to embrace more new players to the game, why would you design greens like this at a muni?????why???? In addition to the frustration, the greens also feed into excessively slow play. We played early on Sunday and took over 5 hours to play. It's not like MP is a long course or even spread out. This is a very condensed course and the greens have only made a painfully slow course even slower.

It had been a few years since I last played this course, so I was really looking forward to see how the course is maturing. I have to say that I was very pleased to learn that the Glen Club is aging very well.

First off, I continue to marvel at the fact that the course is a hybrid of what once was a flat Naval base runway and what once was a forgettable navy base golf course. As the course has matured, you get the feeling that you are playing a course that has been there for decades. The grass, the rescue and the strategically planted trees have limited the visibility outside of the course. This gives you the perception that you are miles away from any metropolitan area when in fact you are only 20-25 minutes from downtown Chicago without traffic. I'll get to this fact later.

The course is in impeccable shape. The fairways and greens are ultra pure. The course is much more refined now than I last remember as most of the open areas have been filled in nicely with a mix of vegetation. The only area that was a bit worn was the grass range for non members. If you plunk down modest annual dues, a membership enables you to access a very nice range and short game practice area at the south end of the practice facility. In fact the Northwestern women's team utilizes thus facility at times.

The layout of the course is very visually pleasing to play. The holes are spread out very nicely so that you really feel that each hole has its own story. There are several tee options too. I played the tips at over 7000 yards but the generous landing zones and firm fairways make the course supremely playable and fair. It is nice to play from tee boxes that are consistently rolled flat and manicured. As the tree line has grown in on holes 5,6 and 7, the course has created an even more private feel.

The course hold to a 10 minute separation between tee times. This provides a nice pace of play even if you end up looking for balls in the tall grass. We played in just a splash over 4 hours when teeing off at 11:30 on a Sunday.

The clubhouse is very interesting. It is the home of the Illinois hall of fame so you are welcomed beyond the lobby with pictures of many of the local golfing legends like Johnny Revolta, Chick Evan, Ed Oldfield, Bill Ogden etc.. The food in the dining room is also top notch with many of the locals often coming there for lunch or dinner.

Now for a consideration worthy of anyone who lives in or around downtown Chicago. The Glen Club does have memberships available. As I said, you can get to the course in 20-25 minutes from downtown Chicago if leaving on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Another option is to keep your clubs or a second set of clubs at the bathroom and then take the train from Union station since there is a stop only a few blocks away. If you live closer, then you would have easy access every night to hit the members practice area that I mentioned and then hit the course for a quick 9. While the course is still open to the public, the $165+ daily fee really limits the potential for irresponsible players showing up to get drunk or dtijve a cart aimlessly around the course. At the same time you do not have the attitude that you often get at the more established private clubs on the North shore.

Overall, this is a really great track in exceptional shape that is very geographically accessible. A great option if you are considering a home for your game.

I was looking forward to playing My. Prospect golf course after its redesign. After playing the course, I have mixed feelings and feel bad for the long time players that got short changed by the redesign.

The renovation has actually created some nice changes to the routing of the course. The first hole is dramatically different as are holes 10 through 13 & 18. With the exception of an Ipoorly placed and non discript finishing hole, the rest of the hole redesigns have been very positive. There are several trap and undulations enhancements that add to both both visual enjoyment and to a more challenging game.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, all of the positive changes made to the course are offset by a ridiculous approach to the green structures. I am a low single digit handicapped and enjoy a good challenge. However, these greens make one feel like they are putting at a circus like miniature golf course. Every green has been divided into noticeable sections or quadrants. The quadrants are divided by severe slopes and undulations making it next to impossible to sink a put if you are not on the proper quadrant. I believe the architect and go!f committee that approved the redesign lost sight of the fact that this is a muni course. The average player is out there to have a good time and not to be frustrated by a crazy time on the greens. At a time when the game needs to encourage more people to participate in the game, this course goes in the opposite direction.

On top of that, MP has never been known for its good speed of play. This change to the greens will only slow down an already lengthy round. We were about the sixth group off for the day and managed to play in 4 1/2 hours. Not good for that ear!y of a time on a 6400 yard course. However when we rounded 16, we noticed 4(yes I said 4) foursomes on the second tee waiting to tee off. Brutal.

Overall I was disappointed by the renovation. The really nice changes to the holes and routing, the new and improved range and the correction to drainage issues have been positive indeed. However, the greens have created a course that just simply does not match its clientele. Will p!ay continue to be strong at MP? Absolutely. The long timers will continue to get their resident discount and play on the cheap. They will just be playing course that really could have been better AND more enjoyable to play.