Angus Links in Windsor serves up a tasty round of Central Illinois golf
WINDSOR, Ill. — You might think Angus Links sounds more like a gourmet breakfast sausage than it does a golf course. But let it be known that this remote, one-time cattle farm serves up a surprisingly tasty round of golf — complete with an extra portion of par 3s — for less than a steak dinner costs at many fancy restaurants.
As you drive west on Route 16 out of Mattoon on your way to Angus Golf Links, you begin to wonder if maybe you missed a turn. It seems like you're heading straight into the thumping heart of nowhere.
Then you notice a driving range set up in some farmer's pasture, and then a golf club repair shop. Then another small range and a flat nine-hole track.
At this point, you can almost hear Angus Links sizzling up ahead. You see the sign marking the turn to the south to the course — one of those rolling signs with big plastic letters — and you wonder if maybe you shouldn't have driven all this way.
Then you spot the grassy knolls and knobs and the verdant fairways, and you're reminded of a few other courses that literally jump unexpectedly out of the local landscape, like a little place called Lahinch. And you think, "Time to tie a napkin around my neck and dig in!"
How it plays
Designed by Scott and Gary Smith, Angus Links opened in 1998 in this out-of-the-way burg. General manager Rodney Maxwell admits that it's not large.
"We only have about 23 acres of fairways here," Maxwell said before he adamantly defends the integrity of the 6,705-yard, par-71 course. "We have one of the best collections of par 3s anywhere."
Indeed, with five par 3s, measuring 225, 198, 183, 187, and 185 yards from the tips, golfers' mid to long irons will be put to the test all day. If there is one criticism of the par 3s, it's that so many of them require essentially the same club off the tee.
This turns out to be a minor point, however, considering the distinct personalities of all five holes. The 198-yard seventh is perhaps the most challenging of the quintet. Here your tee shot must negotiate a corridor of tall trees, making it almost impossible to draw the ball. A high fade is the perfect shot, but club selection is critical: being slightly downhill and largely protected from the wind it plays a bit shorter than you think.
Maxwell is also quick to point out the numerous hazards.
"We've got four ponds and a creek that runs through seven holes," he said.
In fact, that creek turns the 419-yard first and 404-yard 10th holes into extremely challenging lay-ups off of the tee, as a well-struck driver will end up wet. No. 1 is quite picturesque, reminiscent of the memorable opener at Piper Glen in Springfield.
The 10th and the 546-yard 11th are perhaps the most difficult two holes on the course. Your tee shot on the 11th must avoid OB on the right and water on the left (hint: choose the water!) and find a fairway that turns at a right angle toward the green. The approach challenges any golfer to play two perfect shots farther out to the right than appears necessary to avoid some devilish ponds.
Whereas the front nine is fairly wide open with generous fairways and more room than it appears off the tee, the back nine grows progressively more claustrophobic. The 300-yard 13th is a perfect example of this tightness, but not the best example of a short par 4.
Even a lay-up off the tee — usually a smart play — must avoid trees tightly bunched along both sides of the fairway and OB left. It must also clear the creek around 170 yards from the tee. From the tips, the safest play might just be the driver, especially if your short irons are unreliable.
The 382-yard 16th and 572-yard 18th are also tough driving holes, awkward to the eye for first-time visitors. The 18th in particular can ruin your round, with OB left and water right (again, favor the water).
The verdict
When you step onto the tee box of the 556-yard ninth, you should be utterly delighted (if you aren't, you're just plain jaded). It's frankly hard to believe that this broad vista over the huge, sweeping fairway is actually here, in the middle of nowhere. It's no exaggeration to say that there is one memorable hole (for good and bad reasons) after another at this outwardly modest track.
While it's true that some of the angles on certain approaches are awkward, some of the OB sneaks a bit close to play for the more wayward among us and that the greens are relatively slow, it's also true that you get to play every shot you know and every club you carry. The greens roll very smoothly, conditions are excellent and that the price cannot be beaten. Greens fees range from $30-$35 (cart included).
The course Web site calls the layout a "true links course," but this is completely false. There are way too many trees, too many water hazards and no true linksland (the sandy, dune-covered land between farmland and an ocean or inland sea) for many hundreds of miles. And there is a distinct lack of greenside bunkers on most holes — very un-links-like. But this is a nitpick, really, just semantics.
Jay Ahrendt from Orland Park, Ill. and Bill Teigeler from Orland Park, Ill. were on vacation, playing Angus Links for the first time. When asked their opinion of the place, Ahrendt described it as, "Challenging, but fair."
"I like the rolling hills," Teigeler said. "It's definitely nice for the area and there's lots of great foliage."
The two both registered only one complaint: a distinct lack of yardage markers. When it was pointed out that there were tiny, often half-dead bushes planted along the sides of the fairways at 200-, 150-, and 100-yards, they became incredulous.
"You mean I was hunting for sprinkler heads when I should have been looking for frigging bushes?"
Having mis-clubbed myself at least a half-dozen times throughout my round, I had to agree. Most of the round, most golfers — especially first-timers — will need to guesstimate on many holes.
But hey, you never really know what's in that breakfast sausage either, do you? It still tastes mighty good. Likewise, Angus Links holds far more surprises (of the good variety) than you would ever guess just looking at it from the outside.
Stay and play
Eagle Creek Golf Resort (eaglecreekresort.com) is only six miles from Windsor, and has its own 18-hole course as well.
The town of Mattoon is 13 miles from Windsor, just off I57, where you can find chain hotels. Camping sites are available at nearby Lake Shelbyville.
Dining out
In Mattoon, the best steakhouse by all accounts is the Alamo Steakhouse and Saloon (217-234-7337).
For a bit of burger and corporate history, you can try Burger King (217-234-8122) — the original one. This burger shop was opened in 1954, before the chain and trademarked the name in Illinois. It lost a lawsuit against the chain in federal court, but the chain is prohibited from building one of their grease-buckets within 20 miles of Mattoon.
August 22, 2006
Kiel Christianson, Senior Writer
Kiel Christianson has lived, worked, traveled and golfed extensively on three continents. As senior writer and equipment editor for WorldGolf.com, he has reviewed courses, resorts, and golf academies from California to Ireland, including his home course, Lake of the Woods G.C. in Mahomet, Illinois. Read his golf blog here.