COURSE
REVIEW
Favorite Chicago-area
golf courses are
flourishing after
renovations
By Brandon Tucker,
Staff Writer
CHICAGO (June 29, 2005) - With summer back in the Midwest, it's time to pull back to their home tracks all those golfers who have found winter refuge in the Arizona desert, Myrtle Beach or Florida.
For anyone who hasn't played in the Chicago area in awhile, there are two new major factors on the golf scene after extensive renovations put their courses once again on the area's "must play" list.
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Last spring in the Chicago area, two old golf facilities got brand new starts. The Indian Lakes Golf Resort in Bloomingdale and Chevy Chase Golf Course in Wheeling underwent extensive renovations to the clubhouses, the restaurants and lounges, the overnight rooms and yes, the golf courses.
Two facilities that were, to be blunt, getting a little long in the tooth, have begun new chapters in their histories - chapters likely to be the most exciting parts of the stories since their respective births.
Indian Lakes Golf Resort
When asked to take on the job of renovating the 36-hole facility, architect Rick Jacobson told the owners, First Hospitality Group Inc., that he would do it under one condition: He'd renovate 35 holes and not 36, leaving the par-3 where he had a hole-in-one in a high school competition alone.
Holes-in-one are a big moment indeed, but the $20 million renovation at Indian Lakes in 2003 was huge for Indian Lakes and resort golf in Chicagoland. After reopening in 2004, the resort is enjoying a new-found renaissance.
"We completely re-did the place," said Bruce Fairchild, the resort's managing director. "We took the resort down to the studs and started the work of re-designing the golf courses to make Indian Lakes a premier golf resort."
Robert Bruce Harris designed the original 36 holes in the 1960s on 260 acres of rolling terrain. The greens were big, the saucer-style bunkers enormous. But course conditioning had become spotty over time.
"The place was starting to show its age," said Jacobson, a former architect with Jack Nicklaus' design firm. "This is a tremendous upgrade and the improvements are major. It's going to be a fantastic complex."
All 36 holes were renovated. The first 18, the East Course, were finished and opened in spring of 2004. The second 18, which has been renamed the BlackHawk Trace course, wasn't ready until last fall.
All the fairways have been re-contoured and bent grass is in place throughout the course. The green sites are the same, but there's been some dramatic new shaping. The tees have been reconfigured to the rectangular British-style boxes. But the most significant changes are found in the bunkering.
"The sand is flashing high. It's an Alistair McKenzie style," Jacobson said of the old West course, noting that the new bunkers have really changed the golf course and elevated its stature.
The bunkering on the East's 18 will be more of a Donald Ross approach featuring sod-faced designs. This will also help to create just what Jacobson wanted: two distinctly different golf courses. The original Harris design didn't allow for that, and regulars were the only ones who could tell the difference between the two courses, Jacobson said.
The golf courses are certainly the focal point of the renovation, but the entire Indian Lakes Resort, from parking lot to shower curtains has a sparkling new look. The 310 oversized guestrooms have been completely refurbished yet have retained their unique style.
The original six-sided rooms with the vaulted ceilings were the work of Don Erickson - a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright - and now have imported Italian tile in the bathrooms, new furniture and draperies. The resort has indoor and outdoor pools, three restaurants under new management, a health club and an elegant new full-service spa.
"We think we have created something special here," said Fairchild, who came to Chicago from the San Marcos Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think so."
Chevy Chase Golf Course
Last spring, Todd Quitno was standing on the new first tee looking out at the new first hole at Chevy Chase late one afternoon as his crew was grassing the newly renovated golf course and was struck by what he saw.
As the lead golf course architect in the project, he considered the opening hole to be a subtle, strategic one and certainly not a flashy start. But when the sun peeked through some late day clouds and created sharp shadows on the bunkers, Quinto was transformed. This simple hole became his favorite.
For anyone who hasn't played in the Chicago area in awhile, there are two new major factors on the golf scene after extensive renovations put their courses once again on the area's "must play" list.
Golfers who haven't been to Chevy Chase Golf Course since it closed will find better greens, bent grass all around, fewer but better placement of bunkers, flooding problems from the local creek gone, new man-made ponds and some much-needed subtle shaping to the fairways.
Architect Tom Bendelow, the Scottish golf designer who helped Donald Ross create hundreds of American beauties, built Chevy Chase in 1923. Bendelow did fare pretty well on his own, however. He designed Illinois' Medinah No. 3 - the site of several major championships.
Even though Chevy Chase had a significant design history, the course wasn't standing the test of time like some of its fellow courses opened in that decade.
"The course didn't have a lot of character," said Quitno, who works for Lohmann Golf Designs. "There was nothing special to it."
It had also seen better days. Conditioning was poor and the course was in need of a massive facelift. The Wheeling Park District Board of Commissioners responded, approving a $2.2 million plan to bring the course back to life.
"We wanted to put some strategy back into the design. But certainly not a modern design," Quitno said. "We wanted something to match the old-charm of that magnificent clubhouse."
The
old Tudor clubhouse, a striking presence on the property, also underwent
a major fix-up. But like the course, it has kept its traditional, classic
ambiance.
Mark Harrison, director of planning and development for the Wheeling Park District, said he's pleased with the finished product.
"The whole place is more enjoyable. The course is more playable but more challenging for the better golfer," said Harrison, who was quick to add that Chevy Chase, despite the two-year renovation project, has retained a "1920s panache."
Plus, golfers will love the new, more dramatic 18th hole.
"It's a good par-5 and we've given the hole better views of the clubhouse as you finish up your round," Quitno said.
But with the new look at Chevy Chase, you'll be reluctant to finish your round. In fact, you'll be eager to go around again.
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Driving directions
Indian Lakes:
From Chicago O'Hare Airport: Take 294 S to 290 W, 290 W to 355 Joliet/Route 20-Lake St. (Exit 7). Follow signs to Lake St. Turn right on Lake St. to Bloomingdale Rd. Turn Left on Bloomingdale Rd to Schick Rd. Turn right on Schick Rd. Indian Lakes is on the left side of Schick Rd.
From Chicago Midway Airport: Take Cicero N to 55 S. Take 55 S to 355 N (tollway). Take 355 N to Lake St. Turn left on Lake St. and go three miles to Bloomingdale Rd., turn left and go to Schick Rd. Turn right on Schick Rd. Indian Lakes is on the left side of Schick Rd.
Chevy Chase Golf Course
The course is located in Wheeling, north of East Lake Cook Rd. on Highway 45, west of the Potowatomi Woods Forest Reserve.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
