Cog Hill Golf & Country Club is a 72-hole daily fee facility, the centerpiece of which is No. 4, Dubsdread, which is also the premier public golf course in Illinois.
After being closed to play in 2008 for renovation, Dubsdread re-opened in 2009 to great expectations. In fact, the facelift by "Open Doctor" Rees Jones may well have elevated Dubsdread to "U.S. Open venue."
Until then, though, Dubsdread will host the PGA Tour's BMW Championship, a key tournament in the year-ending FedEx Cup playoff. And, of course, it will be open to the public for daily-fee play, for a reasonable $150 per round, with cart.
The redesign of Dubsdread allows the golf course to now play from 5,441 yards all the way up to 7,554 yards. Jones removed many shorter fairway bunkers to allow average players to have more fun, while adding or moving bunkers farther back off the tee to challenge better players. The green complexes also were brought back in line with the original Dick Wilson and Joe Lee design.
Best of all, though, Dubsdread is a very difficult golf course that still lets average golfers play: Even the most wayward shots can usually be found and recovered from - but, of course, most of the time, the stray shots will cost you at least a stroke.
In short, Dubsdread is one of the great, classic public golf courses in America - and someday, it just might be a U.S. Open venue.
Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 4
The green complexes at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread were all rebuilt by Rees Jones in the renovation, bringing them up to USGA specs in hopes of winning a U.S. Open bid.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 11
The new back tees on the 611-yard 11th at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread bring the fairway bunkers back into play for better players.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread is certainly tree lined, but for the most part, it allows players to locate wayward shots and, if they are skilled and/or lucky, recover to save no worse than bogey.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 16
The 456-yard 16th on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread presents a tricky tee shot, left-to-right around dense woods. For most, a fairway wood will be plenty, as position is critical to have a good line on the approach.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 4
The fourth on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread was originally a 360-yard par 4. After Rees Jones' renovation, it is a 462-yard behemoth with trees right and left and usually into the wind.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 7
The 431-yard seventh on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread features a new pond on the inside corner of the dogleg. Despite lots of fairway to the left of the pond, the water seems to lure tee shots into it.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 8
The green of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread's eighth hole is guarded by diabolical bunkers both right and left of the approach.
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Dubsdread course at Cog Hill - hole 8
The eighth on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread can play at nearly 400 yards or can be shortened to a challenging, driveable par 4.
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Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 13
The 480-yard, par-4 13th on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread was changed dramatically in the renovation by Rees Jones. The original ravine in front of the green that had been filled in the early 1970s was dug back out.
Courtesy of BMW
Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 14
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread's 215-yard 14th is a local favorite. Just be sure to watch your language on the tee (note the convent prayer house just up the hill from the back tees).
Courtesy of BMW
Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 18
The green of the 494-yard, par-4 18th on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread: You can almost hear the U.S. Open gallery.
Courtesy of BMW
Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 6
The 240-yard sixth on Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread is well guarded by a veritable beach-full of sand.
Courtesy of BMW
Dubsdread golf course at Cog Hill - hole 9
The 613-yard ninth hole at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread requires three solid shots to even have a chance at par.
Courtesy of BMW
Camilo Villegas and Rees Jones at Dubsdread
Camilo Villegas and "Open Doctor" Rees Jones drive a BMW through the ribbon at the ceremonial grand re-opening of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread.
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Camilo Villegas at Cog Hill
2008 BMW Championship winner Camilo Villegas was on hand for the grand re-opening of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club's Dubsdread.
Kiel Christianson/WorldGolf.com
