RESORT REVIEW
BlackHawk Trace
at Indian Lakes
Resort undergoes
big makeover
By Dave Berner,
Senior Writer
BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. (April 20, 2004) -- If Dr. Phil were a golf course architect he would have had several sessions of therapy with the West Course at Indian Lakes Resort outside Chicago. The course had lost its spunk, hadn't been taking care of itself, and frankly, needed a kick in the pants in order to get its life in order. Since Dr. Phil doesn't usually work with golf courses, the resort brought in Dr. Jacobsen instead. He put the West Course on a couch, if you will, and probed deeply into its problems. With a lot of work, Dr. Jacobsen was able to bring back the vibrant personality of the golf course and even gave it a new name to signify a new beginning.
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What we have is a tired, old resort golf course that has been transformed into one of the Chicago area's top-20 layouts. The BlackHawk Trace Golf Course is now open for business.
Marvelous Makeover
Rick Jacobsen, of course, is not a real doctor, he's a course designer, but none the less, he has healed an ailing golf course resort and given it new life. The former West Course at Indian Lakes had been slowly deteriorating, but new owners, the First Hospitality Group, and new renovation plans allowed Jacobsen to shape and massage the course with new looks, new grass, new bunkers, new tees, and a makeover that could be the star of a TV reality show.
"It still has some of the holes, some of the routing of the holes, but one look and you know this ain't the same old place, " says a former regular Saturday player at the old West Course at Indian Lakes. "Sometimes you're not really sure what's been done. It's sort of subtle. But you know it looks better and plays better."
That's
really the beauty of Jacobsen's work. He kept the positives from
the old layout and accentuated them, yet added new features like
framing bunkers, smaller Alistair McKenzie-type traps, bent grass,
British-style rectangular tee boxes, and he delicately shifted
soil to mound and shape the fairways. It was a lot of work; he
took the fairways down to the dirt to redo them.
"The final nine holes of BlackHawk Trace opened late last summer, but the maturing process needed to take hold," says director of golf, Tom Denklau. "2004 really is the true opening of the course. We hope to show it off a little."
Truth is, it still needs maturing time. Even the architect agrees it will take a few years for Blackhawk Trace to really come into its own. But, as long as it doesn't get overplayed in these early years, there's little doubt the course will only improve with age. Plus, some people think it's in pretty darn good condition right now, including the officials coordinating one of the top mini-tours. The NGA Hooters Tour Tournament is scheduled for Indian Lakes Resort on May 3-9. Can it compete with The Glen Club, or Harborside International, or Cantigny - three of the regions best public courses? BlackHawk Trace is not quite on that level, but it's taken a huge step from where it was and can easily rank in the second tier of very solid Chicago courses. Plus, compared to green fees that flirt with or exceed the $100 mark, the average $55 green fee at Blackhawk is a welcome difference.
The
Work Goes On
The entire renovation project at the resort is enormous. $20 million dollars is being spent to completely revitalize the Indian Lakes Resort. The guest rooms and conference center have all been re-done, there's a new spa, Spa Vargas, at the resort, and the golf course work is really only half completed. The old East Course is scheduled next for a new look. Jacobsen plans to again get rid of he bluegrass fairways and grow bent grass, reshape greens, and bring Donald Ross inspired bunkering to the course.
"Look for sod-faced bunkering, " says Jacobsen. "The different bunkering styles will really define each course."
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Indian Lakes wants to market itself as a golf resort, and its clear that it is spending the money, time and effort to do that. In the past, promotion for the resort centered on business travelers and Chicago area residents who were looking for a convenient getaway. Golf was a secondary part of the sell. That's no more. The renovations are designed to allow Indian Lakes to compete with some of the best area resorts and the best public golf courses. It was something the resort absolutely had to do to stay viable and many are absolutely glad it did.
Fast Fact
Rick Jacobsen, the architect who designed all the renovations for BlackHawk Trace, played at the old West Course at Indian Lakes as a member of his high school golf team. His re-do project brought back old memories including a hole-in-one during regional competition.
Directions
From Chicago: West on I-290 to Lake Street Exit. Follow Lake west to Bloomingdale Road and make left. Right onto Schick Road.
From O'Hare: I-190 East to I-294 South. Merge to I-290 toward Rockford. Exit at Lake Street. Go west to Bloomingdale Road and turn south. Right onto Schick Road.
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.
