The course features four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 7,111 yards from the back tees. There is a big difference between the front nine and the back nine, mostly because of the amount of water found on the back nine. The fairways throughout are mostly open and flat, surrounded by medium-sized trees. You’ll find a lot of water on this course. On the front nine, water touches five of the holes, four of which you’ll need to carry over. On the back nine, water touches every hole, and you’ll need to carry over water on every hole. Bunkers are found on nearly every hole, both near the fairways or the greens. The greens are challenging, with steady slopes and interesting breaks.

I think Seven Bridges is a great course. It’s a beautiful course with plenty of challenges for all levels. I think it’s one of the best courses I’ve played in the Chicago area, and I would recommend anyone to play this course.

I should note that one of the main reasons Markus and I decided to play this course was because of the fall season greens fees. During peak season, the greens fees for Seven Bridges can be around $100. During the fall season, they drop the greens fees to around $60, which is a much more affordable price for golfers around my level. And luckily, the weather in the fall season can be very nice for golf, so playing in the fall isn’t that big of a deal. But still, if you decide to play during the summer or during the fall, I think Seven Bridges is worth it. The starters and rangers are very nice, the carts have a much more advanced GPS system compared to other courses, and the layout of the course is beautiful.

I feel like I played a decent round. As you could imagine, I played much better on the front nine than the back nine. My drives on the front nine were straighter or pushed right, while my drives on the back nine were more random. Maybe the water was messing with my mental game, or maybe I was just getting tired. My irons shots were pretty random accuracy-wise throughout the round, but I was at least keeping consistent on distance. I noticed that my distances dropped a bit, and I think that was because I’m consistently taking divots (compare this with my game 1-2 years ago, where I was always topping the ball). I feel my wedge shots were good, but I still need to work on getting my distance a little more accurate. I’m fully set on researching and buying new wedges for next season. My putting was about average. I 1-putted once and 3-putted five times. The only 1-putt came on the 6th hole (a 183 yard par-3; 150 yards from the white tees), where I somehow sank putt from about 30′ away, giving me another birdie for the year.

I shot a 105 for the round (33 over par, 48 on the front nine, 57 on the back nine). This consisted of one birdie, six bogeys, five double bogeys, and six triple bogeys (mostly on the back nine). I’m perfectly fine walking away with a 105 on this course. With all the water, I’m surprised my score wasn’t higher.

Seven Bridges Golf Club – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,306 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 70.4/131 (white tee boxes)
My score: 105 (33 over par)

Seven Bridges Golf Club
One Mulligan Drive
Woodridge, IL 60517

The Joe Jemsek (Lakewood) course features four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 6,770 yards from the back tees. If you play from the back tees, all of the par-3 holes are 200 yards or more. The fairways are mostly open and straight, formed from rolling hills and surrounded by large trees. Water hazards touch six of the holes, two of which you’ll have to carry over, including the 17th hole (a 552 yard par-5) which features a small pond in front of the green. Bunkers are found on 17 of the 18 holes, both near the fairways and the greens. The greens are of average size, but have some consistent slopes and challenging breaks. I felt like I was putting uphill many times.

I played this round by myself, and somehow finished the round very quickly. Thanks to a little bit of rain and the cool weather, the course was nearly empty. Throughout the round, I only passed one twosome, and didn’t see many more people during the round. I ended finishing the round about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

And somehow, I played pretty well. My drives were pretty random and inconsistent, but I was getting some decent distance. I think my recovery shots helped me out the most during the round, usually setting my 3rd shot up for an easy wedge shot. Since the holes were longer than average, I got to hit with my fairway wood a lot, which was really nice. I’m slowly getting better with my fairway wood, and it’s definitely helping me lower my score. I felt my wedge shots were pretty good, but I still think I could use a bit of work on getting more accurate distance. My putting was good, though I should have practiced a bit beforehand. The greens were pretty slow due to the rain, and along with always putting uphill, I was leaving a lot of putts short. I 1-putted twice and 3-putted twice.

I shot a 96 for the round (24 over par, 47 on the front nine, 49 on the back nine). This consisted of two pars, eight bogeys, and eight double bogeys. Yup… another round without hitting any triple bogeys or worse, so I’m pretty happy with this round.

St. Andrews Golf & Country Club – Joe Jemsek (Lakewood) Course – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,358 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 70.1/118 (white tee boxes)
My score: 96 (24 over par)

St. Andrews Golf & Country Club
2241 Route 59
West Chicago, IL 60185

The course features six par-3 and five par-5 holes for a total par of 71 at a length of 6,186 yards from the back tees. The layout of the course is different than what you’d normally see at most Chicagoland courses. Instead of the course sitting on a solid plot of land or weaving throughout a subdivision, the course flows around a scattering of roads and rural houses. As a result, finding your way from one green to the next tee box maybe a little difficult, and the correct way to the next hole maybe an unmarked path across one of the roads. Also, four of the par-5 holes are intermixed with the three of par-3 holes on the front nine… so enjoy that.

The fairways are mostly straight and open, formed from small rolling hills, with medium- and large-sized trees occasionally along the side of the fairways. Three of the holes, the 9th hole (a 550 yard par-5), the 10th hole (a 348 yard par-4), and the 11th hole (a 185 yard par-3), sit close to the course’s driving range, which is unprotected by netting. An errant tee shot on those holes could place your ball among the sea of range balls (in which case, you’re allowed a free drop). Water hazards are found only on two holes, nether of which you’ll need to carry over the water, as long as you keep your shots straight. Bunkers are found on 17 of the 18 holes, and mixed between near the fairway, near the green, and both. The bunkers could use some work. It seemed liked many of them were just filled with loose dirt instead of sand. Who knows… maybe it was a different type of sand. The greens seemed pretty standard, with nothing overly complicated.

I’ve actually been trying to play this course for over a year now, but it always seems like they have outings on the weekends that take up all the desirable tee times. The first time I tried to play, I actually went to the course as a single, thinking it would be no issue getting a round, but got turned away (I ended up driving up to Glenwoodie Golf Club). The second attempt, I called and got turned down again. I got lucky this time, because they had a couple openings before another outing. Tagging along for this round was a colleague of mine, Eddy.

Much like the weather, my game was struggling to improve throughout the round. I started the front nine pretty badly, then somehow got back into my normal game for the back nine. My drives were very random; I think I only hit four fairways. Luckily, I was able to recover for my second shot. My approach and chip shots were about average, and my putting was random. I 1-putted five times and 3-putted three times.

I ended up shooting a 102 for the round (31 over par, 56 on the front nine, 46 on the back nine). This consisted of one par, six bogeys, eight double bogeys, and all others worse. I guess a 102 doesn’t sound like that bad of a score, considering how I’ve been playing throughout the last couple of rounds. I wish I played the front nine a little better, but it was expected with all the par-5 holes. I think I just need to work more on getting better distance and accuracy with my fairway wood.

Lincoln Oaks Golf Course – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,013 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 71
Course rating/slope: 68.4/121 (white tee boxes)
My score: 102 (31 over par)

Lincoln Oaks Golf Course
395 East Richton Road
Crete, IL 60417

I previously played this course at the beginning of the season (when it was still pretty cold and windy). As I stated in the post for the previous round, Carriage Greens is located in Darien, Illinois, approximately 24 miles southwest from downtown Chicago. The course features four par-3 and two par-5 holes for a total par of 70 at a length of 6,395 yards from the back tees. The fairways are mostly flat and open, and are surrounded by medium- to large-sized trees. Water hazards touch 11 of the holes, six of which you’ll need to carry over. Sand traps are found on nearly every hole, either near the fairway or the green, and typically not both. The greens are a decent size, and contain just slight breaks.

I played this round again with Susie. I’ll note that we had difficulty finding the tee box for the 1st hole. When you come out of the “cart corral”, there are no signs directing you to the 1st hole. Common golf course navigation skills will probably take you to the tee box for the 10th hole. The 1st hole is actually across the parking lot next to the “cart corral”, and across the street. Anyway, when we got to the first tee, we got paired up with another twosome, Joe and Daniel, two friends that play around our same level.

I played a much better round this time. My drives were not always straight, but mostly pushed right and landed not too far from the fairway. My iron shots saw somewhat of an improvement. I tried to focus on making a nice smooth shot and following through without overpowering my shot. My wedge shots were decent also. I think I need to start focusing on distance with my wedge shots, which is something I sometimes go in blindly when making my shots. I usually have a good idea about which wedge to use for a 50 yard shot vs a 90 yard shot, but aside from that, I usually just hit and hope I’m on the green. I think next season I might look into getting new wedges, where I can be a little more accurate. My putting was about average. I 1-putted five times and 3-putted twice.

I shot a 99 for the round (29 over par, 47 on the front nine, 52 on the back nine). This consisted of one par, eight bogeys, six double bogeys, and all others triple bogeys. I’m pretty happy I didn’t shoot any worse than a triple bogey. On the last round here, I shot a 114, so this round is a far better improvement, and keeps with the trend of me getting my yearly redemption.

Carriage Greens Country Club – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,011 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 70
Course rating/slope: 69.7/122 (white tee boxes)
My score: 99 (29 over par)

Carriage Greens Country Club
8700 Carriage Greens Drive
Darien, IL 60561

The course features the standard four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 7,007 yards from the back tees. If you play from the white tees (the forward men’s tees), the course length gets cut down to 6,054 yards. As you can expect from the course’s name, the course design is “prairie-style”, where the fairways are formed from small rolling hills with tall grass and seldom trees along the sides. Any trees that you do find will be pretty small, except on the 14th hole (a 421 yard par-4), where a very large tree sits right next to the fairway, nearly blocking your path to the green. The fairways are mostly straight, though you’ll find a couple holes that dogleg left on the back nine. The ground of the fairways were pretty hard (not hard as in difficult) for the round, which helped the balls roll a couple extra yards. Water hazards touch eight of holes, most of which you do not need to carry over, unless you play from the back tees. Bunkers are found on almost all holes, and looked to be in good condition. The greens were of average size and difficulty, but were also hard and bumpy (I think they recently aerated them). Aside from the bumpy greens, I really liked this course. Maybe it’s just the look of “prairie-style” courses, but I personally think Prairie Bluff is a beautiful course.

I played this round with Susie again, and we were put with another twosome: Cory and Louie. Cory was pretty good, and was trying to break 80 for the round (which I don’t think he did), and Louie seemed around my level, with an inconsistent drive but great iron shots.

I felt like I played a pretty good round. The hard fairways definitely helped, giving me extra yards on my tee shots, and allowing me to play a couple bump-and-runs to the greens. My drives were not consistently straight, but also didn’t consistently slice. As usual, my drives tended to push right, and usually ended up a couple yards from the fairway in the rough. My iron shots were about average. I had some great iron shots and I had some horrible iron shots. I know I’m overpowering my iron shots, and that’s just something I need to work on a little more (making my swings like my practice swings). My approach and chip shots were good, and actually, I got lucky once. On the 10th hole (a 387 yard par-4), I overshot the green on my third shot, and landed the ball a couple feet from the green. I ended up hitting my fourth shot too hard, but it bounced once on the green and then into the hole, giving me my first chip-in par. My putting started off pretty bad, but quickly got better. I 1-putted four times and 3-putted twice (on the first two holes).

I shot a 102 for the round (30 over par, 51 on the front nine, 51 on the back nine). This consisted of three pars, seven bogeys, two double bogeys, and all others worse. If it wasn’t for a couple of penalty shots, a four-over par (on the first hole), and a couple mishits, I could have easily broke 100. So… not a bad round at a nice course. I’d definitely play this course again if I had the opportunity.

Prairie Bluff Golf Course – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,054 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 68.9/116 (white tee boxes)
My score: 102 (30 over par)

Prairie Bluff Golf Course
19433 Renwick Road
Crest Hill, IL 60435

The course features five par-3 and five par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 6,424 yards from the back tees. The fairways are straight and flat, and are surrounded by large trees that, on many holes, make the fairways feel very narrow. Only the 1st hole (a 543 yard par-5, the most difficult hole on the course) has a slight dogleg right to it, which closely wraps around a small pond. Water hazards touch twelve of the holes, about half of which you’ll need to carry over water at some point on your way to the green. Bunkers are found on nearly all holes, mostly near the greens, and seemed to be in good condition. The greens are of average size and didn’t seem to be too challenging.

Since this was a weekday round, I didn’t have any of my usual golf buddies available to join me, so I showed up to the course and got put in a group with three other people: Rick, who is a regular at the course, and Lynn & Jim, who are father & son. All three were very nice, and it seemed they played around my level, maybe just a little better, so it wasn’t too bad playing with them.

For the most part, this was a good round for me. My drives mostly pushed right on the front nine, then got straighter on the back nine where it really mattered. The trees made the tee shots difficult on the 11th hole (a 540 yard par-5) and the 16th hole (a 512 yard par-5), and I somehow managed to keep my drive straight on both of those holes. My iron shots were not the best. I’m still hitting right, which I think is because I’m not following through with my swing. My wedge shots were about average, and my putting was a little less than average. I 1-putted three times and 3-putted seven times.

I ended up shooting a 106 (34 over par, 55 on the front nine, 51 on the back nine). I had a lot of potential to break 100 in this round, but my 3-putting and a couple penalty shots on the 1st hole prevented that. Throughout the round, I made one par, six bogeys, seven double bogeys, and all others worse. Even though my score was similar to my previous rounds, I still felt like I played a good round. I think hitting straight drives helps… I just need to get my iron shots to get straighter.

Pheasant Run Resort Golf Course – Scores & Stats
Course length: 5,952 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 68.5/117 (white tee boxes)
My score: 106 (34 over par)

Pheasant Run Resort Golf Course
4051 East Main Street
St. Charles, IL 60174

The course features four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 5,982 yards from the back tees. The fairways are mostly flat, open, and straight, and are surrounded either by large trees or water hazards. Only three of the holes are notable doglegs, all of which dogleg left: the 2nd hole (a 319 yard par-4) that doglegs around a water hazard, the 5th hole (a 389 yard par-4) and the 15th hole (491 yard par-5) that both dogleg around the tree line. Water hazards, according to their website, come into play on 14 of the holes, but during the round it seemed like they only came into play on eight or so holes. You only need to carry water once, on the 12th hole (a 309 yard par-4). The water hazards narrow the fairway severely near the green on the 2nd hole and the 8th hole (a 447 yard par-5), which makes those holes a little challenging for your approach shots. Bunkers are found on all holes, and, according to their website, they boast “58 strategically placed sand traps throughout the course”. Like most other Forest Preserve courses, the sand traps are not always in the best condition. The greens are of average size and difficulty, yet I did notice the pin placement during my round was consistently in challenging places (mostly right next to the edge of the green).

This felt like another average round to me. My drives were pretty random, but mostly pushed or sliced right. I somehow stayed out of the water on most of the holes. I only had issues with the water hazard on the 18th hole (a 376 yard par-4). There were a couple of holes where my tee shot was great, but my approach shot was bad. On the 7th hole (a 307 yard par-4), my drive was straight and long, but my approach shot sailed over the green and stopped next to a fence, and I ended up shooting a triple bogey. I had many opportunities to turn a good tee shot into a good score. My putting was random also, which didn’t help either. I 1-putted four times and 3-putted seven times.

I shot a 109 for the round (37 over par, 54 on the front nine, 55 on the back nine), which consisted of six bogeys, seven double bogeys, and all others worse. It’s not my best round but it’s not my worst round; It’s about average for how I’ve been recently been playing. I think I need to just figure out a couple things with my approach shots in order to get them straighter, and focus a little more on my putting, and I should be able to get my scores to where I want them.

River Oaks Golf Course – Scores & Stats
Course length: 5,811 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 68.2/117 (white tee boxes)
My score: 109 (37 over par)

River Oaks Golf Course
1 Park Avenue
Calumet City, IL 60409

Wedding
I got married to my girlfriend of 5+ years, Beth, on August 27th at Crystal Tree Country Club in Orland Park, Illinois. This is a private course, but I am lucky enough to know a member of the club, so I will soon be playing the course. Our ceremony overlooked the fairway on the 1st hole (a 432 yard par-4 where your tee shot is downhill and your approach shot is uphill). This beautiful view was just a small factor in what made the wedding so nice.

Birthday
Yes… It’s that time of the year again. I didn’t get a lot of golf-related gifts this year though. The only thing I got (and I appreciate this greatly) was a box Titleist NXT golf balls. I’ve been wanting to try these golf balls for a while now, since they are supposedly the model of Titleist golf balls that are fitted to my game. I look forward to using these in the next couple of rounds. Thanks, Sarah and Adam!

Courses
I’ve been very lucky this season. Between all the wedding planning, holidays, family events, and other things (like the weather), I’ve gotten to play a lot of golf this season (a lot more than I initially thought I would get to play). As of this writing (including two rounds at courses I have not posted), I’ve been able to play 22 rounds of golf at 18 new courses (4 of which are rounds at field trip courses). On top of that, I should be able to complete an additional 3-4 new courses by the end of the season.

Handicap
Even though it was a goal for this year, I’ll mention that I’ve lowered my handicap to below 30 (according to oobgolf.com), sitting currently at 29.7. This may not sound like a big milestone (a handicap of 30 is still pretty bad), but it just shows the progress I’ve made over the years. Since I’ve reached that goal for this year, I’m hoping I can take it down even further over the next couple of months.

Nominated
I know I mentioned this a couple posts back, but I think it is very cool that I got nominated for CBS Chicago’s Most Valuable Blogger Awards. I’ve had a lot of positive support from my friends and followers, and I truly appreciate being nominated.

100 Posts
This post is actually my 100th post on ChicagoGolfNoob.com. I think this is a big milestone, since many new blogs rarely get to 100 posts. I guess in a project like this one, it’s easy to hit that mark early, since I’m writing about every course I play. I’m hoping to start writing some more beginner-related posts in the future, which should help get me to the 200 post mark fairly quickly.

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So, if you are reading this, and you’ve either voted for me in Chicago’s MVB awards, played a round of golf with me this season, helped me improve my game and lower my handicap, given me a golf-related gift (or any gift actually), or gotten married to me, I truly appreciate it.

Thank you.

The course features four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 70 at a length of 6,192 yards from the back tees. The fairways are flat for some holes and very hilly for other holes. On the 1st hole (a 365 yard par-4), you tee off going downhill, then approach the green going uphill. Also, on some of the holes, you tee off blindly, either not able to see the landing area in the fairway, or the pin on the green. The 4th hole (a 378 yard dogleg right par-4) is notable because you tee off going uphill, and you’re not able to see the landing area, or even the group in front of you. There is a bell positioned at the bend that the group in front of you will (hopefully) ring to let you know it’s safe to tee off (throughout the front nine, you’ll occasionally hear the bell). About half of the holes, mostly on the front nine, are slight doglegs. Water hazards are near three holes, but only really touch the right side of the 17th hole (a 494 yard par-5). Bunkers are sparse (just five holes) and are only near the greens. The greens are of average size, and contain some challenging breaks. Most of the challenge in this course comes from the hills.

As a side note, be careful when driving to the course. Tuckaway’s driving range and practice area sits right next to the road, and there is no netting to stop errant hooked balls.

I played this round with Susie, and similar to my round at Ravisoe Country Club, we had to deal with some rain. Luckily it was pretty sporatic with no lightening, so we were able to play through the round without needing to seek shelter.

I wish my score more closely reflected how I felt I played. My driving was actually a lot better than my two previous rounds. Over half of my tee shots with my driver hit the fairway, which is not common for me. If I didn’t hit the fairway, it just pushed right, instead of slicing. I think the reason for this was because I was trying to focus on proper weight transfer and hitting through my tee shots. I did have some trouble with my irons. For some reason, I’m starting to hit them right a lot. Knowing anything, I’m probably not hitting through my iron shots (I guess I can only be good at one thing at a time). Luckily, my approach and chip shots were decent. I feel like I’m starting to get consistent with those shots. My putting was OK; I had a lot of putts that should have gone in but didn’t. I could have probably broken 100 if my putting was better (if the ball actually went into the hole). I ended up 1-putting once and 3-putting five times.

I ended up shooting a 108 (36 over par, 53 on the front nine, 55 on the back nine). This consisted of six bogeys and a lot of double and triple bogeys.

So I finished the weekend shooting three similar rounds: 110 at Glendale Lakes, 106 at Ravisloe, and 108 at Tuckaway. I wish my scores were a little lower, but at least I was somewhat consistent.

Tuckaway Golf Club – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,037 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 69.0/115 (white tee boxes)
My score: 108 (36 over par)

Tuckaway Golf Club
27641 South Stoney Island Avenue
Crete, IL 60417

The course features five par-3 and three par-5 holes for a total par of 70 at a length of 6,321 yards from the back tees. The course just has two sets of tees. The rolling fairways are surrounded by large trees, as you can expect from a course that has been around for over 100 years. The fairways are relatively straight, but they are deceiving due to the placement of fairway bunkers. Accuracy off the tee is essential land your shot in the fairway, and driving the ball far may not be a good choice in some situations. Bunkers are found on every hole, both near the fairways and the greens, and they are very deep, nearly resembling pot bunkers you’ll find on “links-style” courses. The bunkers provide a lot of the difficulty of the course, since they are strategically placed in fairways and protect the greens on nearly every hole. Water only comes into play on three holes, all of which you need to carry over it. On the 7th hole (a 203 yard par-3), you’ll carry over a small pond to the green, while on the 14th hole (a 410 yard par-4) and 15th hole (a 146 yard par-3), you’ll carry over a small creek on your tee shot. The greens are of average size and are fairly challenging, as you can expect.

I personally think Ravisloe is a great course. The fairways, bunkers, and greens seemed to be in good condition, although when we played, the greens were somewhat hard and fast. The layout of the course and the positioning of the bunkers, along with the rolling hills of the fairways, just makes this course look really nice. On top of that, the clubhouse is beautiful, and its architecture is that of a Spanish-style building. I’m glad the new owner made the course public, so people can get out and see what a great course they have.

I started this round with Dirk, then Ryann later joined us for the back nine. The round took a little longer than we expected, due to some sporadic weather that passed over us. Dirk and I finished five holes before we headed to the clubhouse, and stayed there until the inclement weather passed, about a 30 minute break. Then at the tee box of the 13th hole, we sought shelter from the rain for another 30 minutes. After this break, the rain let up slightly and sunset was less than 90 minutes away, so Dirk, Ryann and I played the last six holes at a faster pace. We ended up finishing the last six holes in around 45 minutes.

So as you can guess, this wasn’t a normal round for me, and it would be hard to accurately gauge how I played. I can say that, for the most part, I feel like I played better this round than my morning round at Glendale Lakes. My drives were pretty random, but I think I was starting to pick back up some of the things I needed to do to make them go straight. One thought I tried to keep in mind was proper shifting of my weight, and hitting through the ball. I only really heavily sliced my drive maybe once or twice; all other drives were just a push or a pull. My iron shots were pretty random too, and they only got worse once I sped up my play for the last six holes. I thought my wedge play was decent, and my putting was pretty good throughout the whole round, even before and after the rain hit and started slowing down the greens. I 1-putted four times and 3-putted once.

I shot a 106 for the round (36 over par, 50 on the front nine, 56 on the back nine). I did manage to make par on just the 4th hole (a 181 yard par-3). Other than that, I made four bogeys and a lot of double and triple bogeys. Dirk shot a 64 on the front nine, and stopped keeping score when Ryann joined us. Ryann, of course, played as awesome as ever. Honestly, I think I walked away from this one with a better score than what I should have. I somehow avoided all bunkers except for one, and in that one, I got out of it in a fashion that made me look like I was a scratch golfer. So, all-in-all, it was a decent round at a beautiful course to end a day of golfing.

Ravisloe Country Club – Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,321 yards (back tee boxes)
Course par: 70
Course rating/slope: 70.8/127 (back tee boxes)
My score: 106 (36 over par)

Ravisloe Country Club
18231 South Park Avenue
Homewood, IL 60430

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The course features five par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 71 at a length of 6,186 yards from the back tees. The rolling fairways are surrounded by small hills and medium-sized trees. The course in general can be described as “target golf”, where as all your shots need to be precisely hit at a certain distance and direction in order to stay in the fairways and to make par. Instead of one long fairway, each hole is instead made up of patches of fairway, so it is not uncommon to find taller grass (rough) 50-100 yards from the hole in the middle of the fairway. The fairways are also narrow in some cases, mostly due to the water hazards that touch them, making the target golfing even more difficult. Water hazards touch 11 of the holes, mostly along the right side of the fairways (houses are found along the left side of the fairways). If you play your shots right, you only need to carry the water once, on the 3rd hole (a 174 yard par-3). The fairways sit pretty closely to the water. Bunkers are found on almost all holes, mostly near the greens. The greens are pretty challenging, formed from constant slopes and random breaks.

Honestly, the course itself and its surroundings are beautiful, and it has a lot of potential to be a top notch course, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s properly maintained. Nearly all the fairways had an area marked out or roped off as under repair, with patches of grass that looked sunburned, and the greens felt really soft and lumpy (the grass on the greens seemed high to me). During my round, they were also testing a new drainage system on the 2nd hole (a 503 yard par-5), so they moved the tee box up nearly 300 yards, turning it into a short par-4 or a long par-3 (we made it a par-4, because it was still a dogleg right with a tree blocking the right side). Most of the bunkers seemed to be in good condition, but there were a couple that looked like they needed some work.

I played this round with Susie, Markus (my co-worker) and Patrick (a friend of Markus). Both Markus and Patrick are pretty good, probably with handicaps in the low 10′s, but even they had difficulty with the course.

So as you could imagine, I had a lot of difficutly. I started the round using my driver, but quickly realized that sticking with the driver was probably not the best idea. I had troubles slicing again, or hitting the ball thin and low. I ended up switching to my fairway wood many times, which needed work anyway, and that helped a little. If anything, it made my tee shot a little shorter and contained, which allowed me to hit some fairways. I was also having trouble with my irons, either chunking them, hitting them thin, or slicing them right. My wedge play was pretty good, which was nice, and my putting was random due to the quality and speed of the greens. I 1-putted twice and 3-putted five times.

I ended up shooting a 110 for the round, which was 40 over par (par 70 due to the work on the 2nd hole; 50 on the front nine, 60 on the back). Even though I had a difficult round, I did somehow make a birdie on the 4th hole (a 295 yard par-4) and a par on the 6th hole (a 139 yard par-3). Outside of those, I made 3 bogeys and all others worse than that. I can’t really say too much from here. The course was difficult for me, and my play just made it more difficult. All I can do is learn from my mistakes and move on to the next round in this golfing weekend.

Glendale Lakes Golf Club - Scores & Stats
Course length: 5,898 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 70 (originally 71)
Course rating/slope: 68.6/122 (white tee boxes)
My score: 110 (40 over par)

Glendale Lakes Golf Club
1550 President Street
Glendale Heights, IL 60139

Stony Creek features eight par-3 and one par-5 holes for a total par of 65 at a length of 5,004 yards from the back tees. The fairways are mostly open and formed from rolling hills, with many of the holes surrounded by tall trees. Water hazards touch just three of the holes, but on all three holes, you’ll need to carry the hazard, which is in form of a 20 yard creek that cuts through the fairway. Bunkers are found on all holes, mostly near the greens, and a appear to be kept in good condition. The greens are pretty large, but have challenging slopes and breaks.

For this round, I went alone, but got paired up with two older guys, Ralph and Gary, who knew each other since high school. They were a unique pair, to say the least, and it made the round interesting.

I didn’t play too very well this round. My drives were all over the place, barely stayed straight throughout the whole round, as were my tee shots on the par-3 holes. I had a lot of troubles with my iron shots, and ended up mishitting many of them. I think I was leaning back during the swing, or just trying to overpower the shots. The water hazards gave me some issues too. The area you had to hit through to carry over the water was fairly narrow, so not hitting straight definitely made this worse. Lastly, I had a lot of issues with putting. I could have been rushing my putting a bit, but the greens were still fairly challenging. I 1-putted twice and 3-putted nine times.

I ended up shooting a 98 for the round (33 over par), which really doesn’t sound like a horrible score, but considering all of the par-3′s and the length of the course, it should have been much lower. I just had a lot of problems in areas of my game where I’ve recently seen some improvement. I’m thinking (hoping) that this was just a one-round thing, and that I’ll be back to normal for my next round.

Stony Creek Golf Course - Scores & Stats
Course length: 4,424 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 65
Course rating/slope: 60.9/96 (white tee boxes)
My score: 98 (33 over par)

Stony Creek Golf Course
5850 West 103rd Street
Oak Lawn, IL 60453

The course features four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 6,701 yards from the back tees. The fairways are mostly straight, flat, and surrounded by medium-sized trees or rolling hills. There’s a lot of water on this course. Water touches 15 holes, but you only need to carry over three of them (possibly more if you play from the back tees). Bunkers are found on every hole, either in the form of a small sand trap, or an expansive “beach” (similar to the bunkers you can find at Harborside). The greens are average in size with challenging breaks. When we played the round, it rained the night before, so a couple of the bunkers were filled with water, and the greens were pretty soft. The greens also didn’t look to be in the best shape (they looked kind of “patchy”).

The course weaves its way around a subdivision, which is typical of many courses in the Chicagoland area. This course is different, though, because on most of the holes, the houses line the left side of the fairway, and the water touches the ride side of the fairway. Also, the houses sit slightly farther back from the fairway, giving you a little more room if you pull your shot.

Two notable holes… The first is the 9th hole (a 453 yard par-4 dogleg right), which is “rated as the most challenging ninth hole in Chicago”, where you must carry a small pond on your second shot if your tee shot is less than 250 yards or so. The second is the 17th hole (a 192 yard par-3), where you must carry a small body of water to the green, which is completely surrounded by sand, and bordered by water on the right side. All-in-all, this is a really nice course that will provide challenges for all levels of play.

I’ll quickly touch on a couple things about this course that I didn’t like… First of all, the course is a little difficult to find. The subdivision it wraps around doesn’t sit off of a major roadway, and the road to the clubhouse doesn’t hit the major roadway at a traffic light (luckily, you can get can still find your way to the course from the road that does intersect at the traffic light). So when you are heading to the course, be on the lookout for the correct road to turn on. Second, the rangers on duty were a little aggressive, probably the most aggressive I’ve seen. A couple times throughout the round, we were approached by a ranger and asked to speed up our play, and we were staying on definitely on pace (probably playing faster than average). I also overheard that a ranger asked a couple of my friends to skip a hole, which was completely unnecessary. When all was said and done, we ended finishing the round in about 4.5 hours, which is an average pace for a par 72 course. Lastly, there are very few trash cans and water coolers throughout the course. This makes no sense to me. These are two things that you can normally find on any public golf course. Luckily, beverage carts came around often.

As I mention at the beginning of the post, I played this round with a couple friends. Actually, I played this round with seven friends (see the scores below), all gathered for my bachelor party. We were, of course, broken into two groups of four, and I further broke everyone down into 2-man teams for a friendly competition. We played a 2-man total stroke play bramble (shamble), which actually sped play up even more. The teams were formed based on skill level, which evened the teams out. Further, the playing the round as a bramble (where the best drive is selected as the second shot) allowed the scores to stay relatively low.

I felt like I played a decent round; not the best round, but not the worst. My drives were a little random, and I didn’t feel like they were staying as straight as they have in the past. I was still slicing a couple times, and not pulling to the left as much, which makes me think I wasn’t turning my hands over during the swing. I think we used about 50% of my tee shots as the next shot. My iron shots were mediocre, as were my approach and chip shots. Nothing really stands out them as being good or bad. My putting as random also. I 1-putted three times and 3-putted three times.

I ended up shooting a 100 for the round (28 over par), but I’m marking this score down as a scramble, even though I played a lot of my own shots. If this was a standard round, I probably would have shot in the 110′s. My teammate, David (my best man), shot a 106, making our team score 206. The other teams were: Eddy and Adam, who shot a 98 and 97, respectively, for a team score of 195, Markus and Kevin, who shot a 79 and 113, respectively, for a team score of 192, and Trent and Tunwa, who shot a 73 and 107, respectively, for a team score of 180. (Yes. Trent shot a 73. He said he was sinking all of his putts.)

Klein Creek Golf Club – Scores & Stats
Course length: 5,579 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 67.2/122 (white tee boxes)
My score: 100 (28 over par)

Klein Creek Golf Club
1N333 Pleasant Hill Road
Winfield, IL 60190

The course features five par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 71 at a length of 6,196 yards from the back tees. If you play from the front tees, the length drops to 4,678 yards, and the par drops to 70 (the 11th hole is a 500 yard par-5 from the back tees and a 335 yard par-4 from the front tees). The fairways are mostly straight and wide. Medium-sized trees surround the fairways on nearly all the holes, while a couple holes on the back nine have large trees along the left side of the fairways. Some of the holes have a slight dogleg left or right, while the 16th hole, a 366 yard par-4, has a near 90 degree dogleg left. Water hazards touch ten of the holes, many of which you’ll carry over on your tee shot. Probably the most notable water hazard comes on the 2nd hole, a 327 yard par-4, where the fairway doglegs slightly left before an island green (similar to the 17th hole of Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, but smaller and far less maintained). Sand traps can be found on every hole, mostly near the greens. The greens are mostly flat, and didn’t seem too challenging.

I ended up playing this round by myself. I wasn’t really expecting to be paired up with anyone either, since the temperatures were in 90′s, resulting in a course that was almost empty. I somehow got stuck behind an impassable twosome for most of the round, but I ended up finishing the round in about 4 hours.

I felt like I played another good round. I kept with my new practice swing routine, and it seemed to still be working. With it, I’m still not slicing as much as I have in the past, and for this round, I was actually pulling more shots left than pushing them right. I was still trying to use my fairway wood and hybrid more, and I’m starting to see those slowly improve. Actually, if it wasn’t for my fairway wood, I wouldn’t have shot par on the 8th hole, a 502 yard par-5 (I missed birdie by about an inch too). Anytime I can make par or bogey on a par-5, I’m happy (I actually shot triple-bogey on the other three par-5 holes). I felt that my approach and chip shots were pretty good, and I was making solid shots with my irons. My putting was about average. I probably should have slowed down a little more on my putting to try to make more 1-putts, but I was mostly just trying to get out of the sun. I ended up 1-putting once and 3-putting twice. Not too bad.

I ended up shooting a 99 (28 over par), which breaks 100 again. The triple-bogeys on the three par-5 holes didn’t help at all, and I think more practice with my fairway wood and hybrid will help make those holes easier. I actually ended up making four pars on this round, which is another goal for the season! Aside from that, I made four bogeys, six double-bogeys, and four triple-bogeys (way too many double- and triple-bogeys). I probably could have made more bogeys if I focused more on my putting, but I’m still happy I walked away with a 99.

Inwood Golf Course - Scores & Stats
Course length: 5,890 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 71
Course rating/slope: 68.7/122 (white tee boxes)
My score: 99 (28 over par)

Inwood Golf Course
3200 West Jefferson St
Joliet, IL 60435

Woodruff is also the shortest of the three JPD courses. The course features four par-3 and no par-5 holes for a total par of 68 at a length of 5,670 yards from the back tees (Inwood is a par 71 at 6,196 yards, Wedgewood is a par 72 at 6,836 yards). I didn’t really see much of a difference between the back tees and the middle tees, usually only a difference of 5 – 20 yards. The par-3 holes average around 190 yards in length, and the par-4 holes average around 350 yards in length. The fairways are different between the front nine and the back nine. On the front nine, the fairways are very straight, flat, and open, and surrounded by small- to medium-sized trees. On the back nine, the fairways are more hilly and narrow in some areas, and surrounded by large trees. You’ll also find a lot more water hazards on the back nine, which provides most of the challenge. In many cases, the water hazard, usually a small stream cutting across the fairway, will be around 200 – 250 yards from the tee, right about where most beginners will place their tee shots. Water hazards touch three holes on the front nine, and seven holes on the back nine. Sand bunkers are not very common (only near the greens when you find one). You are more likely to find a grass bunker, which is something I haven’t seen before. Greens are average in size, and didn’t seem to challenging. The speed of the greens were a little inconsistent, but that could have been because of the heat.

Two notable holes are the 11th hole (a 379 yard par-4) and the 12th hole (a 194 yard par-3). The 11th hole is a dogleg right, and if your tee shot is more than 220 yards, it’ll end up in thick brush (which you won’t find). Also, if you slice your tee shot right, expect to find it in the yard of a nearby house (who will gladly sell it back to you). The 12th hole’s tee box sits on top of a hill, and your tee shot is through a narrow opening in the trees. Your tee shot must be straight, otherwise your ball could be lost in the woods.

This course reminded me of two other courses I’ve played in the past: Glenwoodie Golf Club and Frank Govern Memorial Golf Course. It reminded me of Glenwoodie because of the differences between the front nine and the back nine. Glenwoodie also has a very flat and straight front nine, and a hilly back nine with a lot of water hazards cutting through the fairways. It reminded me of Frank Govern Memorial because of the tee shot on the 12th hole, where you have to hit your shot over a narrow opening in the trees and over a water hazard. You see that tee shot a couple places at Frank Govern Memorial.

For this round, I was paired up with another player, Rick, on the first hole. Since the temperatures were high, and it was somewhat later in the day, the course wasn’t too busy, so we were able to complete the round in about 4 hours (we got slowed down on the back nine by a threesome of beginners in front of us).

A couple days prior to this round, I spent an hour or so at the driving range, and I started to feel something different about my drives. Ever since I started playing this game, I’ve always been worried about hitting the ball (so I don’t top, shank, or duff the ball), and not so much about where the ball went after I hit it. I think I’m past that point now, and I’m starting to feel like I can keep my driver on the correct swing plane and hit the ball a very high percentage of the time. I personally think this is a great feeling, and it allows me to focus on other things now, like any small changes to my swing to correct my [usually consistent] slice.

In fact, in the same session at the driving range, I think I might have figured out the first change to fix the slice. During my practice swing, I take a couple 1/4 swings (halfway up my back swing, then down to the ball, and repeat). Doing this a couple times, allows me to remember when to turn my wrists so the club-face is square at the impact of the ball. I do that 1/4 swing a couple times, then take a full swing. When ready, I step into the ball, take a couple 1/4 swings, then take a full swing to hit the ball. Most times, my wrists will be in the correct position from the practice swings, and the ball will travel on a straight path.

Lastly, I’m working on driving through the ball, which means I’m working on properly shifting my weight from my back foot (right foot for right-handed players) to my front foot. This is something that I’ve been told and heard that I need to do for a while, and I’m just now really able to understand and put it to use.

I took this new weight-shift and practice routine into my round, and I feel I had more success with my drives. My drives were a lot straighter, or if anything, just pushing to the right. In some cases, I’m actually starting to pull my drives to the left, which is something I rarely do. I felt that my drives got longer too (around the 220 yard range), and I looked forward to those 320 yard par-4 holes, where my 2nd shot would be an easy pitch. I also worked on the weight-shift for my iron shots, and those seemed to straighten up a lot. Another big change for me in this round was I started to hit with my fairway wood more. I’ve always had issues with my fairway wood and my hybrid, usually topping the ball. I’m slowly getting comfortable with it, and I’ve been trying to practice more with it at the driving range. My approach and chip shots were decent, but nothing spectacular, and the same goes for my putting. I didn’t have any 1-putts, and I 3-putted just three times.

I ended up shooting a 93 for the round (21 over par), which breaks 100 again, but the course is a par 68 and just 5,412 yards from the blue tees, so I’m not really making a big deal of it. I made two pars, nine bogeys, five double bogeys, and two triple bogeys. Making nine bogeys was nice, and having a long, straight drive on 350 yard par-4 holes helped me out tremendously. All-in-all, I’m happy with this round. I think I’m starting to make good advancements in my drive, and getting that fairway wood to work properly for me is a nice feeling.

Woodruff Golf Course – Scores & Stats
Course length: 5,412 yards (blue tee boxes)
Course par: 68
Course rating/slope: 66.3/116 (blue tee boxes)
My score: 93 (21 over par)

Woodruff Golf Course
621 Gougar Road
Joliet, IL 60432

The course features four par-3 and four par-5 holes for a total par of 72 at a length of 7,174 yards from the back tees. The fairways are mostly open, straight, and wide, which give you a lot of options on where to place your tee shot. Water hazards and rolling hills shape many of the fairways, which gives the course it’s challenge. Water hazards touch ten of the holes, including the 16th hole (a 597 yard par-5) and the 18th hole (a 451 yard par-4) where you must carry water hazards twice on your way to the green. Bunkers are found on all holes, usually both near the fairways and the greens. The greens are a decent size with consistent slopes and challenging breaks. Overall, the course is pretty challenging, yet still very fun. You have many options to get creative with your shots.

I played this round with David, Heather, and Stephen. I actually played this course in the middle of June with David also, but I didn’t want a write a post on it because I wasn’t putting all my effort into playing a good round, and I knew I would be coming back to play this second round.

I felt like I played a decent round. My drives were a bit random on the front nine, and a little more straighter on the back nine. My iron shots were good, although some of them were inaccurate, but at least I was making solid contact. My approach and chip shots where still pretty good, usually setting me up for a 1-putt or a 2-putt. I almost played the round without 3-putting, but on the 2nd hole (a 181 yard par-3), I ended up 3-putting after hitting a solid tee shot with my 7 iron (it was 152 yards from the white tees). I 1-putted four times and 3-putted just once.

I ended up shooting a 107 (35 over par), which was a 52 on the front nine and a 55 on the back nine. This consisted of 2 pars and a bunch of double and triple bogeys. Stephen shot a 118, which he said was one of his worst rounds of the season, and David and Heather didn’t keep score. To compare with my first round, I shot a 108 (54 on both front and back nine), and David shot a 112. I was hoping to play a better round the second time around, but I’m still happy I didn’t shoot more than 110. It really is a challenging course, and I should be happy walking away with a 107.

Champions Pointe Golf Club - Scores & Stats
Course length: 6,484 yards (white tee boxes)
Course par: 72
Course rating/slope: 71.3/130 (white tee boxes)
My score: 107 (35 over par)

Champions Pointe Golf Club
1820 Champions Club Lane
Henryville, IN 47126

Throughout the 12-week season, I played 8 matches during 5 rounds, and finished with 1600 points, which put me tied for 4th place before going into the end-of-season Arghe Isle Cup Tournament. The person in 1st place had 5700 points, while 2nd and 3rd place had 2675 and 2400 points, respectively. Out of the 8 matches, I won 3 of them, with an adjusted scoring average of 111. I decided not to play the Arghe Isle Cup tournament, because I was way too far back in the points standing to jump into 1st place even if I beat everyone in my group, and I had an out-of-town event that would have been hard to work around.

As I mentioned in my introductory post to the Windy City Golf League, the main idea of the league is its flexibility: you play matches wherever you want with whomever you want in your league flight for as many times as you want throughout the season. While I still think this concept is a great idea for a golf league, I definitely see that it has a couple of drawbacks. First, your matches are controlled by other people’s schedules. If your schedule doesn’t match up with someone else’s schedule, you won’t be able to play matches. In fact, the person who took 1^st place played nearly all of his matches during the weekdays, and that’s just something I couldn’t do. Second, a lot of people who signed up for the league didn’t play a single round throughout the season, which limited the number of people who would actually play rounds (I would say only 60% of the people who signed up actually played, and 30% played regularly). These two drawbacks make me want to try a regular golf league, because when I have time (or scheduled time) to play a round, I want to make it count towards the league. Throughout the season, there were many weekends where I had an opening to play a round, but no one else was available to play.

So coming off of my first golf league, I have mixed feelings towards it. I think if I had a more flexible schedule where I could play rounds during the week, then I would have enjoyed it more. I love the flexibility to play different courses around my schedule, but playing in a league where the time, place, and opponent are scheduled would probably appeal to me more, just so I can get in more matches. All-in-all, I had a good time, met some nice people, and knocked a couple courses of the list along the way.

Of course, and I understand, it’s all easier said than done. But, let’s get started.

How your score actually adds up to 100

First of all, before you play your next round of golf, take a little bit of time to think about what’s actually needed to score a 99. On a typical 18-hole championship course, the par is 72, and a score of 99 equates to 27 over par. Think about that… that’s a lot of shots over par. You have 18 holes to accumulate 27 more strokes than what the course thinks you should make.

Break down 27 over par for 18 holes… that’s 9 bogeys and 9 double bogeys. If you happen to make par on just one hole, then for the other 17 holes, you’re allowed 7 bogeys and 10 double bogeys. So if you are a golfer that consistently makes bogeys and double bogeys, you’re already very close to breaking 100 (just make sure the number of bogeys made versus double bogeys stays close).

I used this thought many times during my rounds. If I make a couple double bogeys, I don’t think the goal is lost for the round. I have many more opportunities to catch up with where I need to be to break 100.

It’s all about course management

I’m going to credit this thought to my friend and fellow golfing buddy, Trent. Trent carries a single-digit handicap, and previously played golf for his college. While playing my rounds with him, I’m constantly being taught about course management. In my interpretation of course management, there are two main ideas to keep in mind:

1. Play the shots you can make – If you are more strong and consistent with a 4-iron compared to your fairway wood or hybrid (like me), then use the 4-iron, and skip the risk of topping or duffing a shot, only because you want to hit it an extra 20 yards. If you can hit a wedge straighter and more accurately than an iron, then play the wedge, just to keep your ball in play and out of the rough. Moral of the story: don’t play a shot you are not good at, just because you are trying to score low. By playing those shots, you could actually hurt your score. Work with your strengths, and practice on your weaknesses at the driving range.
2. Play the safe lines – When you watch the pros play on TV, you will see they take a lot of risks in order to shoot those low scores. We (as in, us beginners) are not professional golfers. We are not trying to win tournaments for a living. So don’t take those risks if you don’t have to. For example, and you’ll see this many times, when you approach a green where the pin is protected in the front by a bunker, yet there is a small section of green to the side of the bunker. It’s far better to aim for the visible green and putt 20-30 feet, than to aim for the pin, because a short shot could end up in the sand than on the green.

(Once again, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, I am still a beginner. If you have a handicap of 20 or better, then either you know of these ideas, or you are just that good. If you disagree with my thoughts on course management, oh well…)

Your approach and chip shots matter

As important as it is to make long, straight tee shots and solid iron shots, the one shot that will start to allow you to finish the hole is your approach and chips shots. While at the driving range, don’t forget to practice your iron and wedge shots. When I start a session at the driving range, I start with my 7-iron, and a large percentage of my practice time is with the 7-iron or a similar club. So many of us beginners go to the driving range and just hit with the driver, because if feels so good to smash a ball 200+ yards.

Take some time at the range to hit with your irons and wedges. Your main focus (as usual) should be to hit it straight and consistently at a certain distance for each club. When making approach and chip shots during the round, you’ll want to give yourself the best chance to 1-putt or 2-putt (3-putt at worst). A consistent approach and chip shot should always give you that chance.

At all costs, avoid 3-putting

Moving right along from the last thought… do whatever you can to not 3-putt. The one extra putt on a couple holes can hurt your score… big time. Spend a lot of time practicing putting from 3-4 feet (I’ve heard that Phil Mickelson has a drill for this). If your first putt starts from more than 10 feet out, do whatever you can to get the ball in that 3-4 foot “circle” for your second shot. You should feel comfortable making 3-4 foot shots.

Looking back at my goals for this year, I actually find the thought of not 3-putting kind of… funny. My main goal of the year was (of course) to break 100, but further down, I made another goal to “Play a full round without 3-putting”, then right after that, I said “This probably will have a direct correlation with breaking 100.” In my mind, I think not 3-putting during that round had a huge effect on me breaking 100.

Wrapping up

By all means (and it’s easy to see from my posts), I’m not an expert at this game, and I don’t claim to be, nor does finally breaking 100 just a week ago, and only doing it once so far, actually warrant me the requirement to talk about how I accomplished the feat. I just felt that I should pass along the things, whether they are common sense or not, that helped me reach my goal. If you currently find yourself in the same situation I found myself over the last two years, I hope these tips provide some more help and encouragement for you to reach your goal of breaking 100.

The low amount of people playing the course isn’t much of a surprise, since Plymouth is a fairly small town in northern Indiana, about an hour and a half drive from Chicago. Also, Plymouth Rock is not the only (or necessarily the best) golf course in the area. A couple miles down the road from it, you’ll find Tri-Way Golf Course, which seems to have more of a following (and also had a 2-person scramble the same day I played). Also close by to Plymouth, you’ll find Swan Lake Resort & Golf Club, which home to the United States Golf Academy, as well as two championship courses. About 30 minutes from Plymouth, you’ll also find Mystic Hills Golf Club in Culver, Indiana, which is a Pete Dye designed course. Anyway, for $30 with cart, Plymouth Rock is worth a quick round.

I wasn’t expecting much out of the round. I really just wanted to get out and play. The last time I even swung a club was over two weeks ago (I understand that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but oh well).

Surprisingly, I played really well. My drives were mostly straight or pushed right. Anytime I hit right, I usually had a good recovery shot to get me back into play. I got lucky a couple times too, somehow finding my ball in the high grass. Also, the high grass on the back nine that usually gave me trouble was cut a lot lower than normal. I was playing really well with my long irons, and I had some great (and not so great) shots with my short irons. My approach and chip shots were pretty good, usually setting me up for decent putt. My putting was really good, mostly my lag putting, which set me up for short, easy 2nd putts.

As I said, I played pretty well. I ended up shooting a 96! This broke down to a 46 on the front nine and a 50 on the back nine. Throughout the round, I made two pars, nine bogeys, six double bogeys, and one triple bogey. I also had no 3-putts! I had three 1-putts and the rest were 2-putts. So I met two goals in one round, and most importantly, I finally broke 100! I’d say it was a pretty good day.