Top 5 Public Golf Courses in the Fox

The Fox Valley is rich with golf courses - here is a look at the top 5 Public courses in The Fox. (free registration required)

HIGHLANDS OF ELGIN (Elgin)
One of the longest area golf projects was completed in 2010.

The final results of that 14 year project were worth waiting for.  With the long-awaited quarry holes completed, the golfers have come out in droves. One national golf publication already has "The Highlands" as the state’s fourth-best public course.

"It's a unique property built around a landfill," said Jim Vogt, the Highlands’ head professional.  “The combination of the elevation changes, the well-conditioned greens that our customers say rival private clubs, and our green fees make it a great value."

Renowned architect Keith Foster started the project. When delays forced him out, his top assistant Art Schaupeter, who had been on the property from day one, took over. He waited years to wrap up the project; the end result shows Schaupeter nailed it.

"The seventh hole is a par three that plays 254 yards. It is downhill from the highest point on the course," says Vogt. "So it's a panoramic vista that has a peninsula-like green which juts out into the quarry.” Schaupeter views it as a backward replica of the famed par 3, 16th hole at Cypress Point.

Other holes that golfers will enjoy include the par 3 4th. It's 160 yards and there is no bailout. The par 4, 465-yard 11th hole is a dogleg around or over the quarry.

New carpeting in a clubhouse that has good views of the course will greet golfers in 2011. A great practice facility rounds out this now fully completed golf complex.
www.highlandsofelgin.com


CANTIGNY GOLF (Wheaton)
Cantigny started as a "Best New Public Course" in the late 1980's, and it’s only gotten better since.

Cantigny is comprised of three nine-hole layouts called Woodside, Lakeside and Hillside. The Woodside/Lakeside combination gets the highest reviews, but Hillside does not have to take a back seat. Neither do golfers. who get country club treatment from the moment they arrive.

"Our staff is made up of dedicated professionals. They treat people who come here in an exceptional manner," says Mike Nass, Cantigny's general manager. "Add to that our putting the golf course on a piece of property that looks like it's been here much longer than it has, and you have a special place to golf."

Nass feels Cantigny made a great decision before one golf ball was even hit on the property: the hiring of course architects Roger Packard and two-time U.S. Open Champion Andy North.

"Having people that knew golf in the Chicago area, in addition to knowing the Midwest, made a big difference," said Nass.

In 1997, the club took a tree nursery and formed the nine-hole Cantigny Youthlinks.  Adults are welcome, if invited by a kid. The first juniors that tee'd it up at the Youthlinks in 1999 now play Cantigny's courses as adults. A past youth links player and pro shop assistant, Kevin Streelman, is on the PGA Tour.

About 1,000 kids a year enter the Cantigny junior golf program. Within a few years, many of them make Cantigny's caddy force. Some now spend hours practicing with the adults in the golf learning center, open year-round since 2008.
www.cantignygolf.com

PRAIRIE LANDING (West Chicago)
The course is a prairie links-type course that follows the look of an Irish seaside design.

In addition to having a fun and challenging golf course, golfers find one of the area's best practice facilities at Prairie Landing.

"We have a good practice range that has seven targets," said John Schlaman, the club’s general manager.  "Complimenting that are two practice holes and a short game area. For many people, we offer an all-in-one golf experience with a private club feel."

For golfers who know Prairie Landing, this summer you might find those bunkers playing a little differently.

"We are in the process of a bunker renovation plan," Schlaman said. "The plan is to help us from a maintenance standpoint, make them a little more playable for the average guy, while also having them keep up with technology."

Prairie Landing's signature hole is the par-4 5th, which comes with a risk-reward split fairway.  Perhaps the most picturesque hole is #12, a stunning 208 yard par 3 over water and a natural rock wall. If links are your thing, Prairie Landing is the place.
www.prairielanding.com


BOWES CREEK (Elgin) 
Bowes Creek is the other half of the city of Elgin’s one-two punch for public golf.

This stellar Rick Jacobson design was to be a private club, but times changed and the public golfer was the winner.
Bowes Creek may be public, but the treatment golfers receive is like a private club. “Member for a day” is the theme.

"We have established a country club experience for the public golfer,” says Mike Lehman, the director of golf.  "It's about feeling at home when you come to Bowes Creek Country Club, either on the course or in our English-style pub, Porters."

Like the Highlands, Bowes Creek didn't happen overnight.
"It was ten years from the planning stage, but worth the wait," says architect Rick Jacobson. "The course turned out as a great blending of golf and real estate, which doesn't always happen."

Jacobson's team worked around environmentally-sensitive areas, but kept the golfers from playing over pools and barbeques.

"Those areas kind of dictated how the master plan evolved," Jacobson said. "From a golf standpoint, things worked out very well, because there is a lot of core golf; not homes on each side of every hole as in a golf community."
www.bowescreekcountryclub.com


ORCHARD VALLEY (Aurora)
Orchard Valley has been one of the Chicago area's best public courses for years.

Architect ken Kavenaugh made a fun layout for golfers that has enough challenges for the established player, too.

The 6,800-yard course hosts a USGA qualifier for the first time this summer, which shows how far the course has come.

Orchard Valley is still owned by the Aurora Park District, but is now operated by the Billy Casper golf management company. Brad Kale is the general manager.

The course is a mix of all of the tests golfers expect when they play a good course. Wetlands, water, bunkers, rough, and trees, along with some subtle undulations in the greens.

A great practice facility with target greens helps golfers improve their game. The clubs restaurant, The Orchard, offers a good menu and view of play on the 18th hole. What more can you expect from the 19th hole?
www.orchardvalleygolf.com