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Southland Golf

Sunday, April 28, 2013

It's Spring! Get Your Clubs and Head to Stony Creek

After you get back, tell us what you think. Leave your review of the course and clubhouse on Patch.

Stony Creek Golf Course, which opened in 1994, was designed by Carl Getz in the mid-1980s to accompany the large practice facility and driving range already on the site. In the past 17 years, the look at Stony Creek hasn’t changed much in terms of the course layout. In a message on the Stony Creek website, Course Superintendent Tim Scott said the turf is still recovering from last season's drought. "We plan in April to aerify and fertilize greens, tees and fairways to keep up the health of these areas," he says. "This process will make the plants stronger to handle both the weather and traffic from golfers and carts." Visit Patch's Directory: Share a review of Stony Creek Golf Course  The course hasn't changed in layout, but Scott's crew …

Joe Skibinski

9:26 am on Sunday, April 28, 2013

Park Lawn participating at Stony Creek is a great idea. Kudos to those who put the program in place   more ›

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Video: Scary No. 5 at The Sanctuary

Director of Golf/PGA professional Bob Schulz tells you how to play the treacherous par-5, fifth hole in New Lenox.

The good news is that it’s a par-5. The bad news is that you can get in trouble fast if you’re not careful. The par-5, fifth hole at The Sanctuary is listed at 568 yards from the black tees. Offering a dogleg left, tee shots that stay too far left will make the second shot difficult. As you approach the hole, the landing space available in the fairway is reduced and becomes chute-like. Rated as the No. 1 handicap hole on player scorecards, your work isn’t finished on the green, either, as pin placement plays a huge factor. “You definitely don’t want to have to putt downhill,” Sanctuary pro Bob Schulz said.

Video: Olympia Fields' Toughest Hole

Lessons in the third hole on the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club.

A blind tee shot downhill, followed by an uphill shot to a green surrounded by potential traps. No wonder the third hole on the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club is rated as the No. 1 handicap hole on player scorecards. The par-4 hole was the most difficult in the U.S. Open in 2003, according to Club President Jeff Goldman. Out on the links, club member Mike Lewis shared a bit of local knowledge and did Patch the honor of explaining an ideal way to attack the daunting hole. Then, he did a good job himself of completing the task, recovering from a minor fairway bobble to salvage a bogey-5.

Video: Silver Lake's Toughest Hole

Course pro Gregg Tengerstrom shows how to play the eighth hole on the South Course at Silver Lake Country Club.

A sloping fairway and beautiful setting are the highlights of Silver Lake Country Club's signature hole, the eighth hole on the South Course. A marshland creates a natural water hazard, and bunkers on the back of the green require the golfer to be accurate off the fairway with their approach shots. Silver Lakes pro Gregg Tengerstrom demonstrates how to play the hole from the white tee box. The hole measures 370 yards from there. But there are four tee boxes to pick from. The others: Blue 417, Gold 300 and Red 300. Course captain Bert Coghill says the South Course is his favorite, but all 45 holes at Silver Lake Country Club provide a unique challenge. "It is a tricky and scenic course," he said. "It makes you think."

Video: 17th Hole at George Dunne National

Learn how to play one of George Dunne's most difficult holes. Watch out for the water.

George W. Dunne National Golf Course boasts an array of challenging holes, so it's difficult to pick one hole as the most difficult. But the 17th hole was as good as any to demonstrate the challenges George Dunne provides. Mike White, a friend of course officials, explains the best way to play the 17th hole. The hole is a par-3 and is guarded in front by a large pond that serves as a hazard for holes 17 and 18. With sand traps past the green and water in front of it, the tee shot is difficult and must be precise. White was able to hit his target.

Rob K

9:56 am on Friday, July 1, 2011

I put it in the water on Saturday. Ho hum.   more ›

Video: 526 Yards to Island Green at Odyssey Country Club

Golf pro Rich Santangelo shows off the signature 16th hole at the Odyssey Golf Course, a par-five hole with an island green believed to be one of the first of its kind in the United States.

The signature hole at the Odyssey Golf Course isn’t your typical island green, and it’s fitting that for the first three years, the 16th hole green wasn’t surrounded by water.     But after a few years in business, course consultant and Odyssey golf pro Ed Staffan decided to create a signature hole for the course. “Twenty years ago, I don’t know if there was a par-five in the country with an island green,” Staffan said. “It turned out great because it’s short enough where a big, strong golfer on a windy day can reach it in two, but he’s got to make that decision if he wants to go for it or not.  We might have been the first golf course with an island-green par-five (hole).” Odyssey golf pro Rich Santangelo played the part of gracious host …

Video: The Seventh Hole at Palos Country Club

A sloping island green looks deceptively close on this challenging par-3 hole.

When standing on the back of an elevated tee box on the 176-yard, par-3 seventh hole at Palos Country Club, the flagstick still looks to be close, the hole almost inviting. It's anything but close, and the hole is guarded on the right side by a large pond. The tee shot requires golfers to play a left-to-right ball. Because if you stray left you'll end up in a large bunker next to the green that makes it a very challenging hole, indeed. The first thing you will notice once you get to the green is its pronounced sloping terrain. Only two golfers ever have aced the seventh hole, according to pro shop manager Kalynn Banks, and the club dates to the early 1900s.

Video: Seven No Slice of Heaven on West Course in The Heights

The par-4 seventh hole at the Chicago Heights Park District West Course facility is a dogleg left that calls for accuracy off the tee and touch around the green.

Chicago Heights resident John Mitchell is like the mailman. He keeps his appointed rounds. He plays the Chicago Heights Park District West Golf Course nearly every day after work. And he has an opinion on how to go about that task. He feels the 422-yard, par-4 seventh hole is the most challenging hole on the nine-hole layout. “It is the No. 1 handicap hole on the course,” Mitchell said. The trick is to drive the ball off the tee down the right side of the fairway and avoid the bunkers, which come into play on both sides of the hole. “It is important to play toward the right-hand side at the top of the hill if you want to be successful on this hole,” Mitchell said. In a demonstration, he did just that, knocking his drive right where he …

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Video: Glenwoodie's 16th Hole

How do you play the 475-yard, par-4 16th hole at Glenwoodie Golf Course? Ryan Grelecki explains.

Palos Hills resident Ryan Grelecki has had lots of practice on the signature 16th hole at Glenwoodie Golf Course. The 475-yard, par-4 hole has been a challenge for many over the years. After the course underwent renovation in 2011, the hole became even more difficult after the removal of three willow trees that used to save a lot of balls from going out of bounds. “We didn’t want to change the length of this signature hole,” Glenwoodie golf pro Phil Robbins said. The ideal tee shot on 16 is one that lands in the right-center of the fairway. “That gives you a straight shot to the green,” Grelecki said. “If you go too far left, you are going to be blocked by trees. And if you go too far right, you will go out of bounds.” Grelecki scored an …

Video: How to Play Green Garden's No. 18 on the Blue Course

Green Garden Country Club's General Manager Todd Russell demonstrates how to play the challenging, par-4, 18th hole in Frankfort.

As general manager of Green Garden Country Club and in charge of running its two 18-hole courses, along with its nine-hole links-style course, as well as countless outings, banquets, training sessions and more, Todd Russell doesn't have much time to hit the little white ball. Fortunately, Russell did have a few minutes to take on the difficult, par-4, 18th hole on Green Garden's Blue Course. The hole measures 452 yards from the championship tees.

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