Yes, it’s cold outside. No, it’s not good golfing weather. But you don’t have to spirit away to Arizona or Florida to get a wintertime golfing fix.
Golf in Illinois is hot–despite the Midwest climate.
“There’s no doubt golf’s popularity has grown over the past several years,” said Michael Miller, executive director of the Illinois section of the Professional Golf Association in Lemont. “For instance, Tiger Woods has had a huge impact at the junior level. And along with more interest in golf, more people are playing all year. Thanks to golf domes and heated driving ranges, such as the new facility in Des Plaines, golf is becoming a year-round sport for golfers of all ages.”
The northwest suburbs offer a variety of golf-related activities to help keep your handicap under control while we all wait for spring. And we’re not talking about sitting at home and watching the Golf Channel on a local cable system or checking out a golf instructional video from the library.
Grab your sticks, and let’s go on a nine-hole tour.
Hole No. 1: Many golfers might not want to admit it, but it gets tiring at the driving range, bending down after each shot and reaching into the bucket for another ball. That’s not a problem at Des Plaines Golf Center (847-803-4653), which is the Midwest’s first tiered driving range with automatic tees.
That means the ball is placed on the tee automatically and all the golfer has to do is address the ball and swing. Tees can also be easily adjusted for height.
The golf center, at 353 N. River Rd., features a three-level outdoor driving range with 80 heated hitting areas. The farthest pin is 265 yards away, and there are three greens to aim for.
Here’s another twist about the facility, which opened in October: Upon arrival, golfers put their money in a machine and receive a charge card for $5, $10, $20, $50 or $100 worth of balls.
“No matter the weather, we just turn on the heaters and start hitting,” said operations manager Mark Caster. “People in the Chicago area love their golf, and now we make it easy to play any time of year.”
Hole No. 2: Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean northwest suburban golf courses need to be taken over by cross-country skiers. Even when the mercury is below freezing and there is snow on the ground, you can still hit the links.
Among the area golf courses open for winter play are Chapel Hill in McHenry (815-385-3337); Chevy Chase in Wheeling (847-537-0082); Salt Creek in Itasca (630-773-0184), which also has a dome for hitting balls; Buffalo Grove Golf Course in Buffalo Grove (847-537-5819); and Rolling Knolls in Elgin (847-888-2888).
“We’ve got some devout wintertime golfers out here,” said Tom Carrico, who works in the pro shop at Rolling Knolls. “These people are the true die-hards. I’ve tried it myself a few times. The secret is to dress warm in layers, use orange or green balls if there’s snow on the ground and keep both eyes on the ball after you swing.
“The people who play a lot in the winter at Rolling Knolls seem to love it. We had a guy last week asking why we don’t have a beer cart out there.”
Hole No. 3: Garages are normally designed for vehicles. At the Crystal Lake Golf Learning Center in Crystal Lake (815-479-9150), garages are the places from which to drive golf balls.
The facility opened seven years ago and features 12 heated “garages,” where golfers can practice by hitting to five greens at varying distances.
“You go into the room, open the garage door, choose a club and start practicing,” said co-owner Jean-Pierre Duplessis. “These days, golfers love to hit balls year-round to keep their swing in groove. Golfing only from April to October just isn’t enough for many people.”
Rates are $9 per half-hour and $17 per hour. The Crystal Lake Golf Learning Center also has indoor practice nets, a putting green and golf simulators.
There’s also a year-round driving range at Crystal Highlands in Lake in the Hills (847-669-0018).
Hole No. 4: Did you ever want to see what your skeletal structure looks like when you swing a golf club? If so, step up to the tee at Driving Obsession in the International Plaza on Golf Road in Arlington Heights (847-718-9030).
Driving Obsession enables you to watch your golf swing on a split screen video, while a biomechanical computer analysis quantifies the results. The analysis charts a golfer’s swing, from takeaway to follow-through, and compares the swing with those of PGA, Senior PGA or LPGA Tour players.
“As people play more and more golf, their desire to improve increases. That’s where we step in,” said Mike Clinton, one of three PGA pros on staff. “Our method is designed to train a player’s muscles to swing the right way. With our video analysis, golfers can see their image and analyze their swing, which makes it much easier to improve. If golfers like Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo need this kind of analysis, then weekend golfers certainly do.”
Hole No. 5: Expect a lot of activity in Crystal Lake on Feb. 8. That’s the date — barring any weather problems — of this year’s Doc Haznow Chili Open, which annually attracts 400 golfers who play a round on the frozen lake. Checking out the decorated sleds golfers use to tote their clubs is part of the fun.
“It’s a fun, low-key event,” said Carla DePellegrin, recreation supervisor for the Crystal Lake Park District. “People get dressed up, decorate their sleds and get out and play one of the two nine-hole courses. And the chili is always good.”
Cost is $18, $24 for non-residents. For more information, call the Crystal Lake Park District at 815-459-0680.
Hole No. 6: For the golfer looking for inspiration, the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame (847-294-1799) is only a Tiger Woods drive and a 7-iron north on River Road from the Des Plaines Golf Center. And yes, several of the hall’s inductees have golf pedigrees. They include Charles “Chick” Evans, 1964 U.S. Open winner Ken Venturi, Harry Pezzulo, Bill Ogden and Joe Jemsek, owner of the Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont.
“The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame is more than basketball, baseball, football and hockey players and boxers,” said Steve Kelly, a museum volunteer. “Golf has a long and storied history in the Chicago area, and the sport is well represented at our museum.”
Hole No. 7: For the last five winters, golfers have been gathering under an air-supported, synthetic bubble at the Poplar Creek Country Club in Hoffman Estates (847-882-2538) to hit balls in 70-degree temperatures, no matter how cold it is outside. The hitting area is 63 yards long, with golfers hitting into nets, and there are 32 mats. There’s also a practice putting green.
“It’s beautiful in here, no matter how nasty it is outside,” said Dick Saxinger, manager of the dome, which is operated by the Hoffman Estates Park District. “We’re open from Nov. 1 to March 31, and we’re especially busy after the first of the year. People get new clubs for Christmas, or they start to get a little antsy, and they come to the bubble to hit a bucket of balls. Golfers really seem to appreciate our facility.”
Weekday rates are $8 per half-hour and $15 per hour. Weekend rates are $10 per half-hour and $18 per hour.
Hole No. 8: Looking for cute little golf balls painted like basketballs? Then stop in at the Michael Jordan Golf Store in Terminal 1 of O’Hare International Airport (773-894-4523).
There are also Jordan golf shirts, Jordan videos, Jordan cologne and lots of other Jordan stuff, along with Wilson golf clubs. And you never know, “Air Jordan” might be there checking out one of his many business ventures.
In Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg, on the upper level, is Golf America (847-517-1710), which sells golf clothes and accessories, along with Callaway clubs.
And while you’re in Schaumburg, check out the new Golfsmith Golf Center at 905 E. Golf Rd. (847-969-0347), which opened Nov. 1. Along with 35,000 square feet of golf clubs, clothes and accessories, the store features two driving nets, a swing analyzer and a nine-hole putting green, complete with waterfall. And if all that golfing and shopping makes you hungry, grab something to eat at the in-store snack bar.
Hole No. 9: Sometimes a positive situation can result from a disaster. That’s true in the case of the White Pines Golf Dome in Bensenville (630-766-0304). The original dome collapsed last spring, leaving local winter golfers in the lurch.
“We decided to rebuild a new dome on the same site, and we think what we have now is the best golf dome in the country,” said Mike Munro, president of White Pines Golf Dome. “Among other things, it’s 25 percent larger than our original dome. So things worked out for the best.”
White Pines Golf Dome is 100 feet tall, 100 yards wide and 100 yards long with an artificial turf surface. It has two decks, with 35 mats on the main level and 15 mats upstairs. Golfers can aim for three target greens. Weekday rates are $9 per half-hour and $16 per hour. Weekend rates are $10 per half-hour and $19 per hour.
