| by: Mike Breen and Paul Woo - 8/14/2002 12:03:39 PM |
As indicated by the as-yet-to-be-completed clubhouse that greets arriving golfers, the Bolingbrook Golf Club is a work in progress. The course is headed squarely in the right direction, though, offering an interesting layout, numerous amenities, and a pleasant staff.
The Arthur Hills-designed links-style course is sneaky tough, putting a premium on course management. It offers five sets of tees, stretching to 7,104 yards from the tips. The par 72 course has a rating/slope of 73.7/130. Hazards are well placed but fair, and the course offers risk/reward choices on most holes. The par five 12th hole, for example, is a dogleg right that tempts big-hitters with a 225-yard forced-carry off the tee over a pond. Successful risk-takers cut the corner, stay dry, and go for the green in two. Conservative players place their tee shot in the left side of fairway, get on the carpet in three, and hope for a birdie putt. Water comes into play on 12 of the final 13 holes, typically hugging the fairway in the direction of the dogleg. Players can easily avoid water off the tee, but they leave themselves with longer approach shots than those who successfully challenge the water. The signature hole is the 15th, a short par three to a true island green. The 18th is a challenging finishing hole: A long par 4 with water running the entire length of the hole up the right side.
Typical of a new course, conditions are mostly great, but patchy in spots. The tee boxes are pristine and the greens are excellent, but the rough is still growing in and isolated fairway spots are under repair. Conditions are reminiscent of Harborside International’s during its first year—a compliment.
Conditions should only get better as the course matures. The surrounding cornfields, prairie, and subdivisions do nothing to slow the wind, which, when blowing, is a big factor. We
played the course after a two-inch rain and in a 25 mile per hour breeze, forcing us to club down two clubs on many shots. The long par fours were tough to reach in regulation with the soft conditions and constant gale, and club selection was a challenge on the par threes.
Owned by the town of Bolingbrook and managed by Kemper Golf, Bolingbrook Golf Club doesn’t skimp on amenities or service. It boasts a golf academy and a soon-to-be-completed 76,0000-square foot clubhouse. Greens fees include complimentary range balls and GPS-equipped carts. The well-conditioned practice green is conveniently adjacent to the first tee box. The snack shop at the turn is located just far enough from the elevated 10th tee so that boisterous golfers don’t disturb the group in front of them, yet close enough that groups can see when they are next up. Two nice touches: Garbage cans are unobtrusively nestled underground at the tee boxes and heated/air conditioned washrooms are available at several locations. The staff is knowledgeable and courteous.
Bolingbrook Golf Club is a premium course that should appeal to golfers seeking a challenging round with full amenities. It will only improve with age.
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