| by: Jason Ferguson - 7/5/2005 5:58:21 PM |
| These are trying times for area golf courses. The saturation of upscale golf courses in the area has caused many courses to look for new ways to get golfers out to their course. Call it, setting yourself apart from the rest.
At Cantigny Golf, they set themselves apart from the rest.
From the moment you enter the facility you will be treated to a special experience and will appreciate a level of service unique to public golf.
Cantigny is a country club experience for the daily fee golfer. As you enter the iron gates and stone walls you realize this immediately.
Driving up the seemingly endless boulevard with trees lining both sides makes you feel special.
This magnificent 27-hole facility opened to the public in the spring of 1989. Soon after opening, Cantigny was selected “Best New Public Course in America” by Golf Digest and has remained one of the best public golf courses in the country.
The facility is owned and operated by the Cantigny Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. The facility, located in Wheaton, resides on the estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune.
The design genius behind this gem was Roger Packard, son of long-time architect Lawrence E. Packard.
The course has three distinct nine-hole layouts that are named Woodside, Lakeside, and Hillside.
There are over 70 bunkers and a dozen lakes to keep you alert.
I feel that any golfer can have a great time at this course without even taking a club out. This course is more beautiful than most parks I have seen and at times I forgot that I was there to play golf.
As the holes progress away from the clubhouse they take on a more countrified appearance with less defined boundaries, tall fescue grasses, and wooded areas left in their natural states. For these efforts Cantigny received the Audubon Society Environmental Steward Award.
As the incoming Lakeside nine heads toward the clubhouse, the holes again assume a more formal appearance.
Cantigny is not a course to be taken lightly. Raw distance off the tee will not necessarily lead to a low score or an easy approach shot. This is not an overly long course, but it has trees, lots of them, and they will catch or block an errant tee shot. On many of the holes there is little chance of cutting doglegs due to the tall trees and water.
A well-placed iron or fairway wood from the tee will more than likely be the key to good scoring and make your round more enjoyable. Packard wanted this to be a “thinkers” course…and it definitely is.
Other amenities include an award winning golf shop, a complete practice and learning facility with PGA golf professionals, a Youth Links course designed to introduce juniors to the game, and a full service restaurant and lounge for after your round.
And for the future, Cantigny will host the 2006 Western Junior and the 2007 USGA Public Links Championship.
Over the years the 2006 Western Junior has been a springboard for many great professional careers, including Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples.
In 2004, Golf Digest gave Cantigny 4 ˝ stars out of 5 for Best Places You Can Play.
Cantigny Youth Links
Just a few hundred yards from the main entrance to Cantigny Golf resides the Cantigny Youth Links. Here your children have all they need to learn the game and advance their skills.
This course is truly designed with kids in mind.
A separate and fully staffed clubhouse and a nine-hole golf course establish this program as a leading force in junior golf education. Holes on this course range from 70 to 170 yards long. The clubhouse has a youthful look with appropriate sized apparel and clubs, and “kid conscious” concessions such as nachos, popcorn, and hot dogs. The Youth Links is surrounded by tall fences and has a marshal on the course at all times to make sure kids are safe and taking care of the course.
All the young golfers must go through a certification process, learning rules, safety and etiquette before being allowed to play on their own. Every year the program has increased with over 1,000 children participating annually and over 14,000 rounds played on the Youth Links Course.
Located in Wheaton, Cantigny is a one of a kind facility that I loved and I think you will also.
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