Number 10: Chicago Golf Club

Ceiling: 93.5

Rating: 91

Trend over Time: 7.5

There’s a perhaps intentional, perhaps subconscious significance to a course being placed in the top 10. I’ll say that I very clearly knew which course I wanted at 10 and which I wanted at 11. Chicago Golf Club is one of the 5 founding clubs of the USGA and like National Golf Links is a highly sought-after and revered CB MacDonald gem. Some of the country’s absolute best, and most original, template holes can be found at Chicago Golf Club. When people talk about “straight lines” and “geometric shapes” on golf courses, they might just be talking about Chicago. A small club of not even 200, Chicago is one of the hardest places to get on in the States. That said, if the opportunity ever arises, drop everything and move mountains to make it happen, because as I’m about to attempt to describe, it’s worth it.

Culture:

I find for many of the top courses in the country, there is this reputation of them being “stuck up” and not enjoyable places to play. In my experience, that is simply a product of people not getting the chance to see them and is not an actual observation but rather a product of their exclusivity. I had a great host, but the time I played Chicago I found it to be down to earth and a wonderful place to play. No one asking you who you’re with or what you’re up to. You can serve your own drinks in the men’s locker room. You can carry your own bag if you please. Maybe I’m crazy, but I thought it was an inviting place to play. The golf culture is one of deep tradition and reverence to its history. They have one of the country’s best relics of golf course architecture and you feel it while you play the course. In a good way.

Competition:

All prior to 1912, CGC hosted 3 US Opens and 4 US Amateurs. More recently, they have hosted the 2005 Walker Cup and 2018 US Senior Women’s Open. Most significantly, the club has the 2033 US Women’s Open and 2036 Walker Cup on the schedule. Consider the US Senior Women’s Open vs. US Women’s Open vs. Walker Cup. This shows what CGC has in the competition bucket: range. While it isn’t long enough for a US Open anymore, they can get it plenty firm to hold back Walker Cuppers yet it is still enjoyable for senior women. Not too many courses can strike that balance. Through intriguing architecture and challenge on the greens, the meter that becomes the control variable for the level of competition taking it on is firmness. At a 7/10, most good players can handle it. Push it towards a 9 or 10 and even the best amateurs in the world are going to experience its subtle challenge at every turn.

Architecture:

I intentionally left plenty of space here. The first thing I love about the history of CGC’s architecture is that they have not allowed every “architect of the moment” to play with it. Even many of the best courses have allowed way too many people the chance to play with them and have turned some of our best courses into screwed up muts. Chicago has always had so much respect for CB MacDonald and the work of Seth Raynor 20 years after that the only other significant consultation on record is Tom Doak in recent years. There has never been a “let’s make this in line with the current trends” but rather “let’s allow this course to continue to be great based on what originally made it great.” As I always discuss, truly great golf MUST be the product of a marriage between design and conditioning, and although CGC may not be a top 10 piece of land, the design is so special and the course has the ability to play firm and fast such that the template holes are nothing other than a total treat to play. One of my favorite shots I have hit in my life was on the 3rd (Biarritz) at Chicago. I recall it being 250ish to the hole, but given the conditions, the shot called for a 215 or so carry to run the ball through the iconic Biarritz gully and onto the green. I lied on not remembering, I hit it to 12 feet and birdied, but that’s beside the point. Conditioning that allows for that sort of shot is what makes Chicago a top 10 course in my book.