south chicago course to play from out of town

[ehohiogrown]

i'm coming from ohio out to southern chicago, don't remember the name of the city but the zip is 60468. i was wondering if there was anyone that knows a good course or two to hit up while i'm out there. i saw there are 3 courses at lemon lake or soemthing like that. a blue, red, silver course. i'd like to play either the most scenic or challenging. any kind of input would be appreciated. thanks ^^

[Chuck Kennedy]

Lemon Lake is a great complex and they're considering a bid for the 2010 Pro Worlds so several improvements are underway. Courses are progressively tougher going from Red - Blue - Silver. The Silver course is a Championship challenge but is still new and much rougher than the other two which have been there for a while.

Other good options near that zip code would be Mokena, West Park in Joliet and Matt Lovasko in Hammond. Read the descriptions to decide what type of courses you like. West is an old school, fun course that's hillier than Matt Lovasko and Mokena.

[discndav]

Is Lemon Lake 3 separate courses or one course with 3 different tees? I'm driving past that area this Monday or Tuesday and can't access pdga.com
from work. Thanks in advance.

[Chuck Kennedy]

Three separate courses. It'sa little tougher to find the start of the new Silver course. It starts just beyond the left side of the tee for Blue hole 12.

[roman]

If you still have time after Lemon Lake also check out Mokena. Don't know how long you're staying for.

[ehohiogrown]

probably only long enough for 1 or maybe 2 rounds if i can convince the people that are coming with me. we are just getting there saturday around 11a.m. and leaving sunday probably around noon. thanks for the input. i'm pretty pumped. i've never played but one out of state course and that was in s.f. are these like most other courses just walk on. or are these pay-to-play i just ask because these seem a lot more organized than most the courses around here.

[Chuck Kennedy]

There's a county park fee per carload at Lemon Lake on some days. Not sure if $3 or $5. The tees for Red 1 and Blue 1 are on opposite sides of the same parking lot. Mokena is free.

[Working Stiff]

Mokena is free.

Mokena IS free...and Lemon Lake is worth every penny you pay to park your car.

[ehohiogrown]

i have no problem to play any course as long as it's kept halfway decent. that's the way the OSU course is, pay to park. another one nearby is $1.50/rnd or 3 all day. either way, being a ball golfer too, i have no problem paying 3-5 a round anytime. i'll probably try to hit up 2 of the courses at lemon lake just since i'll be there it'll be easier to convince those with me to play 2 at once. thanks for the help guys.

[discndav]

I stopped by Mokena, IL this past Tuesday. It isn't far from interstates I-57 and I-80 south of Chicago. This is the best course of the 7 courses that I have played in the Chicago area. 27 holes total, 24 of them were good. I didn't like 19-21 which were short and crammed into a dense woods unlike the other holes. Then you had to walk past 17 & 18 to get to 22.

This Mokena complex is great, I got a map inside which made it easier to follow. Inside restrooms too.They had a few bricks in the ground near some of the baskets pointing you in the proper direction for the next hole. A few more would help. Most holes had 3 tees with rubber pads. The course had mostly large mature oak trees to shoot around with some low ceilings to contend with. The length of the holes weren't terribly long or short. It was rather muddy due to the recent rain in the Midwest, I'd suggest waterproof shoes, until it dries out later, if it ever does(?).

Next time when I'm in the area, I'd play here and Cedar Lake, IN which isn't that far away.

Later in the day, I played in Buffalo Grove (9) and Palantine (9) both north of OHare. Buffalo Grove was very beginner friendly after hole 1 of 390 ft. It was also very crowded and windy. Palantine is more a challenge with lot of elevation and very narrow cut fairways around a reservior. It would be easy to loose a disc in the tall grass. It was windy as usual too. Don't go out of your way for these two.