Chicago Burbs- NW Indiana - Where to play?

sabram · July 11, 2018

I'll be in Chicago for business and need to find a course to play in Indiana within about an hour from Chicago.

A few that are under consideration are:

Palmira in St John IN

The Brassie in Chesterton IN

Aberdeen in Valparaiso IN

River Pointe.in Hobart IN

South Shore in Cedar Lake IN

I'd appreciate any of you who have played them to provide reviews and/or other suggestions in that area.

The Warren Course at ND and the two Pete Dye courses at Purdue look nice but are farther than I'd prefer to drive. Are they worth the extra drive instead of playing the above listed courses?

tthomas32 · July 12, 2018

Aberdeen a good track. Brassie nice too. I played Heritage Bluffs in Channahon Il a couple of days ago and was really impressed with the layout and conditions.

DavePelz4 · July 12, 2018

Are Illinois courses out of the question?

sabram · July 12, 2018

Are Illinois courses out of the question?

Yup. I've played a bunch of courses in IL near Chicago, but never in Indiana, which will be my 47th state

Aberdeen a good track. Brassie nice too. I played Heritage Bluffs in Channahon Il a couple of days ago and was really impressed with the layout and conditions.

Thanks

Hybrid · July 13, 2018

Palmra, I think is the best choice on your list. 14, 16, 17 & 18 can ruin your day, tho. Do some scouting on 14. Take the cart and verify the landing areas. Palmira is very hilly.

VNutz · July 13, 2018

I like Palmira as I used to play it in high school matches, but if you choose to play there don't expect to be overwhelmed by what you see when you roll in, assuming they haven't redone the clubhouse in the past 10 years. I haven't played any of the others but it was an old school course that got some renovations about 15+ years ago.

sabram · July 13, 2018

Thanks guys

TheBear95 · July 13, 2018

Of the courses listed, Aberdeen has the best layout and setting. It's been a few years since I played there, my only complaint was that the bunkers were trashed. But, none of courses listed are impeccably maintained.

ldchristopher · July 14, 2018

White Hawk Country Club is another option. It’s a 36 hole facility in Crown Point. It’s broken up into 4 nines and I’d recommend avoiding any combo with Redhawk. It’s really uninspiring. Silverhawk, Greyhawk and Blackhawk are all pretty good. The facility itself is a modern monstrosity though.

sabram · July 14, 2018

White Hawk Country Club is another option. It's a 36 hole facility in Crown Point. It's broken up into 4 nines and I'd recommend avoiding any combo with Redhawk. It's really uninspiring. Silverhawk, Greyhawk and Blackhawk are all pretty good. The facility itself is a modern monstrosity though.

Do you get to choose which 9's you play or are there certain routings in use at certain times?

sabram · July 14, 2018

Are any of you familiar with Briar Ridge Country Club in Scherville? I have access there.

ldchristopher · July 15, 2018

White Hawk Country Club is another option. It's a 36 hole facility in Crown Point. It's broken up into 4 nines and I'd recommend avoiding any combo with Redhawk. It's really uninspiring. Silverhawk, Greyhawk and Blackhawk are all pretty good. The facility itself is a modern monstrosity though.

Do you get to choose which 9's you play or are there certain routings in use at certain times?

I think they give you different options. As I recall, the Red and Silver and the Grey and Black are often the pairs. If you're looking for a truly unique golfing experience that's close to Chicago, Lost Marsh in Hammond, IN is...uh...er...hmm...something. It's a prairie/woodlands course surrounded by an industrial wasteland. The entire first hole is a peninsula and it sets the tone for the rest of the round. The clubhouse looks like a military fortress, there's a zig-zag-zig (not a typo) par 5 on the back, the fourth hole is a par 5 with two forced layups, huge oil drums line the 15th hole with methane torches in the background, etc.

Hybrid · July 16, 2018

White Hawk Country Club is another option. It's a 36 hole facility in Crown Point. It's broken up into 4 nines and I'd recommend avoiding any combo with Redhawk. It's really uninspiring. Silverhawk, Greyhawk and Blackhawk are all pretty good. The facility itself is a modern monstrosity though.

Do you get to choose which 9's you play or are there certain routings in use at certain times?
I think they give you different options. As I recall, the Red and Silver and the Grey and Black are often the pairs. If you're looking for a truly unique golfing experience that's close to Chicago, Lost Marsh in Hammond, IN is...uh...er...hmm...something. It's a prairie/woodlands course surrounded by an industrial wasteland. The entire first hole is a peninsula and it sets the tone for the rest of the round. The clubhouse looks like a military fortress, there's a zig-zag-zig (not a typo) par 5 on the back, the fourth hole is a par 5 with two faced layups, huge oil drums line the 15th hole with methane torches in the background, etc.

Wow! I totally forgot about Lost Marsh. Very interesting course with very interesting surroundings. Take a few extra golf balls.

Bob Cat · July 16, 2018

I played Sandy Pines a few years ago and really enjoyed the course. Nice 19th hole, too.

Not sure what condition it's in today.

I'd scratch South Shore CC - played it many times in a scramble. Not in great shape and dull.

sabram · July 16, 2018

If you're looking for a truly unique golfing experience that's close to Chicago, Lost Marsh in Hammond, IN is...uh...er...hmm...something. It's a prairie/woodlands course surrounded by an industrial wasteland. The entire first hole is a peninsula and it sets the tone for the rest of the round. The clubhouse looks like a military fortress, there's a zig-zag-zig (not a typo) par 5 on the back, the fourth hole is a par 5 with two forced layups, huge oil drums line the 15th hole with methane torches in the background, etc.

I had looked at Lost March, but it seems like a lot of tight fairways with lots of water hazards, which is not my cup of tea. Palmira, Aberdeen, White Hawk or Brassie seem more to my taste from what I can find on line.

ldchristopher · July 16, 2018

If you're looking for a truly unique golfing experience that's close to Chicago, Lost Marsh in Hammond, IN is...uh...er...hmm...something. It's a prairie/woodlands course surrounded by an industrial wasteland. The entire first hole is a peninsula and it sets the tone for the rest of the round. The clubhouse looks like a military fortress, there's a zig-zag-zig (not a typo) par 5 on the back, the fourth hole is a par 5 with two forced layups, huge oil drums line the 15th hole with methane torches in the background, etc.

I had looked at Lost March, but it seems like a lot of tight fairways with lots of water hazards, which is not my cup of tea. Palmira, Aberdeen, White Hawk or Brassie seem more to my taste from what I can find on line.

I played Palmira a couple of weeks ago. I love the layout and try to play it a couple of times per year, but they don't have any coolers on the course so drinking water is whatever you bring. Same with The Brassie, which is a wide open prairie course where golfers bake in the middle of summer. Both have drink cart people but you're at the mercy of their availability. I'd probably go with either Aberdeen or White Hawk. Aberdeen has a great design and when the maintenance is good, it's tough to find a better option nearby. White Hawk is solid but not spectacular.

SpeedKills7 · July 17, 2018

Ended up stumbling upon this thread Saturday when we took a detour of our original plans due to storms hitting the area. Played Palmira in the morning which was a pretty cool course. Nothing to draw the eye when you pull up but course was in decent shape.

Played white hawk in the afternoon and had a good time out there. Didn’t see anyone the entire round and played in around 3 hours. Would definitely play again.