Where to play, what to play and who can teach you

Cantigny Golf an Experience Worth every Penny

Written on April 23, 2010 by Steve in Golf Courses, Metro West Courses

Cantigny Golf..the “g” is silent

Located in Wheaton about 30 miles west of Downtown Chicago, 27 holes of outstanding golf await those searching for golf nirvana. BTW the “g” in Cantigny is silent…it’s French..CAN-TE-Nee is the correct way to say it. Built in 1988 by Wadsworth Construction Company the Roger Packard designed golf course sits on part of the 500 acre estate of the late Robert R. McCormick, editor and owner of the Chicago Tribune. Voted the best new Public Golf Course in 1989, Cantigny is-World Class- golf provided by a great staff of dedicated professionals.

Cantigny also boasts a separate Youth Links Facility, a short par 3 course for the younger generation, about a 4 par east of the main entrance on the south side of Mack Road. This is another amazing facility and needs it’s own post, so check back later.

Build it and they Will Come

Welcome to Cantigny

The golf course is nestled east of Winfield Road on Mack Road. There is no large billboard sign saying “Awesome Golf this Way”, and many people might think they are going on a road to nowhere. Even the front entrance is somewhat plain and non-descript. The drive is sidelined by Catalpa Trees, neatly standing guard, giving an informal salute to those entering the grounds. The trees actually continue all the way to the front door of the Colonel’s Home approximately a mile away. The Golf Course, Restaurant and Teaching Academy are on the “South” side of the property. The “South” side was developed to pay for the on going maintenance of the “North” side, which includes the Robert R. McCormick Museum (his “crib-worthy” estate house) and the First Division Museum-home of some of our countries greatest military treasures. The “North” side also has campgrounds and formal gardens. The gardens were designed in 1967 by landscape artist Franz Lipp, who divided the gardens into “rooms” framed by one or two specific native plants or shrubs. All of the flowers which cover the entire swath of Cantigny are grown locally at the parks greenhouse. The greenhouse and it’s production facilities promote a nationally recognized educational setting, overseen by Bob Waterman and his staff. Events and programs are available here. The best part is you can enjoy walking the gardens and climbing “tanks” for only $5 per carload…What a great deal! The amazing setting, and rich history makes for an experience unlike anything in the Chicagoland area. And the golf is….well….some of the best “soil” in the midwest.

It’s All about the Experience

I worked at Cantigny for a number of years, and in some ways I’m surely biased. But I always feel the same way every time I amble up the “drive”. For you see, Cantigny is about the experience. The moment you drive up to the Bag Drop, and are greeted by the staff in their knickers, to entering the clubhouse basking in warm wooden earthy tones and seeing a well stocked Pro Shop, you get an experience not unlike a private course or resort. If you are there early for an afternoon time or finished playing, sit down in the spacious Fareways Grill and have a light lunch, the views are free and spectacular. The Cantigny Golf Academy is a modern, premier teaching center. Overseen by Connie DeMattia and his talented staff, the Academy can transform your golf game using state of the art technology, and expert instruction. The grounds have separate putting, chipping and pitching greens, available for serious practice (a whole different post in the future). Nothing about the Cantigny Experience is “over” the top…it’s just right.

Cantigny Pro Shop

Playing Cantigny will set you back either $85 or $90 for regular greens fees. You pay a little more on the Weekends (Friday-Sunday and Holidays). Cart fees are $20 per player and the new Club Car fleet has a built in GPS system, a nice bonus. You have the opportunity to hire a well trained caddie for a base rate of $20 + tip. The caddie program has a special place in my heart, and is a service rarely seen at any public course. The caddies make the experience even more sublime, I mean who wouldn’t like to wander the golf grounds and have someone else carry the load… Plus you are helping keep a tradition alive! Rates for juniors and seniors and 9 holes are available at a discount from the regular rate. Reservations can be made by calling 630.668.8463 to speak with a staff member or online by clicking here.

Are you going to pay for the experience? Yep, but I feel that there is no better facility to spend a remarkable day of golf…and the personal touch, exceptional golf and pleasant scenery surrounding your excursion at Cantigny will be worth every penny….I guarantee it!

The Three Nines

Cantigny has three nine hole courses. Woodside, Lakeside and Hillside. Originally the Woodside and Lakeside nines were considered the 18 hole course, while the Hillside 9 was a stand-alone. What is unique is that Cantigny uses all three nine hole courses to offer 18 hole play during the day. Tee times are from 7 AM – 9 AM Tuesday – Sunday and a later open on Mondays (closed some Mondays for Special Outings). This is due to the triple tee wave. Players have the opportunity to play Woodside-Lakeside, Lakeside-Hillside, and Hillside-Woodside. In essence the 7AM time off of Woodside follows the 9 AM group off of Lakeside. By 12 o’clock all three tees are open for afternoon play. During the afternoon only two combinations of 18 hole play are allowed, while the third course is open for 9 hole play. Cantigny is known for it’s outings, so check ahead to see if times are available (Outings are Tuesday-Thursday) during the afternoon.

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Practice: Golf’s dirty 8 Letter word

Written on April 12, 2010 by Steve in Golf Tips, Uncategorized

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With the end of the Masters, most golfers are gearing up for the golf season. Winter is almost over here in Chicago and the Cubs and pollen have captivated the masses. Spring time is a rebirth, a new beginning and the Cubs are could-be pretenders, I mean contenders. Your golf game has more rust than a 82 Toyota pick up, it’s time to go out and swing the sticks. Limber up the muscles, burn off some excess “layering” and find creative ways to trucker talk. What you should be doing is finding out a way to practice…golf’s dirty 8 letter word.

Where to start

Golf for most of us is rather enjoyable, or constant heartbreak. We either are consumed by the mysteries, or confounded by the demands. Yet in all of us there is a desire to improve…a strange personal challenge, a call to “next year I’m going to….get better!” That is the amazing thing about golf, unless your initials are TW, you need to practice. And these are some guidelines to help.

Do an assessment on your game. Figure out what you do well and what you struggle with. On a scale from 1 to 5 (with 1 being dreadful, and 5 being “all-world” rate the following:)

Driver
Fairway Woods/hybrids
Long Irons 3-4
Middle Irons 5-7
Short Irons 8-PW
Wedges G-S-L
Chipping
Bunker Play
Putting
Course Management

Now add up your total…there’s a possible 50 points out there….Take that number and multiply it by 2 then divide it by 3. That’s your real total. Nothing is inflated more than golf acumen, except fish stories…and I have proof of mine! BTW I scored a 33 adjusted to a 22. Any score above a 30 and your game is rather solid, glad to know you and let’s play sometime. If you scored below a 20 then practice is your savior….it will without a doubt help your game. It also means that you are truthful, which as the saying goes…denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.

Find the Range closest to the putting green

In all my years it never amazed me to watch golfers on the Driving Range. What amazed me was watching people on the putting green or pitching green. Those were the people that understood the importance of practice. Don’t get me wrong, there is place and time for everything. The Driving Range is needed, albeit in smaller doses, for all golfers. The primal urge to pound golf balls is embedded somewhere deep within the Limbic system and can not be reprogrammed. What is needed is a method to improve. So find a driving range with a short walk to the putting and practice greens.

If you’ve followed my posts, you might see a common thread…The game of golf is not won with brute force and strength, yet it is subtle and yielding, kind of like Operation™ (Milton Bradley is not a sponsor and in no way shape or form associated with dlrgolf.com). The person that takes the time to practice their short game, in a nutshell improves the rest of their game. The logic is thus:

Chipping takes pressure off of hitting the ball on the green
Short wedge mastery can save any errant shot
Two putting is a goal that any golfer can obtain
More strokes are taken from inside of 40 yards than any other position!

Getting Dirty means to come Clean

So if you honestly want to improve your game, then lets practice. Hit your bucket of balls, flail away with the driver if it makes you work up a sweat, then take the time to cool down on the putting green. The best way to do this is to allow yourself 1 hour of practice. Twenty minutes of ball striking (most people are machine gunners and 30 balls in 20 minutes will be super easy) followed by 20 minutes of putting and 20 minutes of chipping.

To make practice fun, you need to do two things. Find a partner…a golf buddy and develop a game. The partner should be someone you like, and the game? Try playing a 9 hole putting match, or chipping match. Get the juices flowing by wagering a cold beer, or candy bar. Try to have fun, but also be into the learning aspect. And if you are looking for someone to pal around with, I’m setting up practice “dates” (and yes I’m happily married) for people to just go out and hit a couple balls on the range and then work out the short game. So check back soon and I’ll have times and locations posted. Let’s do this…and come out clean and mean for 2010.

Tags: practice

Drop Strokes Improve your Lag

Written on April 8, 2010 by admin in Golf Tips, Putter Drills, Shot IQ

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Make no mistake, putting is hard. It is even harder when you need to cover vast spans of green to get to the hole. Long distance is more suited for AT&T, not the putting green. But if you work on a few techniques, your improved Lag Putting will lower your scores.

The Art of the Lag

The lag putt is one skill that all golfers need to focus on. The ability to get a putt close enough to the hole is a trait all great putters have. Watch the Masters this week and pay attention to how close the leaders get their long putts. The greens at Augusta will be firm and fast, and lag putting will more than likely determine the winner. When greens are soft, Tour Pros can dial it in on the flag. They are basically shooting darts to the pin, when green conditions firm up, they are left with longer putts (and according to Dave Pelz they make less than 50% of their putts over 6 feet and a little over 10% of putts of 24 feet). The tools you need to improve your lag putting are simple. Judge the speed, and find a target. To judge the speed you need to understand what direction the ball will travel. Is it going uphill or downhill? When will break come into play? To achieve your goal of lag putting, you must decide where you have the greatest chance of success for the…next putt or your target. The idea of a target is another way of removing the thought of the “hole” from your visual context. By putting towards a target, you can focus on making a stroke without the pressure of hole-itus…

What to work on

When you are faced with a long putt what do you think about? Are you trying to make it? Are you fearful of three-putting? Can you even see the hole?

I tend to think of long putts as those over 24′ which is approximately 3 flag lengths. Putts inside of this distance are ones that I feel confident in making some of the time. Putts outside this distance are ones not holed often. Add these techniques to your putting tool box (Shot IQ) and watch your scores plummet!

Walk off the distance of your putt
View the putt from the side, notice the way the ball will behave around the hole
Pick the best spot for your next putt
Find your comfort zone on short putts

Walking off the distance: this will give your mind a specific distance. The more numerical information you can give your “brain” the better. If you guess at the distance, so will your “brain”.

View the putt from the side: by getting a better “lay” of the land, you can visually see how the putt will act upon reaching the hole. Factors like uphill or downhill will move the “target” area of your lag, as will right to left or left to right breaks. It is always better to have an uphill putt, and one that breaks (if any) from right to left for a right handed golfer.

Pick the best spot: this is subjective, and relies on your ability. But the closer you can get to the hole, the more likely you will hole the next putt. If you practice making short putts from 2′ and can achieve a 80% success rate, your target area is within a 2′ circle. If your 80% rate is 3′ then your target area expands. Think of the rings on a dart board. Lagging should be a set of measurable objectives that are attainable.

Find your short putt comfort zone: The key is finding what distance you can make a high percentage of putts from. These are the “no-brainers” the putts you have super confidence making. Find your distance by starting out at 2′ from the hole and putt 10 balls. If you can make more than 8 of 10, move back to 3′ and putt again. Find out where your ability falls below 60%. This is the outer edge of your comfort zone. To be a better lag putter, zero in on placing your first putts inside this comfort zone, and adjust your target accordingly.

Lag putting is a non-glamorous skill, but if you take some time and work on getting these types of putts closer, you will find that you have less three putts. And that means your handicap will surely lower!

Tags: Lag Putting, putting drills, Shot IQ