BY: RORY SPEARS SR. WRITER & ASSISTANT EDITOR
It might not be the biggest renovation in the area, or even the most expensive. But the Glenview Park District has stepped up and redone an aging facility and given golfers a golf course that come summer of 2015 they should enjoy.
Hometown native Rick Jacobson along with staff designer Doug Myslinski headed up a team that has given a well needed face-lift to the Glenview Park Golf Course.
THE PAR 4, 4TH HOLE, WITH FRONT OF TEE COVERED.
The Gog Blog toured the courses this past week with course general manager Ron Cassidy, and found a golf course that is greatly improved.
The golf course was never a long course, just in the low 6,000 yard range. But with the changes the big hitters will find a few holes that require an extra club or two on that approach shot, or maybe needing that driver on a few more tee boxes.
Cassidy says,” we have added a few more yards on a some holes. About 150 yards in total to the length of the golf course.”
Tree removal was part of the project as well. Cassidy says they don’t have an exact figure on how many trees came out, the number is in the neighborhood of 250. The tree’s that were taken out, were mostly ones that had to go because of the Ash-Bore disease. Some were removed because they had been damaged in recent storms and were a safety factor, with a few others being taken out to help airflow and sunlight get access to certain area’s of the golf course.
THE PAR 3, 6TH HOLE. A REBUILT GREEN AND LONGER TEE BOX HIGHLIGHT THE IMPROVEMENTS ON THIS HOLE.
Two greens were rebuilt, the first and sixth holes. On the sixth hole a par 3, a bunker that ran long and was short of green has been taken out. There is no need to double penalize a bad tee shot, Cassidy says.
The par 5 seventh hole will be challenging for the golfers, a new kidney shaped pond will front the right side off the tee box. But the golfers will have plenty of room left to avoid it. But a second pond on the left will come into play on the second shot.
While the entire golf course was seeded before the cold temperatures rolled in, two and half holes (14-15- and front part of 16) did not germinate. Those holes will be the last holes ready for play in 2015.
The bigger new tee boxes will be found on holes 1-4-6-17. Some of the other improvements are a bigger two sided practice area. The Red-crushed stone look on some holes, that reduces bounce and damage to the golf balls, that blacktop brings. The sand in the bunker will remain brown, but has been upgraded two-levels from the old sand. Golfers will find a more consistent level of sand, for those few stray shots that find the beach.
THE NEW REBUILT 1ST GREEN IS COVERED FOR THE WINTER.
Golfers will find that some of the green complexes have been tightened up, bunkers are in closer to the greens. But Jacobson gave golfers chances to bump and run shots, into the greens. You won’t have to fly everything into the greens.
One thing that golfers will love is the better drainage, fairways, greens and bunkers will be dryer quicker than is the past, carts will be out on days that wasn’t possible in the past after a storm. The entrance and main parking lot is being redone as well.
Cassidy is hopeful that at least nine holes will be open, if not all 18 in June of 2015. Follow progress here or at golfglenview.com. or call (847)-657-3215.