THE SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB at 401 North Roselle Road is open for golf year round, as the simulators are open from 9 Am to 8 Pm. Through Monday Dec. 30th there is a 40% off all-apparel sale. Call the pro shop for simulator times at (847)-885-9000. _____________________________________________________________________
THE GOG BLOG-by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, and LinkedIn or Facebook. In the grill at Pine Meadow the day after Christmas, December 26th. Photo by Dennis Johnsen-IPGA.
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE was not frightening, it made the day great and exciting, the sun was outside and shining. The wind didn’t blow, didn’t blow and there is no snow.
As a result here on December 26th, 2019, in the final days of the decade, the golf courses in the Chicago area that were open, were crowded. With foursome after foursome teeing off and tee sheets were full of foursomes.
The golfers started arriving early, and they played until late in the day. In fact as the sun set at Pine Meadow in Mundelein, golfers just started appearing out of the openings in the bushes like zombies appearing at night in a horror film, as they walked in from whatever hole they were on. If you finished on the par 4, 9th hole like two golfers did, you timed out your round perfectly.
In fact as two golfers walked off the ninth green, all they could barely see on the par 4, 18th hole, was golfers and golf carts coming up the final fairway of 2019. As the players hoped for a final par or birdie. One golfer tee’d off on the first hole with just enough time to putt out on the first green, walk over to the ninth tee box and play in. I guess two holes on December 26th is better than none. Maybe he had new clubs that he had to hit.
The par 4, 9th hole at Pine Meadow in Mundelein, became the final outdoor hole for Golfers on Golf as the sun set on our outdoor golf season, for the decade and for 2019.
Arriving at Pine Meadow Golf Club at 1:40 PM on the day after Christmas, all GM-Head Professional Dennis Johnsen could say, is that the tee sheet was full until 3 pm. Sunset was about 4:50 pm.
At 3:20 the tee was empty and off went a golfer, with a bag over his shoulder, as the golf carts were sold out and , none were left. Soon there was a two-some behind him. Dad and his junior golfer, but they seems to be having fun, even if it would only be for another hour, and maybe just six holes.
The walk was solid as the sun on the horizon shined a bright bluish-pinkish glare. It wasn’t cold and the wind was non-existent. It was pick your own place to hit from day, with no tee markers on the tee boxes.
The par 3, 12th hole at Pine Meadow Golf Club
It’s not clear how many more days of outside golf are left.
All of that will depend on when the temperatures really dip, or when the snow falls, or how cold golfers still want to play outside, until they head into the golf domes, or partially sheltered ranges with heaters blowing down on them.
But one thing that was clear on the day after Christmas, and that good weather for an outdoor golf season was alive for another day. Many golfers took advantage of it one more time in 2019, and maybe one last time for the decade.
But then the Eskimo Open at Cog Hill is only 10 days away. What a way to bring in the new decade. Outdoor golf on January 5th of 2020, in the middle of a not so harsh Chicago winter. At least so far anyway.
Pine Meadow will be open this coming Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th. Tee times on Saturday start at 11 am, and at 9 am on Sunday. (847)-566-GOLF.