The Driving Range Heroes got a chance to visit the venerable Chicago Golf Club, the host of the inaugural US Senior Women’s Open.  With it happening in the Windy City, it became a can’t miss opportunity.

Here are their thoughts:

Hey guys, you’re about to walk in to Chicago Golf Club for the US Senior Women’s Open, one of the most important, interesting, mysterious places in the game.  What did you imagine it to be like?

JON:  Hard to say for me.  I’ve been reading up on it, trying to find pics and info online.  (Which they seem to try to keep pretty limited… there’s not even a website.)  Just a super private place.  We know it’s called one of the best courses on the planet, but it’s also kind of interesting that even though it’s right in our backyard (for us Chicago folks), you probably won’t ever get a chance to see it.  For me, that built the anticipation up quite a bit.  Bill’s a Chicago kid, I’ve been jealous of him for years – he’s played it.

BILL:  I’ve been fortunate enough now to be on the grounds of the legendary Chicago Golf Club twice (well three times, but that’s a different story – nothing shady, don’t worry).  The first time was two and a half years ago when I was invited to play a round with a member and a friend.  After hearing about the greatness of this course/club for so many years (literally my whole life, growing up one town over and being told I’d likely never set foot on that ‘field’ beyond the treeline), I expected something shiny and untouchable, like Augusta.  Like Jon, I’ve Googled pictures and write ups for years, and could only partially imagine what I was in store for.

When I arrived for the US Senior Women’s Open, I expected to feel more familiar and thought I knew what to anticipate.  In some ways, I did, but the truth is I still had the same feeling of “I just wonder what this place will be like?”

TOMMY: To be honest, I didn’t even know the US Senior Women’s Open was going to be happening at Chicago Golf Club until less than a week prior.  As soon as I heard, I knew I had to jump at the opportunity.  It’s not every day you get to visit a place as special as Chicago Golf Club.  The history, the exclusivity, the perfection.  It’s almost like it’s a place of legend that you don’t even think actually exists.  To say I was excited would be an understatement.  I knew if I didn’t go, I very well may never be able to step foot on the grounds in my lifetime.  I really didn’t have expectations or know what to expect.  I didn’t even look at a course map or flyover pics.  I wanted to go in blind and see it for myself for the first time in person.  It didn’t disappoint.

OK – first impressions?

JON:  Chicago Golf Club is perfection.  Without comparison.  I’ve been lucky enough to see some great courses in the world (humblebrag), but seeing this place up close kind of leaves you speechless.  You get dropped off in the parking lot, step through the gates, and you’re… right there.  It’s wide open in front of you.  It almost felt like I was a guest.  I mean, it wasn’t jam packed like a PGA event.  You could walk pretty much wherever you wanted.  Something that stood out was the subtle color contrast. The crispy green/brown of the fairways complimented by the golden fescue areas prove to be an uncommonly beautiful sight.  

I walked right up to the first tee box, and followed a group of players around for about eight holes.  Like literally 20 feet away. You could pretty much go anywhere except the greens.  That made it incredibly special, because you sure can’t do that with Tiger!

BILL:  The truth is, no pictures or videos I’ve ever seen have done Chicago Golf Club justice.  The first time I arrived there, I pulled into an unassuming parking lot and walked across the threshold of the entrance into a utopia.  It’s immediately as if you stepped back a hundred years to one of the most perfect pieces of golf land you’ve ever seen.  The way I always explain Chicago Golf Club is that it’s like a “living antique.”  

The property appears fairly simple, but don’t judge this book by its cover.  The very first hole reveals that this course will be perfectly executed with premiere architecture to challenge the golfer and not a bunch of obnoxious misplaced flashy tricks and obstacles to stump you.  Each hole shows there is more change in the land with slopes, drops, rises galore. The course is textbook design with all sorts of quiet subtle features you have to look closely to notice and significant tough implementations that create a real challenge.

Having been before, I anticipated a different experience for this tournament now that I’ve seen it before, but it was just the same as the first time.  I was immediately overwhelmed by the perfection of the course and how amazing the design is.  I was just as awestruck as I was the first time I walked on the property – even with all of the people and tents there.  With all of that “hoopla,” the club still maintained its mystique.

TOMMY: Like I said, I previously couldn’t tell you a thing about what any of the holes looked like at Chicago Golf Club.  I didn’t want to.  It’s the mysteriousness about that place that makes it so intriguing to me.  Sure, Bill had told stories of his experience there a few years ago, but I always told myself I didn’t want to even look at pictures of the place, I just wanted to experience it for real.

As soon as I stepped foot onto the course, I knew it was special.  It just had this air about it, and I knew I was somewhere special.  The grown fescue, the perfectly manicured fairways, the square greens, and the views…it almost takes your breath away.  

Even the clubhouse just has this aura about it.  I mean you couldn’t go inside, but from the outside looking in, it was just amazing.  To know how much history was inside those walls, but not being able to enter, still kept that mysterious element in tact.

The best part was the access to the course itself.  The fact that we were literally walking the fairways not more than five feet from the ladies playing the event was just amazing.  You just don’t get that at a normal PGA or LPGA event, and the fact that we got to do that at Chicago Golf Club?  Incredible.

JON:  I’ll add to that (and check some of our pics).  The precision of the conditioning has to be seen to believe.  Just absolutely perfectly maintained fairways, collars, greens.  This is NOT your local public track.  And I bet what the ladies saw this weekend is EXACTLY like what it looks like on any given Wednesday…

BILL: The best part was that you could see it all up close.  If you were walking outside the ropes, there’s so much fine detail and interesting touches you’d completely miss.  I think specifically of the speed bump we saw behind one of the fairway bunkers, or the sneaky height of some of the swells in the fairways.

TOMMY: Yeah, the fact that you could actually get that close and see the detail made it the next best thing to actually playing.  I was blown away at how much access the patrons had.

How about those players?  You got to see some legendary ladies tee it up in USGA competition for the first time in a Senior Open.

JON: Oh, they’re still damn good!  The course was set up pretty tough (pin locations, wow!), but these ladies barely missed a shot.  I might have seen two or three shots get into the rough (it’s a wide, forgiving course to begin with, but they all pretty much kept it in perfect position).  Outside of Laura Davies, none really had any kind of power game – it was all 220 yard drives, right down the middle.  Many have said it before, but the regular weekend chopper would do well by trying to copy the rhythm of the best in the women’s game and yeah, that’s very true!

BILL: I won’t sit and try to convince anyone that it’s a remotely even playing field or that it’s the most exciting and flashy golf to watch, but I said it was the most fun I’ve had watching people play golf in a long time.  As Jon said, yes, most of the field hit pretty weak woods, but you weren’t seeing fat and thinned shots all over the place. All of these players clearly knew how to strategically navigate a course and keep their ball in play.

Here’s what I appreciated the most… The purse for this tournament was $1,000,000.  This isn’t exactly nothing, but is by no means a giant purse across the field, especially for the players that knew they weren’t going to compete against the likes of Laura Davies and Juli Inkster.  These players were here out of honor, joy, and the love of golf and its history. This was a historical moment in golf, especially in women’s golf, and all of these players were excited to be a part of it.  I followed a group on Saturday that was collectively sniffing +40 on the tournament and they were all smiles the whole time.  Just loving every minute of getting to be a part of it.  This was an absolute joy to watch and gave me a new appreciation for the game.

TOMMY:  I won’t lie, having not started following golf until college, some of these ladies were making names for themselves well before I got into the game.  But we were out there walking next to some of the legends of women’s golf.  The fact that we could walk next to a former US Women’s Open Champion in Jane Geddes with maybe 7 other people was amazing.  We helped Kay Cockerill look for her ball in the fescue at one point.  I mean, you can’t do that anywhere else.

I will say the legend herself, Laura Davies was definitely awesome to watch.  To see her pipe a drive on 18, 40 yards ahead of Julie Inkster, then stuff an iron in close at her age?  Just awesome.  It’s definitely humbling seeing these ladies hit the ball the way that they do.  Heck, even someone in their 30s like us, playing from the same tees, these ladies would destroy us…and I have ZERO shame admitting that.

JON:  Not sure if you guys saw it, and I didn’t notice until I was watching the coverage, but Laura Davies was not using a tee for drivers.  She’d stick a wedge into the tee box, build up a little tuft of grass, then tee right on top.  How old school cool is that?!

BILL: I didn’t see her hit any tee shots in person, but saw them talking a out it on TV after the first two days.  The story goes it supposedly takes spin off and was giving her more roll out on the fast fairways.  Who knows, still cool as hell.  What a legend.

TOMMY:  I see a tee-less driving test coming in our near future…

How was this event compared to other tournaments you’ve attended?

JON: Wow.  First off, this one’s a once-in-a-lifetime event.  Historic as the inaugural tournament for the senior ladies, and also being inside Chicago Golf Club.  Wow.  It’s great to see the Ryder Cups and the regular Tour stops, but to get this close, to get this much access, I’ll remember it for a long time.

BILL: I share a lot of the same sentiments as Jon.  What a fantastic moment in golf history.  Like so many things in the world, people are going to look back and wonder why it took until 2018 for this tournament to happen.  I’m glad I’ll be able to say I was at the first one and got to walk the hallowed grounds of the elusive Chicago Golf Club.  I got to walk right alongside (literally) Major Champions, see some of the classic names of the game that paved the way for the modern era of women’s golf.

I also really enjoyed the fans in attendance.  There was no obnoxious yelling, no overserving, etc.  What I saw were a bunch of passionate fans excited to see every player in the field hit good great shots.  They enthusiastically cheered, encouraged all of the players, and were clearly excited to be there and part of the story…and the players clearly genuinely appreciated it.  I loved it.

TOMMY:  Couldn’t agree more.  Being at the inaugural event at THE Chicago Golf Club is something you don’t get to do everyday.  And to Bill’s point, it’s a shame it took so long, but I’m glad I was there for the first.  I mean you don’t get to have this kind of experience with Major winners.  And the fact that we were up so close, with that kind of access, to witness it?  Incredible.

JON:  Totally.  When you look at old pics of Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, or Ben Hogan, and you start to see the gallery gather all around the green as they’re about to hit the winning putt, that’s literally this.  That’s what happened this week and it’s like a time machine.  Pretty special.

BILL: I feel like the last time I saw that, aside from the Open Championships, was at the Western Open at Cog Hill with Tiger walking up 18. Pretty sweet to see it again.

TOM: It’s literally a perfect experience.  It’s what a golf event should be.  Everyone was friendly, nobody was obnoxious, and everyone seemed to be appreciative of what was unfolding before them.  10/10 times I’d do it again.  I think it’s a great step for women’s golf, and is definitely something that can help grow the game on the ladies side.  If you get the chance to go to one of the events in the future, I wouldn’t miss it.

Now that you’ve seen it, what would you give up for a (or another) round out there?

JON:  This would be after we get to play, right?  I’d probably give up a finger or maybe three.  Or a combination of fingers and toes, whatever.  I really hope to get a chance to play it someday.  Even after spending a whole day there, it’s just so amazing.

TOMMY: Fingers, toes, a kidney?  Sure, take one.  As long as I can keep playing the game after, I’d do it.  It’s up at the top of the list of places you’d want to play.  I hope one day I’m as lucky as Bill and find a way to somehow get out there.  It’s somewhere I have to get back to.

BILL: Oh man…that’s a tough question to answer.  I think it’s almost limitless.  There are a lot of courses that are high up on my list as far as “I’d kill to get out there” like Augusta, Pine Valley, Pebble, and St. Andrews, but there’s just something about Chicago Golf Club that I have a soft spot for.  Not take anything away from those other courses – they are deserved legends – but being local and so in love with Chicago Golf Club, I’d do almost anything.  It’s not about the score for me there, it’s about the emotional connection and the lifelong memory and experience.  I’d strive to preserve that.

Lasting thoughts of the day?

JON:  Even though the crowds were small, there was a ton of enthusiasm.  I’m very glad that the Chicago Golf Club members decided to host, it was a perfect weekend at a perfect place.  Some of us really broke the bank to buy some sweet Chicago Golf Club gear too (ask us what we brought home!), so now we can go shoot our 90+’s and look great doing it!

Another thing that really hit me – as we were taking the shuttle back to the parking area, you pass a strip mall, a Target, a parking lot.  Basically, its flat. Nothing there. That’s literally the land another Chicago Golf Club could have been built on.  Goes to show you the absolute genius of MacDonald and Raynor to create and engineer something so timeless on the perfect land.

TOMMY:  Everything about the day was perfect.  The golf course, the size of the crowds, the demeanor of the crowds, and the experience itself.  It’s something you don’t forget.

To echo Bill, it’s definitely something that will have me following the ladies out there more than I do today.  The course itself was unbelievable, and TV doesn’t do it justice.  To see the contours of the fairways, and especially the greens, up close makes it that much more memorable.  I wouldn’t have changed anything about the day, except of course, if I got to play or caddy at the course.

BILL: While most courses of its age have signs of their historic design, few preserve the soul of the course like Chicago Golf Club does.  While Chicago Golf Club currently does not have the course to support a modern men’s major or professional tournament, I wouldn’t want anything there to change at all.  Chicago Golf is a monument to the history of golf in America, the foundation of how golf has grown and evolved in this country, and I believe that should be indefinitely preserved.

Also, #12 – Punch Bowl – is my favorite putting green in all of golf.  That said, all of the green complexes are amazing to a point I couldn’t concisely put it into words.

Laura Davies doesn’t qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, huh?  Hmmm.  Also, I have a whole new respect for the culture around professional women’s golf and will be putting a lot more time into following it across the board.

JON:  Actually, I don’t think this tournament qualified for the regular LPGA, so she won’t get the necessary “points” she’d need to qualify as an LPGA HoF’er.  She’s already in the World Golf HoF.

TOMMY: I’d 5 putt every green at the place.  And regardless, Davies is a legend, even if she left her 15 foot eagle putt at 18 5 feet short (she made the birdie putt).

BILL: Correct – and that’s absurd that Davies doesn’t qualify (two points short). Inkster was saying it in her Sunday post-round too. What? A golf institution with a crazy system that makes little sense?  Get out of here… Either way, Davies is a legend and HoF’er in my book any day of the week!