Tiger Woods Design Coming to Chicago?
It’s been a bit slow to evolve, but Golf.com just posted an update on the speculated Tiger Woods renovated golf course on Chicago’s South Shore. Surely we’re jumping up and down with joy, not only because we’re all (I am at least) huge Tiger fanatics, but it would also mean adding another accessible and exciting golf course for Chicagoland players.
TV commentator Mark Rolfing’s been pushing this project forward for a few years now, and it looks like we’re seeing some progress. Nice! I like how he heaps praise on Chicago as a golf town, but it’s very, very apparent how big the divide is between the all-star courses like Medinah, Butler National, Shoreacres, North Shore CC and some of the public courses. Especially the city-ran courses. We’re in a good spot that there are eight courses in the city, but you’ll struggle to find locals that will rave about our munis. There’s some interesting holes here and there, some historic pedigree (a sprinkle of Langford & Moreau), and you’ll get some great views at Sydney Marovitz and the Jackson Park/South Shore combo.
Long story short – this addition will be AWESOME.
I’m fully aware there remains a lot of …”complicated” behind-the-scenes negotiation to make a big project like this actually happen in Chicago, but that’s par for the course. What I really like about this is that they can BOTH turn this into a world class venue and also keep it very accessible to the hardcore locals. I’m usually only a once-a-year visitor to the Jackson Park and South Shore courses, but what I see there is a super diverse and dedicated group of players playing on a couple tracks that are… to say the least, well overdue for a makeover.
What I feel the regulars deserve is an improved golf facility that they can pay the same as they’re used to (eh, maybe a touch more, but still close), get the same tee times, and get a a better experience. There’s already a blossoming caddy program, and with the addition of a practice area and family short course, more walking paths and beach/environmental areas, the potential for a high-end pro tournament… I could go on and on… the potential is off the charts. Can’t wait to see what happens!
(OH! Probably my favorite part though is that I’ve got a city resident ID and Bill lives in the suburbs, so he’ll have to pay like 3x as me!)
