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MY HOME COURSE THE SOUTH COURSE AT OLYMPIA FIELDS by Jeffrey Goldman 'A HELL OF A GOOD GOLF COURSE' Terry Lavin has written a terrific description of the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club, posted on this site, but, as Tom Doak says in The Confidential Guide, the South Course is 'a hell of a good golf course' too. I. The History of the South Course The South Course began as Course 1 at Olympia Fields, and opened in 1916. By 1924, Olympia Fields had four courses, but in 1945 the difficulties of maintaining a large club during World War II forced the club to sell the land on which most of courses 2 and 3 sat. The designer of Course 1 was Tom Bendelow, known to many as more a Johnny Appleseed of golf courses rather than for his skills as a designer. However, later in his career he designed some courses of note, and his design of Course 1 may be one of his best. After the land sale in 1945, certain modifications were made, and the course was renamed the South Course. Rare for Chicago, the ground occupied by the South Course is hilly, with a fair amount of smaller rolls and contour as well. Bendelow used it to good advantage, routing the course so that the hills appear not only as sites for tees and greens, but also at various places in the fairways, requiring semi-blind drives, angled drives across hills, and uphill, downhill and occasionally side hill approach shots. The hills also 'crest' at various points in the fairways, making some holes play longer (and others shorter) than the yardage would indicate. The course also favors ground game approaches on many holes. The green sites are also varied. While holes like 6 and 12 have greens that are perched on hills near the edges, other holes have greens set back 10 to 25 yards from hill crests, much like the old 18th hole at Oak Hill East. These holes allow the golfer to use his imagination in determining the proper approach. The South Course also has several greens that are simply extensions of the fairway, something not much seen in Chicago these days. II. Routing of the South Course The Olympia Fields Country Club website (www.ofcc.info) has posted an original drawing of the four original courses. As can be seen from the drawing, the South Course is begins with the first four holes of Course 1. The original 5th and 6th holes were eliminated in 1945. The now 5th hole is a shortened, par-3 version of the formerly par-4 7th hole of Course 1, followed by the great par-4 6th and par-5 7th holes. The 8th and 9th holes are made up of the original 1st and 18th holes from Course 2, which was designed by Bendelow and William Watson. The back nine remains mostly as it was, except that the formerly par 4 12th is now a par 3 played from an elevated tee atop a small hill that is also used for the tee of the par 4 16th hole. The site of the elevated tee for both holes was originally used for a halfway house, and the tees were added sometime after 1945. Butterfield Creek winds its way through ten of the holes on the South Course. Despite the changes necessitated by the sale of 2 of the original courses, the South Course today has many elements that are eerily similar to the original design of the old Course 1. Early aerials and pictures show many holes looking much as they do today, with narrow tree-lined fairways now on holes that had narrow, tree-lined fairways in the 20s, 40s, and 1960s, and more open approaches now on holes that had open approaches then. Green sites and bunkering also appear relatively unchanged. The bunkering is relatively benign, especially compared with the 'steep and deep' North Course bunkers. The bunkers have sand faces, and many appear to be simply 'tilted,' often but not always toward greens, and without pronounced lips, so that golfers have natural uphill or downhill lies. Only two greens and one green complex appear to have been radically redone. The latter is the par-3 third, which was originally elevated and now sits low behind Butterfield Creek. There is a plan afoot to return the greenside to its prior elevated status in order to improve drainage and avoid flooding from Butterfield Creek. I was told that the 2nd and 17th greens also now have more contour than they had originally (Terry Lavin tells me that the 17th green was modified sometime in the last 15 years). Other than that, details of the present course can plainly be seen in historic pictures from earlier eras. The South Course has a par of 72, and plays about 6560 yards from the back tees, 5850 from the front (there are only 2 sets). The Course Rating from the back tees is 72.3 and the slope is 136. III. Holes to Note Hole 1. The course begins with a jumbo starter, the no. 1 handicap hole. It is a slight dogleg left par 4 of 435 yards, and the fairway slopes downhill a couple hundred yards out. The tower in the background is the target, though you can cut the dogleg more by going over the bunker on the left side, or play safely to the right and have a longer second shot to a green that slopes severely back to front set just on top of a deep swale in front of the green. Hole 2. The 2nd hole is a slight dogleg right par 4 of 405 yards, with a tee shot that plays uphill over a gentle ridge. The hole then slopes significantly downhill towards the first encounter with Butterfield Creek 10 or 15 yards in front of the green. Bombers may get a turbo boost if they carry the top of the hill and end up close to the creek. Otherwise, they could end up with a downhill, sidehill lie for their second shot. The green has an 'L' shaped ridge that separates the back right quadrant from the rest of the green. The other three quarters of the green slope toward the front, while the back right quadrant slopes from the ridge to the back right.
Hole 3. This is a 162 yard par 3, with the green set over Butterfield Creek. Since the green slopes to the left, you do not want to be in the bunkers on the right with the hole on that side. The long-term plan is for the green to be raised and moved away from the Creek, because it floods with significant rainfall. As described above, this green has already been significantly changed from its original configuration, which was also raised and set back from the Creek. Hole 4. This is a straightaway par 5 of 500 yards, easily reachable in 2 by good players. Three fairway bunkers jut into the right side of the fairway between 225 and 300 yards from the tee. This hole has a grand fairway extension green that slopes to the back left once you get over a gentle rise in the front of the green. The master plan calls for a new tee to lengthen the hole by some 40-50 yards. Hole 5. The 5th hole is a slightly uphill par 3 of 206 yards that seems to play miles longer. A bunker 10 yards short left of the green that is hidden by the slope of the land catches a lot of balls, as folks end up short of a green that slopes bigtime from back right to front left. This hole originally played as a par 4, and was shortened to a par 3 when Courses 2 and 3 were eliminated. Like many of the greens on the South Course, this one not only slopes severely but also has gentle internal contours that are tough to read. Hole 6. The 6th is an all-world hole, one of the best in Chicagoland. It is a par 4 of 360 yards from an elevated tee to a landing area just in front of Butterfield Creek. The second shot is a 'do or die' uphill pitch, to a small fortress-like volcano green with huge falloffs right, left and in front, and bunkers guarding the approach. If you manage to hit the green and avoid the 'up and over' effect, you face a very nasty green with a mound on the left side that kicks balls toward the edges.
Hole 7. The 7th hole is the best par 5 on the South Course. It is a dogleg right, 535 yards, and plays from a tee at the top of a hill some 15 or 20 feet above the landing area. The second shot plays back up another large hill that sweeps around to the right. Boomers can try to get their tee shots up the left side of this hill and go for the green in 2. The green is small and the lower half slopes severely from left to right, while farther back a hump in the left-center of the green makes reading breaks difficult. The best play when the pin is on the front right is to land the ball safely left and let it fall towards the hole. This is the longest par 5 on the South Course, all of which can be reached in 2 (or double-bogeyed) by good players. Hole 8. Hole 8 was originally hole 1 of Course 2. It is about 385 yards, and Butterfield Creek runs down the right side of the fairway and then crosses the fairway about 240 yards out. The second shot is uphill to a fairway extension green that slopes from back left to front right, and shots missing to the right will land in rough well below the green. Hole 9. The 9th hole is a relatively long par 4 of 435 yards, and the teeshot again plays downhill across Butterfield Creek, to a wide fairway with trees on both sides. On the right are the 'cottages' of the Terrace Colony (though hardly resembling the small dwellings the term implies), which are on club property and owned by long time members. The second shot is blind and uphill to a green set back 20 yards from the top of the hill. Once atop the hill, the land slopes down most of the way toward the green, and then rises just in front. Balls that land over the hill will likely run down onto the green. The green slopes back to front and is divided by two ridges that run across it. With a front pin placement, you are much better off short of the green then much past the hole, because you will likely be there anyway after you putt. Hole 10. 10 is another short par 5, this one a dogleg left of 492 yards. However, unlike holes 4 and 7, this hole has a narrow fairway lined with trees and the creek on the left. If you want to go for the green in 2 you must put your tee shot out to the right. The green is perched on top of a small hill, with bunkers etched into the sides, and is one of the largest on the course. Shorter or wayward hitters must contend with Butterfield Creek on their second shots, which crosses the fairway about 140 yards from the green after running down the left for the length of the tee shot.
Hole 11. At 315 yards, 11 is the shortest par 4 at the club. The fairway is divided by a tree, a bunker is on the left and the creek crosses the fairway about 285 yards out. You have 3 choices: 1) put your tee shot between the tree and the bunker, short of Butterfield Creek, leaving a wedge to a green that runs diagonally off to the right once you get over a big false front; 2) play farther left flirting with the bunker, leaving a slightly longer shot but with a better angle to the back portion of the green; or 3) try to hit a big drive over the creek and bounce it on the green. If you lose your tee shot to the right, you are left with a short iron that must barely clear a greenside bunker in the crook of the green. The green site is one of the best on the course and allows golfers to play to the high side of the green on the left and let the slope carry the ball to the back pin positions. A really fun half-par hole.
Hole 12. Possibly the hardest par 3 at the club, the 12th hole plays 210 yards (or more!) from an elevated tee to an elevated green, perched up 20 feet above the fairway, about even with the height of the tee. Hit to the front of the green or a little short, and the ball will run down to the bottom. Hit your pitch a little short, and you will get use of the 'automatic ball retrieval' system on the hole, which will send the ball back down the hill so you can try the shot again.
Hole 13. Another short par 4, the 13th is 340 yards. This hole plays as a dogleg left around an irrigation lake, the only water hazard on the course other than Butterfield Creek. There is an alternate tee some 30 yards to the right, and from there the hole plays straight away, making the lake less menacing. 13 has a terrific fairway extension green that slopes to the left and back once over a subtle false front. Hole 14. A short par 3 of 140 yards, with a green that slopes to the left. With the irrigation lake on the left, you do not want to be in one of the bunkers to the right of the green. The lake also catches its share of balls. Hole 15. 15 is a par 4 of 370 yards that could use some tree-trimming, and which has a back tee that extends the hole by another 30 yards. The tee shot is downhill to a valley with a hill on the right that bulges into the fairway. If you can clear the hill, the fairway widens considerably. The second shot is over Butterfield Creek to a semi-punchbowl green (once over another false front) which has slopes at the back that will feed the ball down toward the center. With the hole on the right, you can shoot at it over a bunker or try to use the backboards to funnel the ball down. If you are in the bunker, the best play may be away from the pin, again using the slope to carry the ball to the hole.
Hole 16. Using the same hill for a tee as No. 12, the 16th hole is a 360 yard par 4 that plays slightly uphill over a valley to the top of yet another hill with trees on both sides of the fairway. The original tee for this hole was at the base of the hill, near where the forward tee is now, and required a directly uphill shot. The approach is to a fairly large fairway extension green with a huge false front comprising more than a third of the green. A running 6 or 7 iron can be used to roll the ball up and over the false front – trust me, I know. Hole 17. 17 is a long, 450 yard dogleg right par 4 with a very narrow fairway set in a valley lined with trees. This green has a huge swale in the left center, and the hole placement determines the best way to play the hole. This is one of the few holes that could do with some tree removal, and there are indications that some pruning may be in the offing to improve air circulation and turf conditions. However, it is also true that pictures of this hole form the 1920s and later show about the same tree coverage and fairway width as exists today. Hole 18 The final hole is another risk/reward par 5, 510 yards long, with a green set back of a hill that begins about 60 yards out. Unlike the 9th hole, this green is not set below the top of the hill, so going for the green in 2 requires a slightly more rolling shot. However, the green slopes even more severely back to front than the 9th. As with many of the holes on the South Course, if you go over the green, have fun getting down for par.
Olympia Fields is blessed with 2 terrific golf courses. The South Course may be a little short in places for the best players in today’s technology-driven golf environment, but its course rating of 72.3 and slope of 136 indicate that it is no pushover. More important, it is an absolute blast to play for scratch players and hackers alike. The End |
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