GOLF COURSES IN ILLINOIS
Some of the best rounds of golf to check out are Brookhill Golf
Course and Willow Pond in Rantour, Scovill Park and Hickory Tail
Run in Decatur, and Meadowview G.C. in Mattoon. For great budget
golf in the heart of middle America, they can't be beat. The best
bet of all in the Quad Cities, however, is the golf. A veritable
jackpot of incredibly affordable and surprisingly high-quality golf
courses dot the rolling countryside, including The TPC at Deere
Run, which hosts the pros every year at the PGA Tour's John Deere
Classic.
Stepping onto the grounds of Crab Orchard Golf Club, will have you
feeling like you've stepped into a golden age of golf: a time when
golf courses were home-grown and family-owned, when accuracy and
putting trumped raw power, and when conditioning and landscaping
compensated for a lack of natural scenic splendor. Opened in 1959,
the 6,420-yard, par-70 track still has a loyal corps of devotees,
despite growing competition from newer, longer, more modern courses.
Golfers who've visited Gambit Golf Club in Vienna over the past
decade likely found one of two courses: a scenic, enjoyable challenge
or a poorly-conditioned pasture with a surly staff. As a result,
some southern Illinois golfers simply decided to stay away. New
owner Bruce Monzulla aims not only to bring those players back to
the Gambit, but to make Vienna a legitimate golf destination. His
vision, energy and deep pockets make him a good bet to succeed.
With an incomparably majestic setting, four award-winning courses
and The Eagle Ridge Golf Academy, it's perfectly natural that Golf
Digest has ranked Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa one of the best golf
resorts in America. With four courses - plus award-winning dining,
the Stonedrift Spa and first-class accommodations - your game at
Eagle Ridge promises to be nothing short of perfect!
Stone Creek Golf Club & Resort bills itself as "Southern
Illinois' Most Scenic Golf Course" - and for good reason. The
vista behind the 11th green is likely the best you'll see on any
course with $35 green fees. A fine stop on the Southern Illinois
Golf Trail and the only true golf resort in far-southern Illinois,
Stone Creek will test all your skills with its visually appealing
but quite difficult layout.
The first decade for Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion has been one
of soaring highs and sinking lows. Literally. A former coal mine,
the unique topography engendered problems early on. There were also
man-made faults, which worsened over time. Eventually, the course's
designer, Steve Smyers, could no longer stand seeing such vast potential
wasted, so he and several business partners took ownership and initiated
a massive overhaul. The results have been swift and impressive.
Riverboat gambling is the biggest draw in the "Quad Cities"
these days, but golfers should note that well over half a dozen
public golf courses - and several private clubs - dot the surrounding
area, according to TravelGolf.com's Kiel Christianson. Golf clubs
such as Glynns Creek Golf Course in Long Grove, Iowa - which hosts
the annual Quad City Open - lets golfers know the "Quad Cities"
are on an upswing.
The Illinois Open Championship is a 54-hole stroke play event with
a 150 player field size limit. The starting times will be comprised
of place-winners in the qualifying events and those players exempted
from qualifying. Following 36 holes of play, the field will be cut
to the low 50 scorers plus ties. In case of a tie for the Championship,
a three (3) hole total stroke play-off will take place following
the posting of the final score. If the tie has not been broken after
three holes, the playoff will continue at sudden death. Playoff
holes to be determined by the tournament committee. ELIGIBILITY:
All PGA Members, Apprentices, golf professionals and amateurs with
a handicap index of 10.0 or less who are legal residents of the
state of Illinois.
