Lake Bluff Golf Club

	Lake Bluff Golf Club Tee Par Yardage Course Slope Black 72 6,589 71.3 124 White 72 6,195 69.5 120 Gold 72 5,856 67 114 Red 72 4,969 68.5 112
I was fortunate to have a day off early in the season and got to play the Lake Bluff Golf Course yesterday.  When I first pulled up to the course (which, incidentilly is a bit hard to find), my first impresion was uh-oh this course looks tight.  I went inside the quaint clubhouse which surprisingly for this area does not appear to be much more than an oversized trailer.   The clubhouse is however well stocked.  I payed my $42 green/cart fee (This was the fee without a coupon.)  I had signed up for my tee time online and knew I was paired with a twosome. I headed to the putting green and wanted to get in some practice in the 20 minutes I had before teeing off.  I kept an eye on the first tee as there was no started in the starter gazebo.  Within a few minutes there were a couple guys on the tee, I went to see if it was my pairing for the day, it was and we were off!  We played the White tees which was fine for early in the season.
Hole #1	The first hole is pretty straight forward.  Trees line both sides of the fairway and there is a little creek that runs throughout the course that does not come into play much.  Typical for me, I ended up in the grove of trees on the left.  My second shot was blocked, but I ended up going for it anyway, richoceting off a tree and back to the fairway.  My first impression of the greens is that they are firm and fast, but do roll fairly true.
Hole #2	Hole 2 is the first of 4 par 5s. At only 472, it should be a breeze to get home in 2.  Unless you spray your driver.  In which case you'll end up in one of the neighboring fairways and blocked out by trees.  Remember what I said about this course being tight!  A few sand traps on this hole, but should be nothing to worry about.  Just hit it straight and it should be a good scoring opportunity.
Hole #3	Hole #3 is extremely short.  At this point, I'm starting to realize that the yardages on this course are way off!  While the scorecard says it's 315, I doubt it.  I cleared the trap on the right with a 3 wood and had about 40 yards into the green.  Just a 60 degree wedge to the green and 3 putts later (remember what I said about the grens being firm) it was on to the par 3 fouth hole.
Hole #4	A pretty easy par 3.  Other than the two bunkers the protect the green, there's really no trouble to find here.  I used a 6 iron into the wind and was hole high.
Hole #5	The longer of the par 5s on the front 9.  It bends slightly to the right and a good drive will roll through the fairway making it difficult to reach in two.  This hole should provide a birdie opportunity.  Tip: Keep your approach to the center or right side of the fairway if you want a shot at this green in two.  The dogleg is just enough to keep you from reaching in two if you blow it through the fairway.
Hole #6	I am not a fan of a course designed that includes a par 3, par 5, par 3 sequence which is the pattern of holes 4-6.  This is a pretty par 3 over a pond and protected by a large tree on the left.  There's also a sliver of a bunker along the left edge of this slightly elevated green.  TIP: Stay out of the sand on this course.  It's more like a clay dirt mixture than sand and you'll want to treat any sand shots like a pitch if the lip is low enough.
Hole #7	A sharp dogleg to the right, with a grove of trees at the bend that will put you in jail.  I cut the dogleg, ended up in the trees and was able to get out and on the green with a punch 3 wood that I used almost like a putter to roll through the sand trap and to the back of the green.
Hole #8	Another tight thin hole, but fairly straight ahead.  There is a greenside bunker on the right side you will want to avoid.  Note: I use GolfLogix on my blackberry for my yardages and it was apparent that this course was redesigned recently and that the holes had been moved around.  Unfortunately, this meant my yardages and statistics were being thrown off.  I decided to abandon the digital yardage indicators the rest of the way in, instead playing by instinct and trying to trust the traditional yardage markers.
Hole #9	Another hole that slightly doglegs to the right.  There is a bunker down the right side, but you should not be here anyway if you want to get home in two.  If your into the wind here, expect to play it like a par 5 and take your lumps.  I ended up in the small bunker up the left side on my aproach and I thought sure I was going to end up in the parking lot.  This course will play head games with your distance control.  I don't know if this is a side effect of the tight nature of the course, but it looks a lot shorter than it is.
Hole #10	After making the turn having gone out in 51, I was thinking I may have a shot to break 100 for the first time this season.  Well, get ready for a back nine that really makes you think! A lot of the back nine rquires that you check your driver and ego at the door.  Hole 10, is a major dogleg to the left., but if you even think of taking it left you'll end up in another grove of trees.  Yet, if you use driver and go straight, you'll likely end up where I did (in the maintnance parking lot) and quickly hitting 3 off the tee.  Tip: Use a mid to long iron and get yourself a mid-iron to the downhill green that is protected on the lef by a bunker.
Hole #11	Yet, another dogleg to the right.  Slicers beware.  If you push your shot right, be ready to take your lumps.  If you don't end up in the forest you'll be chipping back to the fairway, if not you may actually need to take a drop and play the shot backwards to the fairway.  The woods literally jut out far enough to completely cut you off from the fairway.  Take it left!
Hole #12	The first straight ahead par 4 on the back nine.  OB is on the right and behind the green.  There are also 3 bunkers on this whole, but I fail to see how they come into play, unless you really yank one.  Perhaps, the are remnants of a previous design?
Hole #13	The 13th hole is a challenge.  Especially in the cross wind we had to deal with.  I was surprised when a member of my group actually pulled driver for 180 yards.  It made me rethink the 4 iron I had in hand and actually took a low 3 wood into the green.  Remember what I said about needing to think on the back nine?  Once again, bunkers left and right protecting the green (again it only seems to be protection from yanked shots).  The creek comes into play on this one if you top your shot and there is actually a bern one either side of it making it difficult to see the whole green.  There is also a little babbling brook behind the green if you carry it too far.  Surprisingly, this was the only par I made for the round.
Hole #14	Another bizarre hole where driver is dangerous. Take out whatever will keep you in the 220 yard range, unless your a big hitter and can carry it 260.  The creek cuts diagonally through the fairway and seriously comes into play here and narrows the fairway more and more as you look from left to right.  Plenty of room behind the elevated green if you miss long. TIP: It also looks like if you slice hard, there is bailout area across the creek that is hidden by woods on the right.  You'd still have to carry about 230.
Hole #15	A long narrow par 5.  Probably want to use a 3 woods and treat this as a true 3 shot par five.  Your dead left and while the right side does open up a little you would be flirting with O.B.  Your best bet is the middle of the fairway.  No hazards to speak of that I could see. Note: The day we played the regular green was closed do to winter damage.  The regular green does have a sand trap next to it on the right, but even when the green is open if you find yourself in this trap, you reallly mishit one.
Hole #16	The last par 3, but not your last scoring opportunity.  At only 137 yards, it is the shortest par 3 on the course.  There is a bunker short left that hugs the green.  There is a steep drop of behind the green.  This was one of my favorite holes on the course, perhaps because it's one of the few holes that actually does not play with your depth perception.
Hole #17	Another dogleg to the right and another hole that doesn't look like it belongs on a golf course.  Take it left or you will be completely blocked on your second shot.  Take it too far left and you may find ta small trap. There is a lake about 100 yards short and right of the green, that can mess with your mind on your second or 3rd shot depending on how you play the hole.  There is also a bunker on the right side of the green.
Hole #18	This was describe to me by me playing companions as "something a little different."  I'd say.  It looks like they decided to make this a severe dogleg left in order to add a driving range.  You could take it straight out with a 3 or 5 wood and be somewhat safe, but don't pull out the driver and go down the middle or right side -unless you want to be in the bunker.  If you can carry a drive 220 and get it high enough, cut the dogleg. You may just end up in a greenside bunker.  The most aggressive line here is staight down the left side of the fairway you could end up with a 50 yard chip wihout any danger of ending up in a bunker like I did.  I read some other reviews that mention the change in this hole destoyed it, but I like the fact that it's one of the few holes on the course that allows you to make decisions. NOTE: This hole is at the end of the driving range.  Occassionally, you will see a yellow ball scooting by the sneaks off the range, they should have a sign warning you of this.

Fore the record

OK, so like most people who are avid golfers, I woke up yesterday to the golf channel informing me that Tiger was in an accident.  My intial reaction was, OK, he is human.  But the way this is shaking out, maybe not so much.  Refusing to talk to the police for two days now?  What gives Tiger?  Let me preface what is to follow by stating that I have never been Tiger's biggest fan.  I respect the man and will never try to detract from what he has accomplished and brought to the game.  But I am more a fan of the scrappers, the Padrig Harrington and Corey Pavins in the golf world.
Now, onto my theories:
Was Tiger drunk?  I doubt it, he has spent too much time building a squeaky clean image to create any kind of stir.
Was it a health issue?  Possibly, but unlikely.  The man appears to be in the best shape of his career.  Although, this is the kind of thing that happens to people who have seizures. While I have only had one seizure in my life and am glad it did not happen while I was driving, I can understand how something like this could happen.  Blacking out while driving could certainly point you in the direction of the nearest fire hydrant.
My honest opinion is that this was a domestic issue.  It happens in the wee hours following one of the biggest family holidays of the year?  Both rear windows of his vehicle were smashed out?  Why both windows? His wife was found standing over him?  How fast could he have been traveling to hit a fire hydrant and a tree?  Seems odd to me.  Why smash both rear windows? Was there not a second set of car keys in the house?  Did his wife run back to get the club or did she run out of the house with it?  Something doesn't smell right.  Why not discuss what happened with the police unless you're trying to cover something up?  I'm just saying.
For the record Tiger, the week before your event, why don't you come clean about what really happened?

	The Arboretum Club Tee Par Yardage Course Slope Champ 72 6,447 71.6 137 Blue 72 6,083 69.9 133 Red 72 4,902 69.6 123 .
I first played this course a number of years ago during twilight rates. The course is extremely expensive for a public course surrounded by houses. Unless, you make some serious scratch and can toss $80 at this course, watch for coupons. They come up once in a while.  Since my foursome played this course the day before Thanksgiving we got a great rate ($35 with a cart) The course is definitely worth full boat.  They have done some great redesign and the back nine is much better than I remember. The clubhouse is absolutely gorgeous and a great place to host your next semi-formal event. The locker rooms include full wood lockers and showers.  There is fairly large putting green but no driving range or net. The day we played it had rained most of the night before and was cart path only. Also there are bunkers sprinkled throughout the course.  It may be because there was absolutely zero roll on this cold wet day, but they really didn't come into play that often and when they did we didn't play from them because they were all like a sloppy concrete mix.
Hole #1	The first hole is a slight dogleg left par four. We played from the blues on this day since conditions were wet and cold.  The first fairway is a bit tight so hit a solid drive down the middle.  A solid drive should leave you with a short iron into a green protected by three bunkers. Tip: If you spray your driver don't be afraid to pull the fairway metal (not just on the first hole but throughout the course)
Hole #2	This hole is a par 5 that also doglegs to the left. It really isn't that strong of a dogleg but the trees down the left (probably to protect the houses) accentuate the need for a drive down the center. There is a forced carry over the first of many ponds you will encounter on this course and if you end up to far right the second pond will also come into play. Luckily I was left, unfortunately too far left and I had to chip back to the fairway to have a clear shot at the green. I came off this hole with a bogey, feeling as if I had blown a prime scoring opportunity. This green has multiple tiers so pay attention to pin placement. The bunkers around the green may come into play if your approach is from the right.
Hole #3	Another forced carry over a pond.  The day we played it was into a stiff wind and none of us thought we were going to clear. Fortunately, most of us did.  We ended up playing it almost like a par 5, so it's hard to really describe this one properly. The fairway is almost two tiered.  The second half of the fairway slopes severely to the right so an errant shot in this direction will end up wet. The green is large and you should try to stay below the hole.  While, there are bunkers surrounding the green, they should not come into play.
Hole #4	This is a really short par 4 with a forced carry over a pond that fingers it's way back in further down the fairway. If you bomb your driver it's probably not the choice here. There is water and a few bunkers up the right hand side, don't let them get in your head or you'll find them. Your second shot should end up on the green if you hit the fairway.  I didn't trust my instincts here and paid attention to the GPS which was obviously wrong. My second hole that I missed a good scoring opportunity.  The green here is long and lean, miss it and you're in trouble. TIP: Don't go over the grove of evergreens or you will be in the hidden creek!
Hole #5	A mid-length par 3.  Water all up the right hand side and surrounded by bunkers. It actually plays shorter than it reads.  Take one less club here and head up the left hand side taking the water and bunkers out of play.  The good thing is that if you miss right and roll towards the water there is a series of pylons that will keep you from being in the hazard.
Hole #6	A straight drive will leave you with a solid iron to the green, which is protected by bunkers. There is water on the right so keep it left.  There is a large mound (which makes it easy to chunk one) on the left side of the fairway which is where my drive ended up.
Hole #7	I've driven past this hole many times and have probably played it in my head 100 times. It's pretty much straight carry to the green over yet another pond.  If you go to far left you'll be on Buffalo Grove Rd. Fortunately, my wayward shot to the left got hung up in the trees near the green and dropped straight down or I'd have been replacing someone's windshield. My playing partners came up short right and almost dribbled down the hill into the pond. Pay attention to pin placement on the severely two tiered green.
Hole #8	This one starts with a forced carry yet again!  Beware hazard shows up splitting the fairway twice in the form of creek.  This is a thinking man's hole.  Driver is out of play here.  Lay up to the first creek.  If you have a solid long iron game, you might reach the green in two. Otherwise lay up again and avoid the second creek directly in front of the green which is once again has multiple tiers and is surrounded by bunkers..
Hole #9	A great finishing par 5 to the front 9.  A drive down the middle will leave you with your best shot to reach in 2. If you can cut the dogleg to the right with a monster drive, go for it. taking it left will leave you looking at 3 shots to reach. If memory serves, the green slopes severely back to the fairway.  I found myself in the fairway bunker on the left so be aware of it.
Hole #10	After a quick stop in the clubhouse it was time to make the turn under the intersection of 22 and Buffalo Grove Rd. there's something always fun about going underground during a round. OK, maybe it's the little boy in me. But I digress. The drive on ten needs to be left to take the water on the right out of play. There are bunkers down the whole left hand side though so beware.  The green side bunkers did not come into play on this day.
Hole #11	While not the longest par 5 on the course it certainly feels like it. The narrow fairway leaves a small target for your drive.  If you miss right, miss far enough so that you are on top of the hill and don't have a second shot that leaves you laying up short of the creek. A good second shot will likely leave you with less than 100 yard approach taking the bunkers around the green out of play. It was on this hole that myself and some others who had played here many years ago began to realize how much the back nine had changed
Hole #12	There is a grove of pines down the left side of this downhill drive. They hide the large bunker to the left fairly well (well enough that I thought I had hit a great drive until I saw where I ended up). The water down will make you feel left is safe. Probably a good idea to take a fairway metal out here.
Hole #13	It was cold enough on this day to pull the driver out on yet another short downhill Par 4. You have about 200-225 yards before you run out of real estate and end up wet. If you miss right you're either behind a willow or in the pond; to the left and the huge bunker will leave you chipping back to the fairway. If you reach the fairway, take one extra club to reach the elevated green which again has severe multiple levels.
Hole #14	Take a deep breath and get your birdie here.  A short iron (for our group mostly pitching and gap wedges) will get you home, just don't chunk it or you will be wet!
Hole #15	Again with the strong winds there was concern about the forced carry over the pond which again is all down the right side and crosses the fairway again about 75 yards from the green. If you leak one left you'll find a fairway bunker.  Again the green is a bit uphill, so take an extra club on your approach.
Hole #16	I was grateful that this was a par 5.  The freezing rain we had missed most of the day began to really come down at this point and the hurried pace of play could have easily racked up a big number.  The fairway is wide enough and I didn't even realize until we crossed it that there was water waiting to catch a fat or topped drive. Fortunately, I had neither and made it safely to the ample fairway.  There is a grove of pines up the right hand side, so keep it left.  There are bunkers abounding that may come into play if you go for it in 2.  We were just trying to keep dry, so most of us grabbed an iron and laid up.  The green is deceptively elevated.
Hole #17	Fortunately, the rain lasted one hole.  Seventeen is a par three that is well guarded by bunkers.  It is also much larger green than I expected (yes, I four jacked it - first time I did that this year - grrrr)
Hole #18	Is there a fairway here?  Oh yes, it's that little strip that opens up about 100 yards from the tee. Unfortunately, it opens to that pond to the right.  So try and take it over the trees to the left while you can (when these trees fully mature - that won't be an option). Once again the green is elevated, and a target you must hit or you will be in the water or in a sand trap. Overall, a great finishing hole!

Vernon Hills Golf Course

	Vernon Hills Golf Course Tee Par Yardage Course Slope Blue 34 2,836 34.2 120 Red 36 2,287 33.4 107 .
This is the course I grew up on. While it is only a nine hole, it is one of the toughest little courses you will ever play. With a length of only 2836 yards from the tips (well the men's tees) the tight mature tree lined fairways and the fact that water comes into play on 7 of 9 holes makes breaking 50 a real accomplishment here. The clubhouse has come a long way from the trailer that would get blown over in midwest storms when I first started playing there. There is are lockers available for those who come straight from work. The fully stocked pro-shop is run by one of the nicest guy's you will ever meet in O.B. Sanders. With a gorgeous bar and dining area this is definately one of the "Top 10 Best 9-Hole Golf Courses" in the Chicagoland area. If you play here, do be prepared for a long round. Particularly on the weekends, a 3 hour round is not unheard of, it is "The Muni" after all.
Hole #1	The first tee does not initially feel like a warm up hole until you put your ego aside and simply lay up to the creek that is 207 yards from the tee box (your looking at a 230-240 yard carry) While it may be tempting to go for it, unless you've hit a bucket of balls up the road and are warmed up this little creek will gobble up your first tee shot, setting you up for an awful round. Beware of the OB to the left. Your second shot should leave you with an easy long to mid iron into the green that is protected on the right by a bunker and mature trees.
Hole #2	Measuring 331 yards, this straight away hole is your best chance of making birdie. Trees line the right side of the fairway and OB is all the way down the left. A solid 250 yard drive should leave you with a 100 yard approach to the green which slopes to the fairway and is protected on the right by trees and two small bunkers on the left.
Hole #3	This is the first par 3 on the course and in my opinion should be ranked a higher handicap than it is. they recently removed a bunker that ran all the way across the front of the green. But don't be fooled the creek comes into play here and is only 15 yards or so from the front of the green. There is OB all up the left side. Depending on where the tees are you may be able to take out a 7 or 8 iron here, although you probably want to club up here since there seems to be a swirling vortex above the creek. Otherwise it's a long iron to the green. TIP: there is a small bail-out area to the left of the green.
Hole #4	They have recently changed the layout of this hole making it one of my favorites on the golf course. There is a large tree about halfway up the fairway, preventing faded shots from reaching the fairway. There is OB all the way up the left side and a heavy line of trees that you don't want to find along the right. If you end up here chip back to the fairway, you are in jail! The two tiered green is protected by bunkers on the left front as well as along the back. A good drive here should leave you with a gap wedge into the green. A good opportunity for a birdie lurks here, if you keep your head. This is the one par 4 I have eagled in my life! TIP: Make sure you pay attention to the hole location or you will be facing a 3 putt.
Hole #5	It has long been my contention that they should bump the green back here about 20 yards and make this a true par 5. It's 302 yards to the water, but only 287 on the left side of the fairway. It has a slight dogleg to the left, so a drive down the right side is your best bet. At about 200 yards in there is a slope towards the water, so there is a good chance at bombing one here. Mature trees line both sides of the fairway most of the way down the fairway (these protect golfers on the 4th and 6th fairways against arrant tee shots). Your second is likely going to be a long iron or fairway wood across the creek too one of the larger greens on the course. Again the green is 2 tiered and is protected on the right by a bunker.
Hole #6	Definitely one of my favorite holes on this course. It's another good chance for a bird. If the driver has not been working during the round, pull out a 3 or a 5 wood. It's 167 yards to carry the creek. But beware, there is a large tree just across the creek waiting to gobble up any errant tee shots to the right and spit them directly back into the water. The hole is a very slight dogleg right, but there is a bunker all the way up the right and another grove of trees at the end of it. Straight up the center or a little to the left, will leave you with a nice approach. The green slopes back to the fairway and is protected by two huge trees blocking a high approach and don't forget the bunker on the right!
Hole #7	Definitely the signature hole on this course. The teebox for the men is up a large hill (the ladies is at the bottom of the hill and I strongly suggest that the ladies give it a shot from up there). It's the prettiest point on the course. There is a pond at the bottom of the hill, that should not come into play, unless you chunk one. The green is protected by three bunkers that will come into play. There is another "tree jail" to the right. Don't be left or you'll bounce off the cart path and kiss your ball goodbye. TIP: Because of the elevation take one club less here.
Hole #8	Often called the "Bermuda triangle of Golf" by some of the regulars, this is the hardest hole on the golf course. The creek is back here and it's 217 yards to layup. It is possible to carry the creek if you go over the tree to the left, but you won't have much of an approach. Your best bet here is long iron right down the center. The creek runs away from the fairway, so it's a little longer down the right side if you want to take a shortcut by laying up with a wood. Your second appears to be straight ahead, but I can't tell you how many people put 3 or 4 into the creek here and absolutely blow up. The best advice I can give here is layup to the water, long iron in (avoiding the bunker on the left) and a gap wedge to the green (avoiding the bunker on the right) which slopes to the fairway on the front and away from the pin on the back. Be happy if you walk away from this hole with a bogey!
Hole #9	Again this is a straight away hole, but should probably be played as a 3 shot par 4. Protected by trees on each side, it's 222 to the water so feel free to hit away if you drive about 200 yards, otherwise a smaller wood is advisable. Whatever you do keep it straight. This should leave you with a long iron or wood to about 50 yards in. Don't be long as there is a hill that will leave you with a blind chip to the pin. The green is also two tiered with a severe slope on the front. You don't want to be in either bunker protecting the green, or you'll be "Mickelsoning" your way back and forth over the green. Depending on the weather you'll likely have a gallery of regulars enjoying their afternoon beverages on the veranda.