Golf buddies pick their 9 'coolest' golf holes in 'burbs

What follows is a list of the nine coolest golf holes in the suburbs.

Not necessarily the toughest or most beautiful - just the subjective musings of three guys who have played a lot of golf together the past 30-odd years on quite a few courses.

A few things you should know about our threesome: We're in our early- to mid-60s. None of us has a handicap these days, but I'd guesstimate we're somewhere between 13 and 16. We do not purport to have played every course in the 'burbs; many good ones, particularly those far south and far north, have escaped our scrutiny.

We are: Rob Lucas of Hoffman Estates and Jeff Nordlund of LaGrange. Jeff also happens to be the Daily Herald's national editor, and I oversee the DuPage and Fox Valley editions. I live in Elgin.

We created our lists independently. I compared them and selected the holes with the most matches. Yardages are from the back two sets of tees.

So, let's start this nine-holer with our signature hole - the only one that came up on all three lists:

Settler's Hill, Batavia No. 11; 562/523 yards Par 5

Description: Nothing can possibly go wrong on this hole that includes two water carries, trouble left and right, and a blind, uphill shot to a severely undulating green. Every shot can be gut-wrenching, starting with a long carry over water to a tight fairway that slopes toward woods on the left. But if you bomb one, you can think about getting home in two. More likely you'll have a real short, knee-knocker layup short of a diagonal creek.

Comments: "Best combo of toughness and beauty." - Jeff. "Just plain hard." - Rob. "Hit a 100-yard putter once to escape trouble." - Jim.

Glendale Lakes, Glendale Heights No. 4, 295/282 yards, Par 4.

Description: A narrow fairway narrows even more as you get closer to the green. With water right and marshy wetlands left, anything off the fairway is a lost ball and a penalty drop. If you hit a long, arrow-straight drive, you could be on and putting for eagle. Good luck with that.

Comments: "Ugly hole, ridiculously tight and short. It seems to defy any strategy. Even when I use an 8-iron off the tee, I'm not assured I can avoid a penalty." - Jeff. "I ended up hitting 7-iron, 7-iron most of the time. Can't remember employing that strategy on any other hole. Ever." - Jim.

Naperbrook, Naperville No. 3 550/506 yards Par 5

Description: Picturesque hole with water forcing all but the longest tee shots to play to the left. But you can't exactly bail out; there's more water left. The same body of right water calling for errant tee shots remains in play on the second shot. Again, not an excess of bailout area; out-of-bounds lurks left. Two good shots are rewarded with a receptive green.

Comments: "One of the toughest tee shots around, but a good-looking hole and an excellent opportunity to employ some strategy by picking a suitable club for the tee ball." - Jeff. "Maybe the toughest tee shot I know of, and the second is no cakewalk, either." - Jim.

Highland Woods, Hoffman Estates No. 18: 395/384 yards, Par 4

Description: A sharp dogleg left. Ample driving room in the fairway. Usually a short iron, slightly downhill to a reasonably flat green. Very nice closing hole.

Comments: "Who says we can't drive a par-4? If you're willing to gamble by cutting this dogleg, then get the right combo of downhill bounces and sand trap avoidance, a drive gets within a few feet of the putting surface. It's cool to have a chip to a green for an approach shot." - Jeff. "Previous comment from the longest hitter in the group." - Jim

Prairie Landing, West Chicago. No. 12 218/195 yards, par 3

Description: This hole is gorgeous - and intimidating: A wooded setting frames the tee box and the left side, but a lake occupies all but a sliver of fairway along the left-hand side. It's all carry if you go straight at it. Hard to resist shaping it over land and coming in from the left.

Comments: "For big boys only." - Rob. "One of my proudest accomplishments was birdieing this hole." - Jim.

Oak Club of Genoa No. 13: 366/342 yards Par 4

Description: What's more fun than an elevated tee shot over a slice of a river? Just ask Rob:

Comments: "Tee shot elevated, over Kishwaukee River." - Rob. "Also two significant bunkers in the driving area waiting to grab those heroic tee shots over the Kishwaukee. Tight shot to green, too." - Jim.

Highlands of Elgin No. 4 159/145 yards Par 3

Description: What's more fun, and easier, than a downhill, short par 3? This one's a fooler: Green looks small because it's nestled into a hill. It's big enough to easily three putt. And it's nothing but flora and fauna surrounding the green. Get on or go home.

Comment: "See No. 12 at Prairie Landing." - Rob.

Heritage Bluffs, Channahon, No. 18. 402/378 yards, Par 4

Description: Maybe it's a stretch to call this course in Channahon (45 miles southwest of the Loop) "suburban," but it's worth the drive. A very different feel for a Chicago-area course, with significant elevation changes, lots of pine trees, water, bunkers ... the usual. The 18th is a tough finish: elevated tee shot over water to a tight fairway. Second shot long and uphill all the way.

Comments: "Down, then up; walk single-file." - Rob. "Rob almost did serious bodily harm trying to navigate the massive slope around this green. Not sure I've ever had a regulation par here." - Jim.

Streamwood Oaks No. 9: 402/381 yards Par 4

Description: The only nine-hole course to make our list. People think of nine-holers as fairly benign. Not this one. The par 5 No. 4 is an absolute killer. Streamwood Oaks' No. 9 is a close second, with trouble (OB) all the way left, water fronting most of the green.

Comments: "Elevated green, water - short and right, long and left." - Rob.

There you have it. Our coolest nine is a par 36, 3,349 yards from the tips, 3,126 from the shorter tees. The length isn't too daunting, but I'd say there are more double-bogeys and "others" than birdies on this track.

Comments? Feedback? Feel free to argue with our choices, devise your own list. Send me - jdavis@dailyherald.com - enough of your own coolest holes, and we'll do a reader's choice follow-up story.