Rabbi likes Lake County golf courses

Editor's note: This is another installment in our weekly series highlighting what people like about living in Lake County. This week, we asked that question of Rabbi Scott Looper.

A golf course may be just a stretch of undeveloped land.

But when it's well-manicured, challenging and offers time away from life's troubles, it can become much more.

That's one of the reasons Rabbi Scott Looper of Congregation Or Shalom in Vernon Hills named golf courses his favorite thing about Lake County.

"It's my time when I'm quiet and I'm away from things," Looper said. "I run with the ball."

Looper says though he enjoys many golf courses in the county, his favorite is Pine Meadow in Mundelein.

"It's just a gorgeous golf course," he said, adding that it's a challenging as well beautiful course. "The rough just grabs your ball and eats it up."

And the clergy discount doesn't hurt, he adds with a laugh.

"I hate to admit this," he said. "It's a pretty good perk."

But mostly it's the chance to get away from urban bustle, said Looper, a Skokie resident.

"It's a nice place to go," he said. "It's retreat like."

Looper, who calls himself a "decent" golfer, enjoys the relaxation - "as much as golf can be relaxing," he said.

He says he thinks Lake County's golf courses may be more appealing than those in other areas partially because they're newer and because other counties may be more heavily developed.

"The public link courses are really nice in Lake County," Looper said. "There is a little more open space."

And though he may not get out to the links as often as he'd like, when he does get the change, Pine Meadow is one of his favorite spots.

"It's a great golf course," he said.