Shepherd's Crook a course you will want to play again and again

When the idea to do a series on Hidden Gems golf courses in the Chicago area came to me a couple of years ago, I sat down and wrote down four or five that I considered sure things.

While talking about the idea with Daily Herald columnist Barry Rozner, he adamantly suggested a track I'd never heard of - Shepherd's Crook in Zion.

If there's one thing I've learned over my 22 years at the Herald, it's to trust Rozner when it comes to golf, so we made the hourlong drive from Clarendon Hills last week to check it out.

And guess what?

As usual, Rozner was right.

What a golf course.

Shepherd's Crook came to life in 1999 and is run by the Zion Park District. It features wide, forgiving fairways, an impressive array of unique, challenging holes and sensational greens that will make you think twice about going above the flagstick.

"It was designed with a lot of fun elements to it," said Allen Parkes, the Golf Operations Manager since 2016. "Rolling fairways, undulating greens with some severe plateaus. Some split fairways (on 7 and 9), which is an interesting feature to the golf course."

We played last week in perfect 80-degree weather with very little wind. But that wasn't exactly the norm, according to Parkes.

"You don't want to get the ball up in the air here most of the time," Parkes said. "You want to be able to flight it down. A lot of lower-trajectory shots work.

"There's a lot of advantage to keeping it out of the wind. That's why we don't water fairways a lot. ... In the summer time we allow you to bounce it out front."

Course tour:

After three gettable par-4s, Shepherd's Crook smacks you with a 220-yard par 3 and a dogleg right 400-yard par 4.

My drive on the fifth hole found the patch of rough that is off to the right of the fairway, but I had a window to the green and lofted a gorgeous 5-hybrid to about 8 feet. Had the drive settled 5 yards to the right, I'd have been blocked out and forced to punch down the hill.

It's a fantastic hole and one that must be an absolute bear if the wind is coming out of the east.

The front nine continues with the pretty par-4 sixth hole and an interesting par-4 in the dogleg right seventh that forces you to hit to a slightly elevated green.

One of Parkes' favorite holes is the 555-yard par-5 ninth. You'll need to two big shots to have a chance to get on in regulation. Even then, approaches have a good chance of finding one of four bunkers.

The best stretch has to be 12-14, three gorgeous holes that really make you think.

• The 350-yard 12th is all about ball position off the tee. Put it in the middle and you're hitting a short downhill iron shot to a green that's 37 yards deep. Three-putts are likely, however, if you're 25-feet plus to the right of any middle or left pin.

• No. 13 is a 379-yard par 4 that gives you another opportunity to hit a downhill shot on your approach. Just keep your drive left because you can have a nasty, awkward stance if the ball settles in the rough to the right of the fairway.

• Our group disagrees a bit on No. 14, an absolute monster of a par 5 that can play 654 yards from the very back tee. (We played it from 572). Rozner loves the hole. The other three players in our foursome feel the creek running through the fairway at about 160 yards from the green restricts what you can do if you really rip your drive. "If I were to do it different, I would have put a culvert in there and left the rest all fairway," Parkes said. "Then it would be kind of a risk-reward. Do I want to thread this and bounce it through there?"

Down the stretch, stay below the hole on No. 16, a 131-yard par 3 that isn't as simple as it looks on the tee. On the dogleg left 17th make absolutely sure to get the tee shot out to the right. And on 18, keep your second shot to the right, take an extra club upon approach and hit the middle of the green regardless of pin position.

Take your 2-putt par, then walk up the hill and grab a scrumptious burger and much-deserved cold one.

Suggestions:

• The only on-course tweak I'd make would be to shorten the fourth hole from 220 yards to 190 from the black tees, and from 187 to 180 from the golds.

• Lower the junior rate from $25 to $12 to $15. Or have a junior day or two with those rates.

Bottom line:

Shepherd's Crook is a bit on the outskirts, but we will be making the trip at least two or three times a year in the future. And for those of you in the North or Northwest suburbs, it's a pitching wedge to get there. It gets 5 stars (out of 5) for value; 5 for course conditions; 3 for accessibility; 3 for walkability.

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Next: A look at how Youth on Course makes golf more affordable for kids.

Shepherd's Crook Golf Club

Stats: 351 N. Green Bay Road, Zion. Founded in 1999. shepherdscrook.org. (847) 872-2080.

Par: 71

Yards: 6,827/6,769 from silver tees; 6,272 from blacks; 6,002 from golds; 4,901 from greens

Weekday rates: $39 with a cart ($29 for seniors to walk)

Juniors: $25 to walk

Approximate distance from Libertyville: 19 miles

From Arlington Heights & Barrington: 40 miles

From Hoffman Estates: 50 miles

From Wheaton & Naperville: 60-65 miles

Note: There is no range on site