Settler's Hill to undergo positive major development
News from golf's pro tours the last few days hasn't been encouraging, but there was a most positive major development on the Chicago area scene.
Aurora course architect Greg Martin revealed this week that Settler's Hill, a Batavia facility operated by the Kane County Forest Preserve District, will undergo a major renovation. Work will begin in the middle of this season in areas of the course that don't impact play.
The course will close at the end of this year and be shut down for all of 2021. A reopening in the late spring of 2022 is expected.
"This was a long time coming," said Martin, who has supervised similar projects on several other area courses. "The course will get a full refreshing."
It'll wind up being one of Martin's biggest projects locally. The course will get two new holes as part of a rerouting as well as a new irrigation system. In addition a new practice range and a youth links with at least three holes also will be constructed.
Settler's Hill, built on a landfill, opened in 1988. Marengo's Bob Lohmann was the original architect and Mundelein-based GolfVisions has been managing the course.
Schedule makers: Pro tour schedules, definitely subject to change, show the PGA Tour idle until the April 16 RB Heritage Classic at Hilton Head, South Carolina, and the LPGA Tour shutting down until the Lotte Championship, which tees off April 15 in Hawaii. More tournaments may be canceled or postponed, depending on coronavirus concerns.
The season hasn't been a total loss yet, by any means. The U.S. Golf Association won't conduct its first championship of 2020 until the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball April 25 to 29 at Quail Creek, in Naples, Florida. Last of its 29 nationwide qualifying rounds concluded March 12 and two Chicago players will be in the finals field. South Elgin's Megan Furtney is in as part of the defending champion team and Inverness' Caroline Smith made it through a qualifying session Oct. 7 at Blackberry Oaks in Bristol.
Locally, the Illinois PGA and Chicago District Golf Association haven't altered their tournament schedules as yet. The IPGA tournament season in the Chicago area begins April 20 with the Pro Pro Pro Scramble at Mistwood in Romeoville, and the CDGA's first tournament competitions are April 27 - a U.S. Women's Open qualifier at Village Links of Glen Ellyn and a CDGA Mid-Amateur qualifying at Maple Meadows in Wood Dale.
Here and there: Courses scheduled to open include Cog Hill (Nos. 1 and 3 courses) in Lemont, Foxford Hills in Cary, Pine Meadow in Mundelein and Bittersweet in Gurnee. Chapel Hill in McHenry and Oak Grove in Hebron will remain closed.
Steve Dell is the new head pro at Ravisloe in Homewood. He spent the last 10 years at Whittaker Woods in Michigan.
TPC Deere Run, in addition to annually hosting the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, will host four national collegiate championships. The NCAA brings its men's championship to Silvis, Illinois, in 2021 and 2022 and the women's finals in 2023 and 2024.