Renovations at Schaumburg Golf Club finally over

Just before I began working at the Daily Herald in 1998, I moved into a Schaumburg duplex with a college buddy.

One of the highlights from that summer was discovering the Schaumburg Golf Club, a challenging 27-hole track that had plenty of variety and was always in good shape.

I came to find out it wasn't always this way. Ten years earlier, the course was known as Golden Acres and had been dubiously dubbed by some as "Concrete Acres."

The transformation to what I saw two decades ago came after the Schaumburg Park District took over in 1989. Over the years, the course has hosted plenty of events, including U.S. Open qualifiers, Illinois Open qualifiers and the Illinois Senior Open.

The course was far from perfect, however. So five years ago members of the park district contacted Lohmann-Quitno - a firm that specializes in redesign - to help with infrastructure and flooding issues that needed addressing.

The groups worked together to tweak or completely change some of the holes, and on Aug. 1 - three years after the Players Course shut down for its rebuild - the public was able to enjoy all three nines.

Here is a look at some of the improvements:

Tournament Course

The opening hole is a breathtaking 555-yard par-5 that gives every golfer the chance to start out with a par or birdie. The tee box was repositioned counter clockwise, which helps visually with the opening shot because it points us more in the direction we want to go.

The second hole is where we find the biggest change on this nine. In the past, golfers were asked to hit a blind tee shot on a dogleg right par-4. Figuring out where to aim was a big problem, and many a ball was lost in the rough down the right side.

Now the entire hole is visible, which allows you to fire away with more confidence.

"The fairway is also much wider, one of the widest on the course," said Jonathan Parsons, general manager of golf operations. "It looks a little intimidating when you stand on the tee, but after you play it a couple times you start to realize there's a lot of room."

On the par-3 third hole, the tee box was pushed back slightly and the green is sloped front to back instead of back to front. You'll also notice mounds on the right, which balls can bounce off and trickle to back pin positions.

"It turned out to be a fun hole," Parsons said. "I've got to thank Todd (Quitno) for all of his help on that one. The old green had so much slope in it that it became very difficult, especially with the (fast) green speeds we have now. This becomes a lot more playable."

Players Course

Schaumburg gives each nine holes its own name - the Tournament Course, the Players Course and the Baer. Parsons admitted the Players was the nine that architects wanted to improve the most.

"The Players' Course was the third favorite nine for most people," he said. "Our goal was to take it and try and get it more on par with the other two golf courses, and I think we accomplished that."

They did it by redoing two of the holes. The old No. 7 was a tricky par 4 with a large lake that affected tee shots and approach shots. No. 8 was a monster par 3 that played 221 yards from the back tees.

Now, the seventh is a gorgeous par 3 that forces you to hit over a creek to a generous - but severely sloped - green. The eighth is a risk/reward par 4 that plays 338 or 318. Golfers must deal with out of bounds on the right as well as strategically placed fairway bunkers.

"Outstanding," Parsons said when asked what the reaction has been. "No. 7 has probably become one of our signature holes on the golf course. When we started it we thought it was going to be good, but customers just love it."

My advice: Get as close as you can to the pin because the reads can be very difficult. I had a 35-footer for birdie and ended up with a bogey.

Decisions, decisions

Mid-handicappers who struggle with their short game should come to Schaumburg with an open mind. The shortly-mowed approach areas mean you have plenty of options to get the ball on the green - and it doesn't always have to be the wedge.

"Those are fun for a lot of golfers," Parsons said. "We were trying to create something where people can use a putter, a wedge, an 8 iron, a hybrid, a 3 wood. There are so many different plays you can make. It brings some variety to the golf course that we never had before."

I used my hybrid bump-and-run shot on the Baer Course's third hole and also watched a young man try to tap a 3-wood down the severe greenside slope of the opening hole of that nine.

Use your course management skills and you'll have a better chance to score.

"We have such a variety of players," Parsons said. "Our goal was to try to offer something for every one of those golfers. (And) try to make sure we can host high-quality playing events, but also make it playable for the average golfer."

"Nothing but great things said so far."