DESTINATION 2007 CHICAGO BEARS Planning on being there to watch the Bears on the road this season? Take the golf clubs along, too. By Neal Kotlarek alk across the parking lots that are adjacent to Soldier Field on select Sunday mornings in the Wfall and it is easy to discover exactly why Chicago Bears fans are renowned for their loyalty and passion. Dressed head to toe in team colors and apparel, countless URLACHERs roam the blacktop as they manage grills and toss footballs in front of row upon row of decked-out RVs and campers. For these fans, the Bears aren’t just a team; they’re a way of life. Many even take their fervor on the road and in the air to attend away games no matter how distant the venue. Those of us who lead double lives both as Bears fans and as avid golfers inevitably find themselves betwixt and between on game weekends. Do we abandon our handicaps or do we aban- don our allegiance to Bears Nation? Erin Hills opened in 2006 to rave reviews. PAUL HUNDLEY PHOTO/GRAPHICS PAUL S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7 25 With a little planning and a good municipal 18-hole layouts at Torrey ride over rolling terrain and awesome road map, high quality golf courses usu- Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, which is less mountain views. ally can be found within a short drive than a 30-minute drive from Qualcomm from the home team’s stadium. In fact, Stadium. Built in 1957 on cliffside a glance at the Bears’ 2007 regular- property overlooking the Pacific Ocean, SEPT. 30, AT DETROIT season schedule shows an extraordi- this pair is the annual host to the PGA Even though nary opportunity to tour a number of Tour’s Buick Open. In 2008, the South the Lions have the country’s newest and highly touted Course will be the site of the U.S. Open. had their share of layouts prior to kickoff. The Crossings at Carlsbad opened in ups and downs (It likely won’t be golf weather at the July, took 17 years to build and cost a over the past 20 Bears’ last two road games of the whopping $68 million. The layout was years, seemingly all of Michigan golf upcoming season—Dec. 6 at Washington named for the five bridges on property, has continued to grow and flourish. and Dec. 17 at Minnesota—so those two which required tender loving care to If heading to Ford Field by car, locations have been omitted.) develop as dinosaur bones and Native golfers can virtually take any exit American burial grounds sent construc- between the Second City and the tion costs soaring. The end result is a Motor City to locate a great golf SEPT. 9, AT SAN DIEGO 6,835-yard course featuring sensational course. In the Battle Creek area, The Bears start ocean views on holes winding their consider Stone Hedge and Yarrow Golf out with a cross- way around and over coastal terrain, Center. In Marshall, a popular spot to country journey to sagebrush and natural wetlands. tee it up is The Medalist, designed by one of the nation’s At 6,404 yards, Carmel Mountain William Newcomb. premier golf destinations. First choice on Ranch Country Club is modest in In the metropolitan Detroit area, any list has to be the two spectacular length but offers a virtual rollercoaster the toughest decision is which of the A newly renovated Torrey Pines will be the site of the 2008 U.S. Open. JOHN MUMMERT/USGA 26 CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER COURTESY OF ACCESS GOLF COURTESY Keith Foster created Druids Glen in the shadow of Mount Rainer. 200 courses in the four-county area you Lovingly carved over 652 acres of Sheboygan and Brown County Golf Club wish to challenge. Three stand out naturally rolling terrain, it’s a dream in Green Bay. among a strong field. realized by owner Bob Lang, who hired Ranked by national golf publica- Hurzdan Design and Ron Whitten, a tions among the top public courses in golf writer who specializes in golf OCT. 21, AT PHILADELPHIA the country, Shepherd’s Hollow boasts course architecture, to create a site that While the Bears an amazing 160 feet of elevation utilizes the land’s natural contours. are unlikely to see changes. The Orchards Golf Club in The end result is a fabulous potpourri any brotherly love Washington was the site to the of dramatic golf holes. Some greens are from the Eagles, 2002 U.S. Amateur Public Links hidden from sight while others are Chicago golfers can expect royal treat- Championship, and Fox Hills in majestically perched atop hills. ment at some of the area’s courses. Plymouth is home to three courses, Favorably compared with other natural Wyncote Golf Club is a Scottish-style including one with three nines. Each golf wonders like Prairie Dunes in layout complete with knee-high native maintains a distinctive character from Kansas and Sand Hills in Nebraska, grasses lining the fairways. Glen Mills in its counterparts. Erin Hills will be unveiled to the nation the city of the same name opened in in 2008 when it hosts the U.S. 2000 and is considered one of the state’s Women’s Amateur Public Links finest public courses. Just over the New OCT. 7, AT GREEN BAY Championship. The sky’s the limit after Jersey border, Scotland Run features Devoted Bears fans that, with popular speculation suggest- woodlands, a quarry and imposing waste know only two games ing that the course will be the next areas. A short drive south is Bulle Rock, a matter over the course Midwest layout to host a U.S. Open. well-respected Pete Dye-designed course of the regular season: Located a few miles up the that annually is the site of the LPGA the home game against road from Erin Hills, Washington County Championship. the Packers and the game at Lambeau Golf Course was designed by Field in Green Bay. Arthur Hills and features marvelous Chicagoans fortunate enough to views of the rolling countryside as well as NOV. 11, AT OAKLAND hold tickets to this season’s game in meticulous conditioning. For those of the ilk to Green Bay might just find the game If heading toward Green Bay on participate in an every- anticlimactic following their 18-hole Interstate 43, golfers can choose from an golfer-should-do-it-once- journey to Erin Hills in the wee town of all-pro cast of Blackwolf Run in Kohler, in-their-lifetime experi- Erin, near Hartford. Whistling Straits in Haven, The Bull in ence, it’s a three-hour SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 27 BRIAN WALTERS/RESORTANDGOLF.COM Shepherd’s Hollow isn’t all flat; the course rises and falls 160 feet. drive south to Pebble Beach Golf Links Metropolitan Golf Links was designed design highlighted by the 85-yard-long for an ultimate golf experience. But be by Johnny Miller and is located a mile 18th green. prepared to fork over the highest green from the Oakland airport. It is a true fee you’ll probably ever pay ($475). bargain at $40 for non-residents With gas prices at record highs, Monday through Thursday. NOV. 18, AT SEATTLE though, there are courses closer to the Located in the foothills of Mount One of the metro city. Home of another Bears team—the Diablo in nearby San Ramon, Bridges region’s top University of California’s Golden Bears— Golf Club is another Johnny Miller courses is the Links at Moses Pointe; there are two 18-hole courses at the Golf Club at Newcastle, and scenic Druids Glen is located in the shadow of Mount Ranier in Covington. Port Ludlow Resort and Trophy Lake Golf & Casting both offer great scenery. Port Ludlow has 27 holes with views of the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound and Mount Baker. Trophy Lake showcases Mount Rainer and the Olympic Range. FEB 3, SUPER BOWL XLI If the Bears do play in February, the Phoenix area has tons of great public courses, among them The Raven, Troon North and We-Ko-Pa. Apache Stronghold, about 90 minutes away, is the centerpiece of the Apache Gold Resort & Casino. While we’re on the subject of gambling, consid- er: As training camp opened, the odds of the Bears winning the ‘08 Super Bowl were an attractive 8-to-1. Neal Kotlarek is a frequent contributor to Chicago District Golfer. 28 WWW.CDGA.ORG.