Bittersweet Golf Club

There's a lot to be said for being considered by many to be the "hardest golf course on the North Shore". It can be a marvelous moniker if your typical player is Tiger Woods. But Bittersweet Golf Club bittersweet reputation actually worked against it with many Chicagoland golfers over the last decade. Its testing layout, relatively narrow target areas, fairways sloping toward an abundance of wetlands and large, deep greens were designed for single-digit handicappers, chasing some of us higher-handicappers away. "Just too hard" they said.

Well, over the past couple of years, Bittersweet's undergone a playability (some might call it a personality) change that puts it squarely into the "tough, but fair" category and is sure to lure golfers who love a challenge back to this gem located within a half-hour of Chicago and 45 minutes of Milwaukee, northwest of the Loop in Gurnee in Lake County. The changes, in many cases, have been subtle'a reshaped fairway here, a shrunken lake there, but the cumulative effect is a dramatically more playable, and fun, layout as Bittersweet enters its 10th anniversary season. 

Not to say the formidable test is gone by any means. Golfers still face the prospect of water in-play on 17 of the 18 holes that are built within a bird sanctuary, where abundant wildlife still exists within the mature hardwoods and natural wetlands. But forced carries have been shortened or eliminated, fairways have been opened up, landing areas widened, margins for error increased. And we all know what just a few extra yards of room per hole can mean at the end of a round.

While the biggest on-course changes can be seen at the marvelous finishing holes on each nine, a perfect example of what Director of Golf Operations Mike Erwin and Superintendent John Kuehne have altered is readily apparent on what has always been considered the toughest hole on the course, the par-5 second. An already tight landing area there was made more difficult by a fairway sloping left-to-right toward water on the right-hand side of the fairway.

Woe be to the player slicing a ball off the second tee (you know any of those?) especially when the fairways were fast and dry. Now the hazard is a bit smaller, the landing area a bit larger and faders are not only still alive on the tee shot, but also have more room on their second, with even the possibility of reaching the green in two now a part of the equation. Careful though, because even with a wider approach on the double-dogleg, a watery grave awaits the golfer who pulls that approach too far left of the green. The hole nicknamed Snake has gone from a copperhead to something a lot less venomous.

The fifth, nicknamed "Scottish Links" is now considered much more playable because the four holes in front of it are. In the past, many golfers reached the fifth tee, which features a 130-yard carry over wetlands from the two back tees, and were about ready to give up after being beaten up by the previous holes. Now they can see the tee shot at five as a fairer test of their skills, another conquerable challenge.

The 11th hole, Nature's Preserve is still as beautiful as its nickname, but now this 500-plus- yard par-5 is much more playable with the huge oak trees gone (courtesy of one of those summertime Illinois thunderstorms) from the target area on the left hand side of the fairway. You can now let fly with your drive, though you still have to lay-up and hit your third over spectacular wetlands to a fairly flat green.

The ninth still deserves its nickname, "Slim", but the fairway is now wider on both sides, making a drive between two water hazards a lot less ominous. The fairway now extends from tee to green, eliminating the long forced-carry. At only 465-yards off the white tees, two excellent, and still pretty straight shots, could set up a birdie to make the turn.

Storms also took out some trees on the right hand side at the 15th, opening up the landing area on this challenging par-4, and the finishing hole now has a wider landing area, a more open approach and even some bailout room to the right of the green. It is still probably the toughest par-4 on the course, but now it won't be quite so painful to be giving a stroke, rather than getting one, at the 18th.

You'll get plenty of variety at Bittersweet. Unlike many of the cookie-cutter courses you'll see designed these days, you're likely to hit four different clubs off the white tees of the par-3s, and the par-5s offer you one that's reachable, two that aren't, and a fourth that'll give you some risk-reward decisions to make!

Still a formidable test, Bittersweet's now playable enough for area high schools to enjoy it. The large greens are receptive to approach shots, have some undulations (but nothing severe), are in great shape and have good pace without being lightning-quick.

Bittersweet Golf Club is the kind of track you'll appreciate the more you play it, which plays right into another advantage of the new management team there, a willingness to create packages that reward frequent play. Multi-round passes and memberships are available and offer an incredible bang-for-the-buck.

Bittersweet is also extremely outing-friendly, with facilities to handle up to 160 of your closest friends, business associates, or charitable contributors. The PGA professional teaching staff is committed to offering individual lessons and group clinics, so that your group, no matter how big or small, can enjoy its day on the links to the fullest. The full-service Pro Shop fills all your golf needs (though they sell a few less balls than they used to, that's actually good news!).

For more information on tee times, passes, memberships, or outings, contact Mike Erwin or his attentive staff at Bittersweet Golf Club (847) 855-9031, or visit their Web site at www.bittersweetgolf.com for the latest specials. You�re sure to find more of the sweet and less of the bitter these days at Bittersweet.