Cog Hill Course #2 - Ravines

The golf mecca known as Cog Hill was born in 1926 when the three Coghill brothers purchased land in Lemont and hired David McIntosh to design a golf course. The first course debuted in 1927, followed by the second in 1929, right before the stock market crash that kicked off the great depression. In 1951, former Cog Hill caddie and employee Joe Jemsek bought the property, and the Jemseks have owned it ever since. In 2016, the property was annexed into the suburb of Palos Park.

Four golf courses coexist at Cog Hill, at a variety of price points ranging from sub-$50 (courses #1 and #3) to nearly $200 (course #4 -- Dubsdread). They range from ~6,300 to ~7,500 yards with course ratings to match. The premier course here is Dubsdread, which has hosted numerous professional and amateur tournaments throughout the years. It was the site of the PGA Tour's Western Open (1991-2006) and BMW Championship (2007, 2009-2011). Tiger Woods won the Western and BMW a combined 5 times, while other recent notable winners include Justin Rose, Trevor Immelman, and Dustin Johnson. Cog Hill also hosted the 1997 US Amateur Championship, won by Matt Kuchar.

While the courses have different personalities, they share some characteristics. There’s not a tremendous amount of water across all four venues. In addition, hills and elevation changes add flair across all four tracks. And of course, all are very well kept and nicely manicured. Cog’s practice facilities are excellent, with a huge Toptracer driving range and grass tees too. There’s numerous practice greens throughout the property, with a bunker and chipping area, and an entirely separate golf academy area with six PGA & LPGA professionals. Cog Hill has three separate pro shops, and all the merch you could possibly want, both of the logo and non-logo variety. Somehow the stately clubhouse feels both historic and modern at the same time; maybe classic is the best word to describe it. They host lots of weddings and events here. The restaurant has great food and all the American fare classics you’d expect. You’ll have a great golf experience here.

Cog Hill Course No. 2 - Ravines
Cog Hill’s second course debuted in 1929 and is the second most difficult of the four courses on the property. As the name implies, ravines run through almost half the venue. Course #2 was the championship course at Cog Hill from 1929 until Dubsdread was built in 1964. It measures 6,893 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 72.7. Just like course #1, the 4th hole is a par-3 with two completely separate green complexes and tee boxes, which adds variety to replays. When I last played here, they offered a $100,000 hole-in-one challenge on the par-3 7th hole. My favorite hole is #10, a par-4 requiring accurate ordnance delivery to the left side of the fairway. From there, an intimidating shot awaits, downhill over a ravine into a narrow looking green. The cart path is covered by a cage, suggesting to me the prison cell you enter if your approach falls short. Uniquely, there’s an optional 19th hole on Course #2, a 185 yard par-3 over water with a tough green. Unfortunately, when I last played here it was closed.