Oh this is nice, real nice. I’ve never played The Bridges of Poplar Creek (formerly just Poplar Creek) but I was smitten after the first hole. So smitten, that I batted around kicking off a golf weekend here because it’s the closest quality course to O’Hare that my group hasn’t played yet (no go, however, because of high school golf practice). This place is nice and it’s a good bargain.
You know I love Schaumburg, but The Bridges is comparable in conditions and layout and $4 cheaper on weekend mornings, plus, you can make tee times on EZ Links. That’s going to put The Bridges of Poplar Creek slightly ahead of my beloved Schaumburg the next time I’m looking Northwest.
They gutted this place a few years ago and it’s already filled in. I never played the old version, but I understand it had significant drainage problems and other conditioning/design issues. Those are gone and it’s kicking. Lohmann Golf Course Architects knocked it out of the park in my view.
The first hole sets the tone. It’s a straight, mid-length par four with a bunker in the landing area and an approach over water. As I was riding up to the green over the beautifully redone bridge, which has an eye-catching peak at 17th green off in the distance over the lake, I knew I was in for a good day. The second hole, pictured above, also has an approach over water with an artfully done retaining wall. This is what you get. Really nice stuff.
I heard part of the redo was the reversing of the nines. Either way, they both start off with stunning holes. The back nine begins with a par 5/par 3 combination that wraps around a beautiful lake, which acts as a barrier between the course and the neighborhood. You do get a fair amount of house/condo/office building views but I didn’t feel this detracted from the scenery. I can dial back expectations, and paying a fair price for a beautiful golf course within 25 miles of downtown with bent grass tees, greens, and fairways means you’re going to give up some seclusion.
We played the challenging Bridge’s combo tees (6,238 yards), but even single-digit handicappers can find plenty of challenge with the 6,500 yard black tees. They have a learning center and a bar & grill, but I didn’t check either of them out. This is a first class golf course and it’s going into the rota effective immediately, I’m betting the rest of the facilities are just as solid as the course.
I hit it well but had a few blow-ups. All-in-all, great day.
