Chicago Golf Courses to Get a Facelift
By Prescott Carlson in News on Dec 11, 2008 10:00PM
In the midst of all the snow and cold, perhaps a good way to cope is to daydream about warmer days, donning some ugly pants, and hitting the links for a round of golf. Your fantasy can now include new and improved golf courses, too, because the Chicago Park District has just announced that the city's 6 courses -- as well as the places more our speed, the 2 miniature golf facilities -- will be receiving a $5.5 million overhaul as part of a new contract with Billy Casper Golf Management of Vienna, Va. Previously, Northbrook-based KemperSports had managed the courses since their privitization in 1993.
A little TLC on the greens is warranted, as Park District board president Gery Chico described them as not being able to "tell the difference between the fairways and the rough" and that there were "greens with no grass." And the Chicago area duffers deserve nice courses to play on, right?
Noting the lakefront locations of the Jackson Park, Marovitz (Waveland) and South Shore courses, [Peter Hill, chief executive of Casper Golf,] said they could become destination sites for putter-toting tourists.Gah! At least he didn't mention anything about the Olympics. Yet.