Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course

The Sydney Marovitz Golf Course is easily the best golf course within walking distance from my home. That's not saying much. Although I consider the 9 hole course a bargain ($20) because it's located in Downtown Chicago, anyone from outside of the city limits would be p.o.'ed if they came to the city and played here. It's well kept for being a bargain public course and the views of lake michigan and the city are pretty cool. As everyone has noted, the play is so incredibly slow. Amazingly, it's not the starters or non existent golf rangers fault - it's the fact that there are so many hacks without the understanding of even basic golf pace or etiquette. For example, we had absolutely no issue being compatible with the foursome before and after us - it was the twosome just ahead that held things up horribly. If only decent twosomes or foursomes played this course you could wrap it up in 2.5 hours max. As it was, I played a 4+ hour round of 9 holes in 93 degree heat - ugh.

Waveland (the real name) has a fascinating history which apparently is long forgotten. 1st, it replaced a course that was at Diversey. It was built along with LSD. It was supposed to be 18 holes (birders won out). Each of the holes was designed after a famous golf hole of the time (30s). There were 48 sand traps (1 for each State). It was a very difficult 9. Still is in many respects. There were 1,000s of Elm trees surrounding all holes. Thats all the room but there's plenty more.

Marovitz WAS one of Chicago's great treasures. The course is a now a disgrace. The greens have been trashed by inept groundskeepers, without rain the fairways become concrete and upkeep has been shoddy. The pond on the 6th hole, once a haven for waterfowl (and golf balls) is now a mass of green slime. A novice SHOULD play the 9 holes at Marovitz in under two hours. Most courses insist that players ""keep pace"" at 12 minutes per hole. There are NO course marshalls to keep play moving; nine holes takes three hours to finish. Better to spend the time driving to the suburbs where for the same price golfing is the enjoyable game it used to be on the lakefront at Marovitz. (Just imagine what the course would be like if our mayor was as avid a golfer as he is a cyclist. Marovitz would look like Augusta National!!!)

Top 10 in Chicago??? This course shouldn't even be top 10 in Wrigleyville. There are a few putting greens in some office buildings by the course that are better. There is nothing special about the layout. Flat, easy, straight. There is the great look of chain link fence and taxi cabs. How is this even here is beyond me or any reasonable person of even low intelligence. The one saving grace is the view toward the lake. Even this is obscured sometimes with rusting equipment and sloppy looking grass.

Sure, this is not the fanciest or nicest course around, but consider everything and you've got yourself a winner -- it's cheap, a beautiful view and close. What more do you want? Get out early in the morning and there are no crowds at all. Plus, most folks don't know, but the course is open virtually year-round -- they only shut it down when it gets below 20 degrees or so.