Golfer’s Guide Chicagoland Golf Courses Stories

Ask any golfer and they’ll be quick to tell you, the most important thing to them whenever they tee it up is how well they play. Whether it’s on the inestimable Old Course at St. Andrews or the “Ole Muni” two towns over, and whether they’re playing for the Claret Jug in Scotland or bragging rights in St. Charles, posting the lowest possible score – and white-washing their competitors in the process – is pre-eminent. But running a very close second to the how of it is the where of it, as golfers by and large love the thought of surrounding themselves, if only for a few hours, in an environment, an atmosphere, that bespeaks the best the sport has to offer, from great service to impeccable course conditions to a clubhouse that members are proud to call home.
That’s why, increasingly, when everyday life simply won’t do, golfers with the means and the motivation are stepping into The Royal Country Clubs, and stepping outside the ordinary world.

After getting wind of Poplar Creek Country Club becoming The Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club, I had to check it out. I’m very glad I did. Bridges of Poplar Creek is testament to modern day magic, the reinvention of an already stout, 35-year-old golf course and clubhouse thanks to a multi-million dollar enhancement project. Floods that occasionally plagued fairways after heavy rains will no longer occur.

The addition of “Bridges” to the club moniker is fitting. Installation of eight wood bridges of a notable 1,000-plus linear feet give “pop” to golfers’ aesthetics-laden journey and a golf history lesson along the way.

Private club life has always been an appealing prospect to avid golfers. The sheer number of golf facilities in America has made the country club lifestyle available to the masses, not just the executives of Fortune 500 companies.

Suddenly everyone could dream of immaculately manicured edges, doorto-door service and friendly clubhouse confines. But recent trends and a changing family dynamic have made belonging to a country club more problematic.

For many, a weak economy has halted thoughts of exclusive membership at private clubs, but alternatives able to deliver the same atmosphere and quality without the commitment exist. Klein Creek Golf Club is one of those alternatives, and as a member of the Royal Country Clubs (The Royal Fox, The Royal Hawk), the semiprivate club in Winfield is well versed in delivering an upscale golf product.