Summer has brought another packed tee sheet at Phillips Park GC in Aurora, Illinois, just west of Chicago. The city course, which was redesigned and updated by native Greg Martin back in 2001, originally opened with a nine-hole layout in the mid-1920s making it nearly a century since it began under Director of Parks Ray C. Moses.
“Our course is made for the everyday golfer. It’s a fun golf course,” said Jeff Schmidt, PGA Golf Operations Manager. “The course has four sets of tees to choose from and is playable for all golfers whether they are experienced or new to the game. Even good players will find our course challenging. We are a friendly and inviting course for all golfers – men, ladies, juniors, seniors.
“We host the Aurora City Golf Championship – it’s a little over 90 years old. We get anywhere from 90-100 players for the weekend for the two-day tournament. Some of the golfers return home where they grew up just for that one weekend, once a year, and will call in and say, ‘Hey, what’s the date this year? I’m going to come into town.’ It’s a pretty big deal here. And we see a lot of good players – young and old.”
Nestled among the neighborhoods, Phillips Park is a parkland-style course but plays fairly open. The second nine, which begins with a beautiful par-3 by the clubhouse, plays much more dramatically up and over hills than the opening nine. The property also includes a three-hole short course that is just $2 for one loop and $5 for a nine-hole loop.
The 325-acre park also includes a zoo adjacent to the course and a family aquatic center.