21200 W South Carillon Dr
Plainfield, IL 60544
(815) 886-2132

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So I have finally played a round in 2011.  It has been a long wait but the sticks have finally touched the grass.  The weather in Chicago has just been miserable this spring, but my season has begun.  My first round of the year was played at The Links at Carillon in Plainfield.  The Links was a perfect course to kick off the season and shake the cobwebs off.  The Links at Carillon is a 27 hole facility, and I got the chance to play the Red and White courses.  The Red course played at 3,391 yards with a rating/slope of 72.5/125.  The White course played at 3,438 with a rating/slope of 71.1/123.  Both courses are very similar in layout and condition, and I believe the Blue course is as well, but a little shorter in yardage.  Overall, the course was extremely flat with not that much undulation in the greens except for a few holes.  I found that the course provided many challenging holes, but the par 3s were a big disappointment……no wow factor there.  The course is surrounded by homes on every hole, which is something I don’t particularly like, but there is still plenty of room for errant shots.  There is a driving range, practice green, and chipping area.  This course definitely deserves a try for Chicagoland golfers.  Enjoy a hole-by-hole review with pictures below.

Hole by Hole descriptions:

Red Course – 1st Hole:  Par 5, 515yds.  The first hole on the Red Course is a good test to start your round with water looking you right in face off the tee.  The water doesn’t really come in to play unless you crush it.  If you have a big drive try to take it over the bunkers on the right and you will be in perfect shape, if not aim just left of the bunkers.  This hole is definitely reachable in two, but depending on the pin placement your approach shot will be somewhat blind, but the green is fairly large so you should be fine.

2nd Hole:  Par 4, 340yds.  This is a straight forward hole so just rip it straight at the 150 stick.  The approach shot is a little tight as the green is rather small.

3rd Hole:  Par 4, 419yds.  Take your drive right in between the power lines you see below and you will be in great position for your approach.  There is water straight ahead towards the white water tower and a big drive could get you into trouble if you take that line.  Second pic is from the 150yds stick.

4th Hole:  Par 3, 203yds.  Decent first par 3 to test your iron skills.  Two bunkers come into play front right, but the water should not be an issue on less you hit a worm burner.  Green is rather large so plenty of room for error.

5th Hole:  Par 4, 408yds.  This is your first grip and rip hole.  Straight hole, so just aim for the 150 stick and let it fly.  Only problem with this hole is the green slopes heavily from right to left.  I hit a great approach shot to the right side of the green and the ball rolled left all the way across the green and onto the fringe.  Not a terrible situation for my birdie putt, but just be aware of the pin placement.  You can see the severity of the slope in the last photo of this hole.

6th Hole:  Par 5, 546yds.  One of my favorite holes on the front nine.  This is considered the hardest hole on the front and I believe it.  Nothing tricky about the drive or the layup, but when you are ready to go for the green it can be a little intimidating.  Nothing plays with a golfer head more than a green that is guarded by water and even the wooden ledge.  The green is very narrow and there are bunkers all around.  Good luck.

7th Hole:  Par 3, 172yds.  Pretty Straight forward and easy hole, with a rather large green.

8th Hole:  Par 4, 410yds.  Another good driving hole and chance for a birdie.  Aim your drive just left of the tree that is just right of the fairway and you will be in great shape for your approach.  The green has some slope to it, but you should have a great chance for a good score here.

9th Hole:  Par 4, 378yds.  This is hole requires you to be straight off the tee as 3 bunkers guard the fairway.  Once you get by those 3 bunkers you are faced with one of the bigger green side bunkers I’ve seen in a while.  Good finishing hole for this set of 9.

White Course – 1st Hole:  Par 4, 341yds.  This was the only par 4 that I did not use my driver on.  I didn’t want to flirt with the water, and I was still able to leave myself a nice PW into the green.  If you are a big hitter you may want to go for it as I do remember this hole being down wind.  The choice is yours.

2nd Hole:  Par 5, 527yds.  This hole kinda reminded me of the first hole on the Red course, which always bothers me.  You never want to step up to a hole and say to yourself, “hey this looks like that other hole.”  Maybe that is just me, but a good course should not have similar looking holes.  Anyway, take your drive over the left edge of bunker on the right and you will be in great shape.  This hole is reachable in two for the big hitters, but you are faced with a small green surrounded by bunkers.

3rd Hole:  Par 3, 171yds.   Nice par 3 over water, but again a straight forward hole.  What you see is what you get.

4th Hole:  Par 4, 415yds.  The 4th is a good driving hole, but look out for the two bunkers that pinch the fairway.  This hole is a good birdie hole.

5th Hole:  Par 4, 435yds.  You won’t be able to see the green from the tee, but take your drive just right of the tree on the left.  Tough approach shot on this hole, so be precise.

6th Hole:  Par 3, 207yds.  Another ok par 3, with a large green.  Be careful though, there is a lot of undulation on this green.

7th Hole:  Par 4, 388yds.  The 7th is another straight away hole and great driving hole.  There is a large long bunker on the left side of the fairway, and the green is surrounded by bunkers.  The approach is another tough one with little room for error.

8th Hole:  Par 4, 426yds.  The eight is one of the easier hole with a generous fairway and plenty of room for error.  There is one green side bunker, which is the only think you need to worry about on this hole.  Birdie is definitely feasible here.

9th Hole:  Par 5, 528yds.  Easily the best view you will have on the course from the tee.  This is hole is certainly not as hard as it looks.  The hole isn’t that long, and definitely reachable in two.  Water will come into play on every shot you take though.  Aim your drive just right of the cart you see in the first picture.  That will leave you with the best chance of reaching in two.  Be careful though because the water does extend to protect the green.  Either go for it, or lay up to the right.  All in all a great finishing hole.  Last picture is another great view of the hole.

Overall it was a good start to the golf season, and I enjoyed the course.  The Links is worth a shot, and I’m sure by mid summer the course will be in better shape.

Tee it Up!