Village Links of Glen Ellyn (9h)

Village Links of Glen Ellyn (9h) is one of the most-played courses in Illinois on Hole19, and the layout makes clear why it draws a crowd. The 9-hole course is built around serious water features — 22 lakes and 118 bunkers define the challenge, with water in play on 15 of the 18 holes of the full layout. Greens are constructed to USGA specifications, large and rolling, and seeded with A-4 bentgrass. Fairways and tees are contoured L-93 bentgrass, kept largely free of poa annua. Roughs are low-mow Kentucky bluegrass with an 86-inch collar of intermediate first cut. Greens are aerated each October using quarter-inch hollow tines and aggressive top dressing. The course is particularly striking in autumn, when a wide variety of tree species turn vivid colors and the bentgrass thrives in cooler conditions. The course closes in early December and reopens in spring.