Chicagoland Dream 18

The New York City environs have a passel of swell clubs, and Philadelphia is home to old-line golfing tradition, but only Chicago can call itself Golftown U.S.A. � The 366 member clubs in the Chicago District Golf Association are a mix made to match the sensibilities of the heartland golfer. There are the private jewels like Medinah, Chicago Golf Club and Butler National but also an unmatched collection of classic public courses-- Cog Hill, Cantigny and Harborside, to name only a few. � H.S. Colt, C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor, Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast--all the greats worked Chicagoland's rich soil, making the selection of a Dream 18 encompassing the area's most fascinating holes a difficult task. (Our handpicked panel agreed that a second Dream 18 would yield a course as design-rich as the first.) � Throw in the Western Golf Association's 76-year-old Evans Scholarship program for caddies and you have it all in Golftown U.S.A.

1. Chicago Number 2

One of many St. Andrews Road Hole adaptations, this is an original Chicago Golf Club hole designed by C.B. Macdonald and renovated by his sidekick, Seth Raynor.

Keiser: "Macdonald's best 'manufactured' par-4s are known for their ingenious sculptures--such as the gorgeous and challenging green on this hole."

2. Beverly Number 11

Richards: "Originally dubbed Old Profanity, the hole demands a tee shot to the right of the bunker on the left, bringing out-of-bounds along the railroad tracks into play. The second shot must avoid a large fairway bunker about 220 yards from the green as well as the traps to the right at about 120 to 160 yards. Two bunkers right and another one left guard a large green with a dead elephant in the center. Chick Evans called this 'one of the great holes of golf.'"

3. Cog Hill No. 4 Number 16

The most recent home of the Western Open will soon undergo a redesign by Rees Jones in hopes of luring a U.S. Open to Dubsdread. But significant changes to this hole are unlikely.

Sherman: "This par-4 is my favorite, with the creek running along the dogleg on the left. Number 16 is the most picturesque hole on the course."

4. Glen Oak Number 8