GOLF’s latest ranking of Top 100 Courses in the World features plenty of familiar names, from Augusta National and Pine Valley to Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. But tucked amid those icons are lesser-known layouts with compelling designs and rich histories of their own. In this ongoing series, we’ll introduce you to them.
The same rule that governs books and their covers applies to golf courses and their scorecards. You can’t judge one by the other.
Shoreacres illustrates the point.
This alluring layout on Chicago’s North Side tips out at just over 6,300 yards, making it the shortest of GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World. (Yes, some holes at Shoreacres can be stretched back for competitions, but we’re going by daily-play setup and the distance printed on the card.)
Its story, though, is more than a tale of the tape.
Shoreacres is the work of Seth Raynor, the engineer-turned-architect who was tutored in the trade by the father of American architecture, C.B. Macdonald. Like his mentor, Raynor incorporated templates into his designs, archetypal features that he adapted to suit each site. If you’ve played a Raynor course — this can be a challenge, as most are private — you’ve probably heard the terms: Biarritz, Redan and Eden. Shoreacres has them all, on an intimate site beside Lake Michigan.
Shoreacres starts benignly, with a gettable par-5 and a pair of short par-4s. Bank some birdies while you can. The front nine is relatively flat, but the land grows more dramatic as you make the turn, with a particularly thrilling stretch from holes 11-15 that plays over and round ravines. From start to finish, the layout’s main defense comes on and around its greens. At some point during an outing here, you’re apt to hear the phrase, “You’ve been Raynored,” which can happen in all kinds of ways. An approach shot, for instance, defied by a false front or shrugged off by a green-side shoulder. A putt that breaks in some confounding fashion. A ball that glides past the cup… and down into a bunker.
Classic courses filled with templates are often describes as architecture “museums.” Really, they’re more like interactive exhibits. In that regard, Shoreacres demands your full engagement, without requiring you to play the power game. Strategy and shot-making are priorities here.
All the more impressive is that Raynor pulled this off without having access to what many regard as the property’s best land. The clubhouse occupies that acreage, and a bluff overlooking the lake. It’s an idyllic place to soak in views while recounting your highlights from the day. Self-glorification is fair game in golf. Just do your friends a favor and keep those stories like the golf course: short.
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