Prairie Landing - Holes 9 and 18

Getting To Know: Prairie Landing Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With John Schlaman, PGA Director of Golf

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with John Schlaman who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Our Prairie links style golf course designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. features five par five's, five par three's, rolling bent grass fairways, large undulating bent grass greens, massive sweeps of native grasses, numerous sand bunkers and grass mounds. A picturesque canal winds through the property and comes into play on 10 holes.

Multiple tees allow four USGA rated choices for men and three for women.

The full service clubhouse is clean, comfortable and is just as photogenic as the golf course.

The practice facility is among the best anywhere featuring a multiple target practice range, two par four practice holes, large practice putting green and short game pitching and bunker area.

The facility is set just south of the DuPage Airport (one of the world's finest general aviation airports) and just north of the union pacific rail line. No homes or businesses border the fairways providing for a unique secluded setting in the heart of the far west suburbs.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
A green fee/cart fee at Prairie Landing includes, range balls, practice holes, locker room and full color GPS on each golf cart. Our multiple golf rate pricing structure is designed to fit any budget.

We do golf outings well. Live-leaderboard GPS scoring and post event results recap reports are just a small part of the service we offer to groups of any size.

Our staff's goal is impeccable customer service and attention to detail providing a private golf club experience with public golf course pricing.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Because of the links style design it is important to carefully pick out a target in the fairway as well as on approach shots. Practice some long lag putts at our large putting green before play because you will need this skill to save a two putt.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Golf Digest Magazine rated Prairie Landing 4.5 Stars as one of America's "Best Places to Play" and Zagat rated the Prairie Landing Golf Course as "Extraordinary".

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Hole number five is a split fairway par four and the #1 handicap hole. Hit it 220 or more off the tee and take the shorter left fairway route setting you up for a 115 yard 2nd shot to a deep narrow green. Or go the safer right fairway route off the tee setting you up for a more difficult 2nd shot of 150 yards over a hazard to a wide shallow green. View the overview of the holes on our website.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is #12 our #2 handicap hole. Unusual for a #2 handicap hole #12 it is a par three. It plays 195 to 218 yards to the center of the green 90% of which is over a beautifully scenic natural pond. Hit plenty of club into the prevailing west wind and hit it solid or you'll end up at the drop area.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The McChesney Pub and Grille offers a full bar selection of cocktails, craft beer menu as well great food and appetizers. Two HDTV's will have the latest in sports and business news and free Wifi is available.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
The course record is 62 (-10) held by Alex Coe and shot during the Nationwide Tour Monday qualifier on May 29, 2007. It was a calm warm day where 7 scores of 65 or better were shot. You can do it!

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6950
Slope: 139
Rating: 73.8

More Information
Prairie Landing Golf Club
2325 Longest Drive
West Chicago, IL, 60185
630-208-7600
www.prairielanding.com

Article Tags: Prairie Landing Golf Club

Revised: 07/18/2012 - Article Viewed 34,713 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.