Thoughts on Cog Hill’s Downfall

As a topic that has been discussed rather frequently around the PGA TOUR and the Chicago area, what is happening/has occurred at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club is a damn shame. Having spoken to a few individuals who are close to the situation, I have finally gotten a tighter grasp on what exactly transpired over the last few years in Lemont, Illinois… and it appears that this debacle is really the Jemsek Family’s fault (Steve Stricker was right!).

As one individual with knowledge of the situation put it, the Jemsek’s sought the quick/big dollars and brighter spotlight, and it has come back to bite them in the [you know where]. This happened in two ways.

According to the source:

First, they wanted to get the US Open to Cog Hill. Evidently hosting the Western Open there every year wasn’t enough – even though it was a stop that most of the big names would make sure to hit – including Tiger, the man who brings in the dough. Pros would also use Cog Hill as a practice facility between events because of its layout and good condition at the time. But in order to have a chance at getting the Open, the Jemsek’s knew that they had to renovate the course to make it longer and more difficult.

 So they hired Rees Jones (also partially to blame for this mess) to butcher, er – “renovate” the course. Holes were lengthened, greens were redesigned, and bunkers were added. And now…the pros hate it. All of them, even Tiger, the one player who has basically dominated the course over the past decade. They complain about it’s layout. They really, really complain about the overly-contoured greens…and now the pros could care less if the course gets a stop on tour (just ask Stricker, Zach Johnson, or especially Mr. Mickelson). But all of that is probably worth it because at least they’re gonna get to host the US Open as a result, right? Um, no. The USGA has not selected them, at least not for the next 7-8 years. Nice plan.

Secondly, the Jemsek’s changed the traditional date of the tournament (along with the pressure from a struggling Western Golf Association) so that they could be part of the FedEx cup – possibly the worst playoff in all of sports at the time. Some can make the argument that this playoff format has improved over the years… but I’m not one to make that argument; I think it sucks. Hard.

The Western Open – and later the Cialis Western Open – had a great mid-summer date, right before the British Open that was used as a last-chance qualifier to draw players who had not yet qualified for the Open Championship. Weather in mid-summer is ideal in Chicago, kids are not on school so families can attend, etc. – oh yeah, and they had a full field at that time. Meaning that (essentially) any and every big-name pro could play if they wanted to.

Now they have a mid-September date with what is essentially an invitational/limited field (and yes, I know that the FedEx format is not the fault of the Jemsek’s) which means that the big name pros can only play if they are high enough in the rankings. So this year for instance, instead of Tiger Woods drawing attention and money to your precious playoff tourney, you have a marquee-name in Webb Simpson sitting in 1st place and probably playing in front a couple dozen relatives along the way. Yay.

Mr. Jemsek, you would have been fine keeping your mid-summer date if you really wanted to preserve your tournament. I realize that the PGA has some say in scheduling, but the Jemsek’s pushed to be part of the FedEx Cup. Bad move. But at least you’ve got BMW as a sponsor! Well, had them as a sponsor.

Now, one of the best courses in the Midwest has been ruined and the possibility of another PGA TOUR event coming to Cog Hill is basically out of the picture… at least any time soon.