GOLF DIGEST 2017/2018
#51 COG HILL 4
Cog Hill has been synonymous with Chicagoland golf for half a century, and its crown jewel is the championship layout #4 also known as Dubsdread. Dick Wilson and Joe Lee designed CH4 in 1964, and Rees Jones remodeled it in 2009 in an attempt to lure a US Open. 
(The long 443/407 yard third plays uphill to two tiered green fronted by deep traps. It takes a well struck shot to hold the putting surface.)
Dubsdread is not for the timid. In fact, there should be a sign on the first tee like the one at Bethpage Black. “This is an extremely difficult course that we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.” This is a ballstrikers course! One must be able to control his ball, stripe it off the tee, and hit the appropriate shot into green.
(The 240/173 yard sixth has several great pin placements. The ability to tuck pins is one way CH4 is able to test the pros.)
Every green at CH4 is elevated! The bunkers are recessed into the slope and they are very deep. The greens are sectioned to accommodate specific pin positions. When the pros are here, they can place them in some tight corners. When one steps on the tee, the hole is laid out right in front of you. There is no question about where to drive it or what to do. 
(The seventh doglegs right around a water hazard. The option to challenge it or play away is a difference of several clubs. Playing conservative makes this a more demanding approach. 431/385)
Does this mean it lacks strategy? I don’t think so. There were times when I couldn’t hit at a pin and had to decide where to leave myself to have the best chance for par. In the past few years, I’ve come to really appreciate courses like CH4. No guess work, or trying to figure out how much roll the ball needs to come off a slope. It’s just here’s the fairway. Here’s the green. Hit it! Good players have to like that!!
(The 607/525 par five eleventh is a beautiful par five with views across the valley backdropping the green.)
For average players, CH4 can be a slog. If one can’t elevate the ball high enough, then the chance of holding the green is slim. Bouncing the ball on is not an option on many holes. There are three other courses to cater to average players, however, if they choose to play Dubsdread, a sleeve of balls is all that’s needed. 
(The 215/178 yard twelfth features a gull shaped green with several excellent pin locations. It was my only birdie.)
The terrain at Cog Hill is surprisingly varied with a lot of up and down movement. The Dick Wilson routing is solid even if some of the holes run parallel to each other. The valley behind eleven green offers beautiful views throughout the back nine. Watching on tv, one doesn’t get the serenity feel.
(The fifteenth plays as a long uphill par four for the pros, but for the rest of us, it’s a short 482 yard par five. The back pin sits on a little plateau.)
I had a great time at Cog Hill. One knows he’s in a special place the moment one pulls into the parking lot. I know it gets a lot of criticism for being too difficult, but that’s exactly why it was designed. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours). Definitely worth the trip from Cleveland! 
(The 494/401 yard eighteenth is an extremely demanding par four played below the clubhouse. The green is set next to the water and one’s approach must cover the hazard to attack the hole. Short right is fine for front or middle pins, but the rear ones have a knob that makes those locations very difficult. A four is an excellent score.)
(I shot 79 from the combo tees 6564)
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