Par 4 – 351 yards
I’m a firm believer that Chicago Golf Club possesses the finest set of greens of any golf course in America, and further, every hole could be on a “best” list. The 14th, Cape, has its origins in C.B. Macdonald’s original “Cape” the 14th at National Golf Links. It was wholly a Macdonald creation, and it features a green surrounded on three sides and a carry over a hazard off the tee which is set at an angle. I marvel at this hole because the green appears to have been floated into the tiny northwest corner of the property. The confines so natural and cozy it looks like it’s been there for centuries. The diagonal carry bunker on the left is the dominant feature from the tee. Second shots after solid drives are short irons but in keeping with Macdonald’s tenet that the shortest way over the hazard is the longest way to the hole. 14 presents the smallest green on the golf course at 6,168 square feet. Not tiny but it feels and looks that way after playing the first 13 holes because the size and scale of the previous greens is significantly larger. The green is also modest in contour relative to the other 17 at Chicago Golf. There are subtle spines that run through the green complicating the reading of the 14th green. There is a semi-circular ridge that protects the front left portion of the green which compounds the challenge of getting close to a front pin. The Cape at Chicago Golf is modest in length, but its design principles and intimate location tucked in the corner of the property make it one of my favorite holes in the world.