On Saturday, January 14, over 70 polar bear golfers converged on the short course at Golf Center Des Plaines, for the annual Des Plaines Park District Chili Open. The artic golf challenge drew sports enthusiasts and hobbyist golfers of every age, as they attempted to blast shots across the tundra and the frozen lake. The course was ablaze in the winter sunshine as the golfers traversed snow crusted greens and endured biting wind, before heading into Club Casa Cafe for chili and hot chocolate. “The fun part is people get all dressed up,” said Brian Panek, Manager of Golf and Facilities. “They come out wearing big ski jackets, hats, and gloves. This year we even had a duffer pulling his clubs on a sled.” Though this is the first year the Chili Open was held at Golf Center Des Plaines, many of the regulars came out for the signature event. “The more snow we had, the more people registered,” said Don Miletic, Superintendent of Business and Golf Operations. “You could hear people laughing out on the course and really enjoying themselves. One of the reasons we moved the event,” said Miletic, “was to give golfers an opportunity to warm up on the driving range before hitting the links. The heated bays are typically 25 degrees warmer than the outside air temperature,” he continued. “We golf 364 days a year here, with specials like six cent range balls on Mondays.”

The Open featured two shotgun starts, one at 9:00am, and one at noon. Most golfers only carried one or two clubs, and many used brightly colored balls drilled with a string. Golfers competed for prizes in Lowest Score and Closest to the Pin categories on the course. Joe Trinidad and Mike Fisher tied for first place in the Men’s Lowest Score Category, each with a score of 23 and Jessica Lang’s 36 was the lowest score in the Women’s Category. A prize for the most honest score was awarded to Marianne Balow for her 64, and Bennett Norris took home a prize for first place in the under 18 category with a score of 42. Brian Burton won the Closest to the Pin on Hole #1 and Kevin Kelly won Closest to the Pin on Hole #6. Raffle winners also took home Nike towels, gift cards from Dream Golf, Club Casa Cafe, and the Golf Center Driving Range.

Golf Center Des Plaines is located at 353 North River road, just north of Golf Road. Through February 28, the Driving Range is open from 9:00am until 10:00pm. For more information about the range, specials, and golf lessons, call 847-803-GOLF or visit www.DPParks.org.