The Color Of Money Golf Weekend
Chicago, IL
by Fat Guy, with research from MovieLocations.com
This gritty 1987 "continuation" of Paul Newman's The Hustler (1961) was filmed almost entirely in Chicago. Pack up your Balabushka and your clubs, and head for the Windy City.
Start at the pool hall where Vincent first catches Eddie's eye: Fitzgerald's, 6615 W Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn IL. It was first established as a pool hall in 1915.
If Vince traded in his pool cue for a 1-iron, and he was a raw 4-handicapper who could become a +3 under Eddie's tutelage, where would Eddie take Vince to break him down and turn him into a golf hustler? Eddie would have started Vince out at a rinky dink muni, where an incestuous herd of small time gambler's overconfidence in their local's knowledge would make them easy targets. Someplace where nobody ever leaves the neighborhood, so word of Vince and Eddie's schtick wouldn't get out. Warm up your hustler moves at nearby Columbus Park GC, a Chicago city muni (5700 W. Jackson Blvd, 312-245-0909). Flat as a pancake with wide open fairways, no water, and receptive greens. Let your inner Vince spray the Big Dog all over the lot here, while your inner Eddie bereates you into learning when to tee off with Rescue 3.
And let's see, short of his "Vince" t-shirt, what would Vinnie wear on a golf course? I'm picturing something like a bright yellow Nike cool-max shirt, over-starched collar turned up Jimbo-Colbert-style, straight-front black slacks, all-black shoes, cheap wraparound sunglasses, no hat, and of course the Denunzio black glove. But be careful in this town; even Coach Ditka warned the Vince's of the world in a Golf Magazine interview, ""There are a lot of hustlers around here," Coach says, chuckling. "Before you get yourself in a game in this town, you'd better know who the hell you're playing with."
The Sir Loin Inn where Eddie takes Vince and his girlfriend Carmen is actually O'Briens Steakhouse, 1528 N Wess St near Northwest Ave in the Old Town District.
A lot of people don't know that Al Capone was a golfer. Legend has it the tommy guns and police uniforms used by Big Al's boys in the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre are buried on the grounds of south suburban Burnham Woods Golf Course. It was one of Al's favorite courses, and he was rumored to have built underground tunnels to the course from a nearby hideout. Capone sidekick Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn was good enough to try to qualify for the 1933 Western Open, but left the course before the turn. There are several versions of the reason for his withdrawal. Among them: The cops were waiting for him at the clubhouse.
The Gingerman Tavern
Another Chicago bar turned pool hall for The Color Of Money was The Gingerman Tavern (above), 3720 N Clark St, at W Waveland Ave northwest of Wrigley Field in Wrigleyville. After a few games at the G-Man, have Eddie treat Vince and his girl to a Cubbies game at nearby Wrigley.
St. Paul's Billiards
Real Chicago pool halls used in the movie include St. Paul's Billiards, 1415 W Fullerton Ave, in Lincoln Park-DePaul, where Vince gets beaten up, although it's long since closed. First and only time I've ever seen a pool hall named after a saint!? What a shame this joint is closed. If this doesn't look like the quintessential pool hall, then I don't know what does.
And Chris' Billiards, 4637 N Milwaukee Ave, between Laurence and Montrose in northwest Chicago, is still going strong.
After you drink in the atmosphere at Chris', it's on to one more molding round before you start to make real money. Eddie wouldn't have been able to resist a course called Open Kitchen GC (aka Winnetka GC, 1300 Oak St, Winnetka, 847-501-2050). The lowbrow Regulation course flows through heavily wooded, scenic terrain, with narrow fairways and large greens. Test your inner Vinne's ability to throttle back on the driver and live off the short game here.
Finally, a disillusioned Eddie finally ditches Vincent after he runs the table at North Center Bowl, 4017 N Lincoln Ave. Try not to rip the railing off the stairwell on your way out.
Now you're ready to step up in the world, make a little seed money before getting into the big money games. There are two Chicagoland courses fully stocked with pigeons, tourists, and Tour wanna-be's: Cog Hill's #4 Dubsdread (12294 Archer Ave, Lemont, 630-257-5827), the Chicago muni that annually hosts the PGA Tour's Western Open; and Kemper Lakes, (Old McHenry Rd, Long Grove, 847-320-3450) where the rugged, watery closing stretch gets all the ink, but the best holes come earlier, such as the dogleg-right, par-5 11th that offers a tree-lined tee shot, followed by a superb risk/reward second over water from a slight downhill lie. By now you know exactly when to lay up, and when to go for the green. Take down a few pigeons here, and word about you will be on the street.
The Nine-Ball Classic Tournament was set at Resorts Hotel & Casinoon the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, but only the exterior shots were filmed there. The giant arched hall of this climactic poolathon was actually filmed at the ballroom at the Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, in Chicago.
Where To Stay: The "Resorts" hotel scenes were actually filmed at Chicago's historic Blackstone Hotel, 636 S Michigan Ave.
The Blackstone Hotel
Of course, the big money games in Chicago will all be at the old money country clubs like Chicago Golf Club, Medinah, Butler National, and Olympia Fields. I'm sure your inner Eddie can schmooz a few assistant pros to get you in the gate for a game with a few doctors and lawyers with more money than brains.