Prairie Landing

Awesome course, very challenging, loads of risk/ reward shots, and great green complexes. Early season pricing for this course was staggeringly good.

Unfortunately my round was very early in the season, course was aerated everywhere, no carts (despite the course being dry, and the staff being very concerned with pace of play), and pace of play, with people unaccustomed to walking, was insanely slow.

Excellent course with a great staff...always a pleasure to play, even in March!

Over 5 hours for early March - ugh. Yes, it was walking only, and yes we were delighted to be playing...But a five some ahead of our twosome (single digits) without stepping aside (or being told to) ruined much of our delight. If you’re going to open, then get out and control the pace of play. Please.

One of my favorite courses. Always in excellent condition, great practice facilities, and perfect greens.

Summary: This RTJ II prairie links style course is a gem and an underrated one at that. I played it one time and I can’t wait to get back and play it again. In fact, it has been the one public course in the Chicago suburbs I have recommended more than any other since I played there in early October.

Pros: The course design is top notch. It is a change of pace from other area golf courses. The prairie style links lends itself to a different style of play. It is not a “bombers” course where you can hit driver off of every tee. While I would not say the course is tight, I wouldn’t say it is wide open either. There is a good balance in the design where the best play may be a 3 wood, 5 wood, or even a hybrid or iron off the tee based upon the width of the fairway, the fairway bunkers, the water hazards, the weather conditions (specifically the wind), and the deep fescue lining the fairways. I did not hit a single driver on the front 9 and I loved every minute of it. Each hole is unique and presents its own challenges as well as its own rewards. WIth most of the par 4’s playing between 300 and 400 yards, you can play as risky as you want. Just know that if you miss the fairway, there is very little area for forgiveness. Deep, thick fescue throughout the course pretty much guarantees a lost ball should you miss badly. The 5th hole is a microcosm for the entire course. There is a split fairway with a water hazard bisecting the two fairways. It is approx a 220+ yard carry over the hazard into small landing area. Should you pull it off, you will have a wedge and a much better angle into the green. Play it safe by staying short and right of the hazard and you will have a long iron in with an angle into the green that makes it very shallow. Pick your poison. Its just a great golf hole that most golfers will appreciate and want to play multiple times.

What I probably loved most about this course was the design of the greens and the areas around them. The course staff did an excellent job of keeping these areas as close to pristine as possible. You essentially are only limited by your imagination. The angles and slopes around the greens allow you to play a variety of shots. You will have to use all of your short game tricks (flop shots, bump and runs, putting from off the greens, etc) in order to stick it close to the pin consistently on this course. Greens were in good shape and definitely have character to them. Different levels on the greens put a premium on good approach shots.

I loved that the course has two warm-up holes. Should you have enough time before your round, I would encourage you to play the two par 4 practice holes prior to teeing off on the actual course. It will give you an excellent feel for the angles, course conditions, and speed of the greens. Standing on the first tee box, I felt more confident in my approach after “testing” out the course on the practice holes. The course also has an excellent driving range should you prefer that. I would recommend both.

Should you take a cart, the GPS is excellent. For having never played the course before, it certainly helped with club selection as well as pace of play. It is one of the better in-cart GPS systems that I have seen/played with. For the most part, the yardages provided were extremely accurate. There were a few times where the yardages into the greens were off by a couple of yards but not enough to change a club selection.

Cons: I know I’ll be the outlier in saying this but I’ll say it anyways: I’m not a fan of holes 10-13. Those holes wind through a wooded area and to me, feel too much like what I can get at any other course around Chicago. Again, just personal opinion. To me, they just feel like they don’t match up with the rest of the links style course.

The par 3’s are somewhat lackluster. The lone picturesque par 3 is the 12th hole which is a forced carry over a large water hazard. From the gold tees, the yardages are 178, 174, 208, 171, and 207. From a design standpoint, I would have liked to see more variation in the yardages. The par 4’s and 5’s have that variance. The par 3’s, not so much.

Being objective, the planes flying overhead could also be an issue for some golfers. The course borders a somewhat busy airport and the planes that are landing do come in somewhat low over the course in their approach to the runways. They are not huge planes and they are not so loud as to hurt your ears, however they could be a distraction if you’re susceptible to that type of thing.

Verdict: This course instantly jumped into my top 5 Chicago suburbs courses. Worthy of a 5 star review in almost all aspects. The challenges and the risk/reward options presented throughout the course make this a true golfer’s course. The uniqueness in the design and style of the course make it one that will provide you with something new every time you play it. I can’t wait until next spring to give it another go. Highly recommended.

Definitely not a course for high handicappers because of thick fescue and water hazards on every hole. Very great shape even though it rained the night before, there was no standing water anywhere. Also had someone wash our clubs on 18, and there are 2 practice holes and bunker practice that you can play for no additional charge if you get there early. Great quality, a little on the pricier side though. Definitely would play again if I can find a good deal.

Great course but due to timing (late October)no real after round place for drinks. The course was absolutely awesome. the only issue which is normal this time of year is the aeration. It should be noted somewhere when the aeration was done to allow golfers to decide. Other than that though the fairways were immaculate and everything else was top notch. I would recommend to everyone

Loved it. Unfortunately, the greens were aerated. Would love to play with the greens in good condition.

Besides the aerification of greens, course was excellent!

Greens rolled fast and true. Course in great shape. Only negative was slow twosome we got paired with which made our round 4:50. Ouch! It was frustrating. Nice couple but ..... know groups behind us we're not happy but it was even worse being in the group. All I can say is we tried to speed them up.

Everything about this place is great except today. We got stuck behind a college girls tournament, forcing us to skip one hole after 5 hours of play. The worst part was our tee off was over an hour later than the last tourney group.

Bring your best putting skills if you want to score great. Never disappointed when I play Prairie Landing a true gem in West Chicago.

Started play at 3;45 pm as a threesome and played in 3:45 with other traffic on course. Course is in unbelievable condition. Reworked bunker complexes are mint!! Great value and I rate as Top 5 public courses in Chicagoland

Start off with 2 practice holes that are as good as any holes on the course. Nice to warm up hitting actual shots before teeing off of #1. The course was in great shape with true and fast greens. And I mean fast. Lots of water that does not come into play but on several holes it does. Especially the par 3 12th which is all carry and into the wind can be a challenge. Always best to take more club as long is better than short and wet.

This is not a beginners course and will really test intermediate golfers and advanced players. Greens have a good deal of slope and very challenging but fair. Most holes have an accessible landing area but some holes need a ver good drive to avoid bunkers. Excellent par 3's where par is a great score.

One of my favorite courses on non windy to slightly windy days. On windy days it is really a beast.

I was glad to get back to Prairie Landing after a long absence. Had a nice lunch in the clubhouse, hit some practice balls, and was ready to take on the challenging layout.

Course was in great shape, however pace of play was slow on the back nine, where groups got stalled at the long par 3 number 12 hole. Still was a great afternoon of golf, particularly for the price I paid.

I had heard a number of other golfers ask me if I had played Prairie Landing, and I always replied, "No."

That changed yesterday.

I played 18 holes at the course in very windy conditions, which made nearly half of the holes very challenging. You need your A game here! Lots of sand traps, fescue and water make nearly every shot count.

Picturesque, magnificent course design, very friendly staff. Worth playing again!

We played a very nice course. Big fairways and greens but plenty of trouble to get in. Greens rolled very nice but are big so you wind up with some long putts. Definitely great for the price