The Bourne

See my other reviews below. Greens this morning were in great shape with good speed and very smooth. If you want to play a throwback and enjoy a homemade course with lots of quirks 'The Bourne is for you. I love the place and it will surprise even the most advanced golfer - a course that breaks all the rules and is fun....especially after your inaugural round - if you're a newbie manage expectations...you'll lose a few balls and keep a sense of humor. You'll have to play shots that you rarely try to pull off and if possible play with someone that has a few rounds under their belt at the Bourne. 40 weekdays 50 weekends/holidays no deals. driving range and small pro shop with beverages and hot dogs. No drinking water on course so bring some.. Call for a tee time. Weekdays are pretty empty. Highly recommend and pleased I trekked to The Bourne this season again.

Course in pretty good shape, some of the greens are a bit rough.

Every avid golfer has to come play this. Once you do, you will want to play again. Listen, this is not your typical course. I thought the course was in amazing shape. Is it a country club? No, but it’s a country club in the country... Every hole is fun because you’re trying to hit the right type of tee shot, which for most holes is a butter cut. #10 is a blast off the cliff. #17 will give you all you can handle with a draw tee shot and a fade approach. Such a beautiful natural, meandering course with tons of elevated tee shots. Could not recommend this course more. And yes, the routing is definitely tricky, but for and extra $20, they send you out with a Sherpa.. Play this course!

Because you need a cart to navigate the crazy routing The Bourne did not open until this past Friday the 29th of May. The course was in fantastic shape....each year it gets better and better as well as quirkier.....if that's really possible. See my review below dated 9/12/17 for more details. If you love golf adventures you have to come play this place. No frills they have beverages for sale in the clubhouse and sometimes hot dogs. Range and practice putting green. It's worth a trip for me at least once a season. Call ahead normally it's not crowded but you need to check.....$35 weekdays, $45 Sat/Sun/holidays. Worth every penny in my book! Highly recommend.

Starting with the positive, This is a great piece of land for a golf course. There are several Extremely elevated Tee shots, that alone make it worth the price.

Pace Of Play - Has been good whenever I played it as I have never seen it crowded.

Course Conditions - Not bad, I don't recall bare spots or crab grass. Greens are somewhat slow.

Off-Course Amenities - None I would suggest.

Value For The Money - Fairly priced for the location.

Staff Friendliness - Not much interaction to give it a rating.

Course Layout - Here's my beef. This piece of land could benefit from a professional architect. The amateurish layout suggest it was drawn on a cocktail napkin. I found yardage markings to off greatly. Couldn't trust GPS even.
I would suggest bringing a scope to play this the first time and each time thereafter.

If you're reading this review and are thinking - The Bourne? I've never heard of this course. It's just far enough out of the way and close enough to be one of my favorite Chicagoland hidden secrets of fine cost effective golfing adventures. Read my previous review below if you're intrigued and want to go on a safari.

I'm pleased to report that the maintenance of the course is even better than last year. Grass is growing on all the tee boxes, the fairway grasses continue to get better and better with definition and the greens are rolling fairly swiftly and true and were recently sanded with pure white sand/double cut!! The course is extremely beautiful with wonderful topography/elevation changes. You'll be in shock and awe. Worth the $35 during the week. If you want to experience golf the way it was years ago this is the place to do it.
You do have to play this place a few times to get the hang of what shots you need to pull off. No sand traps. First timers will definitely get lost trying to navigate around this track and it has an extremely quirky fun routing. Standing on the 16th tee let this sink in - the 18th tee is close to a mile from you. Provision up no water jugs on the course. Make a day of it. I highly recommend this place.....it's just awesome in my book!

PROS- a different experience, worth a 45 min drive, great views, elevation changes, value

CONS-outside of 45 min drive not worth it, long round, course construction, lost alot of trees due to storm, greens kind of iffy

Overall I like it its different.