Pistakee Country Club

This course is much older than previously indicated. Probably 1915-1920. Probably designed by Harry Collis who designed Phoenix cc and remodeled Flossmor cc. It makes excellent use of its rolling terrain and is very similar to old school northsore cc’s before they were remodeled. Holes 3, 5 and 6 are a test for most golfers who can’t drive 280. 6 is essentially a volcano hole where misses left leave a 40 ft pitch uphill and right a very steep approach. Holes 7 and 8 are n at short par fours with 7 drivable. The par 5 s are weak but fun for normal players. I have been playing this course for over 40 years and never tire of it. You really need a good short game if you want to score and will have many unusual lies. Unfortunately conditioning of fairways and traps leaves a lot to be desired but geeens are decent but small.

Pistakee CC is a 9 hole course that has two sets of tees. From the "tips" it's just over 3000 yards. When looking at that yardage you would think it is not a long course by any means, however, it doesn't play as short as the yardage indicates. There are some par 4's on this course that are over 400 yards that deserve some respect as well as a "longish" par 3 that is 190 yards. What provides a nice balance is that there are some "scoring" holes as well. Depending on the wind or wet/dry conditions, two of the par 4's are drivable being less than 300 yards in length. Likewise the closing hole is a par 5 which is only 452 yards in length. No water hazards and less than 15 bunkers throughout the course means the course has to protect par in other ways. It does that through small green complexes, uneven lies throughout the course due to elevation changes, and steep drop offs around the greens. OB on the left side of the fairways on the first three holes and mature trees lining the fairways throughout the course also provide obstacles for drives that stray from the fairways. The course has some great charm and character; you just have to look a little deeper and understand that it was built nearly 75 years ago.

I came into this round with very little info on the course. I took a chance on checking it out and I'm glad I did. Now I get to be the first to review it and pass the info along.

Pros: Hands down, the greens are the best part about this course. Even the scorecard encourages people to take care of the greens because they are what the course has become known for. They are smooth and they roll true. While small in overall size, they have character (subtle breaks in some, large slopes on others). The pro I take lessons from once surmised that the course must spend most of their course maintenance budget on the greens because they have the potential to be some of the nicest in the northwest suburbs.

The gentleman working in the pro shop was nice. The workers on the course were considerate and even made sure to compliment nice shots.

Can't beat the rates and the pace of play. Even with multiple groups in front of and behind us, we never felt rushed and were never waiting after the second hole.

Course was easy to walk with limited distance between greens and tees. Total distance walked for 9 holes was a little over 3 miles. With the elevation changes throughout the course, the walk also had the equivalent of 17 flights of stairs climbed.

Cons: Gasp! I can't believe I'm saying this about golf but maybe the course is a little too easy??? I played on a very windy day that affected every shot and still finished only 2 over through 9 holes (double bogey on the second hole, parred the rest). Had I been putting well, I could have easily finished 1 or 2 under par. The beauty is that scoring well is fun for a change of pace. I didn't have to shoot a bunch of different targets with my range finder. It was flag hunting golf all day long. I had a blast. My buddy who golfs a handful of times all year also found it enjoyable. That being said, if I wanted to play a competitive round, this would not be the place for it unless you put some fun restrictions on it. I believe there are multiple 1 club and 3 club scrambles at this course. Again, good for a change of pace and something different but not something I would do everyday.

The clubhouse and pro shop appear as if they haven't been updated since the place was built. Depending on your opinion, I could see how people would say it's dark and dinghy but I found it to be a throw back and could absolutely imagine groups gathering there throughout the last 75 years. Of note, I didn't eat or drink anything at the course. Just judging based on the few minutes I was in the clubhouse.

No driving range and just a putting green for a warm-up area. The putting green did give an accurate feel for how fast the greens on the course would be running.

Verdict: If I would come back and play it again, I feel safe enough to recommend it to others. Yes, the course will get rough in places. Yes, the clubhouse leaves a lot to desire. Yes, the practice/warm-up area is limited. But as I've stated in some of my other reviews, I'm a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. The course is not charging you an arm and a leg. It is reasonably priced for the quality of the course and the facilities. I think that's all anyone can ask for when playing around at various courses. I would consider this a good "value" course based on the condition and challenges of the greens and pace of play alone. Definitely worth giving a chance and enjoy your chance at making birdies throughout the day.