The Preserve at Oak Meadows

I've played 30 plus rounds in 2022 so far. This was the most I've paid for a round in 2022 by $25!!. Conditions at The Preserve have deteriorated to the point where I cannot recommend it for play...because of the premium rates they charge. And they get an extreme amount of play because of the "cachet" that this is supposed to be a "Best courses you can play" destination. The amount of play has contributed greatly to the continuing decline of OM.

In a previous review of this place I got some grief for offering an honest review of the now newer clubhouse. It's still ridiculous - you still find yourself waiting almost 20 minutes at the turn while the two groups in front of you trudge up and down 2 flights of stairs to get food/beverages. I discovered they do have a tiny locker room off the pro shop....and one shower stall (just one??). More rocket science & poorly thought out....DuPage Forest Preserve had a tremendous opportunity to build a top notch clubhouse/restaurant & failed miserably. Outside looks neat....and at least there are bathrooms & water downstairs while you wait and wait to start your back nine. Pace of play was very good otherwise.

Checking in I chuckled when the guy asked me if I wanted range balls. My question back to him - aren't they included in this exorbitant green fee I'm being charged? Of course they aren't included. Starter, cart barn and halfway house folks were very nice - note if you want any decent canned orange whip get it at the halfway house (after 4th and 13th) because you likely will not have those same selections at the turn - that makes sense right?.

Full range and practice facility. The practice putting green at the 1st tee is pretty worthless and not really like the design of any green on the golf course. They built a huge putting green when the redesigned the course....but that was blown up when they finally built the clubhouse - but why save that?

The carts have very good gps systems except they doorbell ding seemingly randomly - interrupting to remind you of items that they put up on the screen - it becomes a nuisance and feels like you are being treated like a two year old as the round progresses.

The course conditions -

Overall - hard as rock - hard and fast even with large rains in the area a week or two ago. One or two clubs less for run ups is prudent.

Traps - a notch above most places with good sand but observed several with no attempt to rake after being in them.

Tee boxes - as I predicted when this place was renovated the pads were too small for the amount of play. Half of the 2nd tee box we played was dirt - and many others were completely torn up with old divots.

Fairways - tight lies & divot laced in areas...increases the likelihood that one or two drives in your foursome will end up in an unfilled one. There's mix on the cart to fill divots in but most don't use it.

Rough - a good length but really sketchy in areas...hard pan areas with no grass as well.

Green Fringes - several were bare or very sparse & highly stressed out. Front apron on 5th green especially bad. Some Black layer has also developed - oxygen levels in the soil dropped because of saturated soil conditions/over watering and is especially prevalent (and growing larger) in run off areas.

Greens - acceptable however showing signs of stress as well.....and can be bumpy with imperfections, old ball markets and many not repaired correctly. The 16th green is especially bad with new and old ball marks all over the place.

Paying top dollar our foursome expected and anticipate far better conditions. I love the routing and design it's fun but for my golf dollar there are scads of other courses for 1/2 the price that are just as good and have better course conditions.

If you can control your drives then this course has an ability for 90 shooters to hit 80’s! Great course all around, greens don’t break as much as they might seem so typically aim for the hole and you’ll sink your putts!

Best course I have ever played in the Chicagoland area. Incredible course layout and conditions.

I've played here twice so far this year and both times had great conditions and experience. I love the course layout and would say it’s crucial to get off to a good start here. The first 5 holes are your scoring stretch. The new clubhouse is very nice and the staff seems to be very friendly. Hope to get out here a few more times this year.

If you haven’t played here yet you are really missing out. The price to play is on the higher end but is absolutely worth it. Not in the greatest condition but very well maintained. Every hole is very scenic with a great layout. Plenty of challenging high risk/high reward shots which makes the game fun. Best advice is to shoot for par and let birdies happen. Golf carts have gps and the staff was awesome.

Haven’t played here in years. They did an outstanding job on the remodel. Can’t wait to run this track again.