Arboretum Golf Club

This is our second time playing The Arboretum Club. We enjoyed it the first time and we enjoyed it even more the second time because even a little course knowledge will help.

The layout is fantastic, challenging, and nicely manicured throughout.

The green are very well built, Nicely shaped with excellent conditioning overall. Rolling quick and true and consistent around the course. Notable are the tight cut lines at the fringes and on into the intermediate and deep rough.

Bunkers were mostly in very good shape aside from a handful that were troubled due to some recent heavy rains. Overall, the water and bunker placement and shaping around the course is as genius as it is diabolical. You can expect this in many Dick Nugent designs like The Arboretum Club where you will find a premium on accuracy over power.

On the downside are the ball marks. So many unrepaired ball marks!! I don't blame the course for this: I do blame the many players ahead of us that just don't seem to care.

I just don't get it. Consider that The Arboretum Club provides free/complimentary single prong repair tools (my preference) at check in. Then consider the that there are signs in the carts request that clearly ask you to repair your ball marks. Then consider that most every golfer knows that leaving a ball mark is not only rude to every players that follows, but it destroys the green for weeks and slows play.

I repaired at least four or five ball marks on every hole and easily could have found up to 20 or more. Some ball marks were just a couple of feet from the cup. What? Why?

In my opinion, those players that refuse to repair their ball marks should be treated the same as those who deliberately ignore cart rules— to the detriment of the course— by driving their carts right up to the green edge, off the path during cart path only conditions, or through ground under repair or other areas marked off limits; They should provided the benefit of the doubt at first, by being schooled once, and then warned again, and if they persist, they should be asked to leave. - End Rant

Ball mark trouble aside, I'll leave you with the best of what we found at the Arboretum Club:

Ball washers and Foot brushes as both the back AND the Forward tees. Nice! (could use some fresh water and new towels on our visit)

Tee boxes are in excellent shape. We had no problem finding a quality position or conditions at any time.

Two bottles of sand/seed mix, both dry and easy to apply. Electric carts were beautiful with great pickup and quiet and smooth handling.

Rough was perfectly cut and consistent around the course. We had no trouble finding our off target shots and playing them back to the fairway or advancing them toward the green.

Note also that the practice green on this day perfectly matched the actual course conditions and if you're one to practice in advance, this can definitely take a few strokes off of your round.

All in all, The Arboretum Club was great fun and enjoyable from beginning to end. All staff encountered were very kind and helpful all around and we very much look forward to playing again! Thank you!

The course was in great condition. Greens are fast and challenging, but well maintained. Bunkers also in much better condition than other courses in the area. The only gripe was the starter allowed several pairs and solo players to play without grouping them together, which resulted in our foursome being rushed and needing to let several groups skip ahead of us on the back 9. It was otherwise a great course and would certainly play again.

If you like lots of water holes, this is the course for you. Certainly a more challenging public course than most in the area. Interesting course design with berms, elevation changes , rolling fairways...and lots of water. Very pretty clubhouse, spacious restaurant/bar.

In the over 200 rounds I have played the last 3 years I have never wrote a negative review about a course. Overall this is a decent public course. It was beat up, but It is well designed and offers a decent amount of obstacles for a clever round.

Here is my beef. I arrived for my noon tee time an hour early. The course was not busy by any means. I went to check in and was told to come back in 55 mins. I asked “Any chance I could go early?” And was told “Absolutely not, You have a good rate, you have to pay more to go earlier.” Okay I proceeded to the putting green and watched. In over 35 minutes zero people tee’d off. I’m a reasonable person, it was a Tuesday afternoon, not a weekend round, and I was by myself. The course wasn’t busy. We have a ton of options to choose from in the Chicagoland area. Why not just let someone go early to improve the customer experience and speed up the round.

An hour later, I ended up getting paired up with 3 other singles, 2 senior men and a senior woman. I typically play from the tips. They were fine playing with, but It just didn’t make sense. That being said I will avoid this course in the future simply to not have another interaction with the unfriendly pro shop employee.

The golf staff did not know golf etiquette and was letting people behind us play thru after 9. I played in 2 05 and was waiting on every tee. There was no where to go

Overall a very nice course. Challenging layout and in good shape. Cart path only due to some rain but pace still good. Only problem was the bunkers didn’t seem to drain and most were unplayable. I’d play it again.

I’ve played Arboretum five times or so as it gives you a solid golf round for thr money and is located not too far from my home in the north shore area. The course is short but challenging. Each hole offers a unique set of demands and affords you a different look at the landscape. The staff is friendly and the patio is awesome. That said, the pace of play here is atrocious and inexcusable. Whether playing on s weekday or weekend it’s clear that pace of play is a major source of indifference. There are no rangers, no pace clock, no one sitting groups or pushing those who lag behind. In a late Saturday morning round it took us three hours and change to play the front nine. We watched the group in front of us take ten minutes looking for a lost ball, the group in front of them hitting from the wrong tees, you name it. I’ve never played a sub five hour round there. The management needs to get a handle on the situation as you can tell from the other reviews. It’s a great facility and could be an area gem, but it took an entire day to play. Not acceptable. I sadly wont be back.

Have played course several times, but mostly on a week day - wonderful course - terrific layout - however took 4 hrs 40 mins. to play 15 holes on Saturday. . Quit playing after 15 holes . Will probably never go back on weekend day unless somehow assured they have figured out how to have a reasonable pace of play enforced.

What a find this course was for me. A challenging track with water in play on nearly every hole. I live in the City of Chicago and this was an easy drive for me and this place far exceeds any of the Forest Preserve courses near me. I thought the greens were in great shape as was the rest of the course. A tremendous value-add here is the staff at the course. From the prompt check-in at the club house, the wonderful beverage cart ladies (beautiful too) to the bartender serving up your post-round cold one, this place has top-notch service across the board. The managers that run the place were also great guys. I look forward to my next visit.

Pretty decent and pretty typical Chicago suburb course. Definitely a water runoff solution. In great shape, some solid holes. Only played 13 of em because they were packed with slow as heck foursomes. I’d been out there 3.5 hours and have no desire for another two in a weekend. No real ranger, no real push to get them to move. Typical Chicago public golf.