Port at Harborside International Golf Center

The course was in great condition and we got the time for $46 each. In my opinion that's a steal. If you've never played there before make sure you get there this year it's in great shape

The course needs to make tee times further apart as people looking for their golf balls holds up the pace.

The Good: While not the flagship course at Harborside, the Port course is a strong Links-style course with slightly more elevation than its Starboard counterpart. Excellent course conditions and large, true greens that put very well. Nice amenities include very good clubhouse with full restaurant and bar, as well as GPS on carts. Practice facility and academy is one of the best for a public course in the Chicago metro area. Superb finishing holes beginning on #15, which is a Par 3 with a large bunker that looks like an anchor.

The Bad: The first 14 holes are fairly benign and unmemorable compared to the closing stretch. Service does not match for the hefty $100 price tag during peak season. Can be unbearable when windy.

The Verdict: One of the better municipal courses in Illinois, although slightly less interesting of a layout compared to Starboard.

Best Hole: While the Par 3 #15 gets all the pub, the short Par 4 #16 is the best hole. A downhill drive must be fit tightly over sand traps and right of a pond.

Course was in great shape and plays very fair. Makes you think a shot or two ahead and consider your surroundings.

I'm fairly new to Chicago; this was my first visit to Harborside. The course is really in excellent condition. Most of the bunkers are well maintained, but beware of the larger 'collection areas'. Overall, I'm still 'on the fence' about this type of links layout, but given that format as a baseline they've done a really nice job. The well-done GPS system makes for less guesswork, especially for a 1st timer. I think with a few play-throughs this course might change my mind about links golf! Definitely a great value!!

I booked this through Golf Now morning of. I was concerned getting from the West Suburbs was going to be difficult, it was quite easy from 294. I arrived at the course and headed straight to the practice facility. Although spacious is a good word for it, it was well maintained and accessible considering the traffic. Check in took a little long, but the staff was friendly. I arrived at the first tee Starboard course about 15 minutes early. The starter received news that the threesome I was to be paired with was checking in late. He offered to bump me up ten minutes and pair me with another threesome. However, when that threesome went off the wrong course he again offered for me to play with them. I declined and he was good with that. Pace of play was phenomenal considering it was a Friday afternoon. I played in about three hours. The cart girl was frequent and prices were in line with golf courses not Chicago pricing.

The course was challenging. Considering the wind it was difficult to hit greens. I believe the greens could have been slightly larger throughout. They held fairly well and rolled pretty true. If you're going to play be ready for some wind. With an estimated mile to the shores of Lake Michigan the winds are helping or hurting. Views of city on the front nine were very cool. I mean who doesn't think using the Sears Tower as an aiming point isn't cool? The back nine was less of a scenic side. The 17 and 18 holes were challenging being right on a wetlands area.

All in all, this was worth the drive and the money to play. I would recommend it to any golfer in the area or visiting.

Always a good experience great views , practice area . Need a wind game lol .

couldnt believe the course condition, from the driving range, to the quality of the course itself. there was a lot of wind that day but thought i did well in those conditions and the first time playing the course.had good company in the two gentlemen i played with, as they helped me around the course. Also nice views all around the course, thank you for the experience.

Played Starboard course on a very windy day, but then again it is always windy out on the course at Harborside. Makes for a interesting round because you have to play shots that you normally wouldn't play. Sand traps need alot of attention, more so at the greensides. Overall good experience and nice track. Had to pay the Rahm tax which I wasn't happy about. Not normal to pay for tax when you book through GolfNow...

The coarse is in great shape. Greens are on the fast side which is very nice for public golf. It was a 1 to 2 club wind on the day we played. The wind is almost always a factor here. It would be smart if management instructed the Starter to let the players know wind direction & mph.
Harborside still has a drainage problem. Many many sand traps were puddles of water and thats unusual because it hasn't rained in Chicago for a few days. You get the impression the superintendent isn't even trying to put a band- aid on what is a larger engineering problem.

Course was relatively well maintained except for the greens. Lumpy doughnut on every hole…for this course and price point, you should expect that the pins would either be move more and/or the greens would be rolled more. Made for a disappointing day.

The course was in nice shape, although they water the heck out of the fairways so the ball does not get much roll.

Pace of play was on the slow side. There were 3 groups on every hole and the players assistant didn't do much to help.

Fun course though. Very playable and fair. Much more so than the Port side.

Every other bunker had standing water in it and it's not like it rained the night before. The one I was in I raked up the lining it had so little sand in it. Cart paths look like city streets after a rough winter. Which, who cares about the paths but it just takes away from the aesthetics of the course and doesn't make you feel like you just paid $106 to play. Staff could be friendlier, they definitely don't go out of their way. With the experience and course conditions it would make for a nice $65-75 track.

The bunkers are horrible and they have been for the last 2 years. There is no sand in them. The average golfer can't work with that and it can screw up a round. For this amount of money it is unacceptable and would avoid.

Facilities are top notch. I love their range/practice area. Both the Port & Starboard are kept in top shape. But I think the overall experience (Club House is definitely lacking) & Overall attitude of the Staff doesn't make it worthy of a $95+ price tag. But if you can get a good deal on GolfNow or a solid twilight rate I would say it's enjoy the tough links experience! And no matter the temperature when teeing off always bring a jacket!

The course was in good condition with well-manicured greens and fairways. The rough was a little deeper than I would expect, and soft from heavy rains earlier in the week. The views on the course were outstanding given the close proximity to I-94. Skyline views on some holes, overlooking the grounds on others, overall a great diversion near the downtown area

The course played tough with a lot of sand. A wayward drive off the tee was an imminent lost ball, but there was very little water on the Port course. The signature “Anchor Hole” was great, my score on the hole was not. Although the green is oversized and banked to round the curvature of the “anchor” traps, just getting to the dance floor is a much better play than trying to stick the landing and ending up in one of the many traps on the hole.

We played mid-afternoon on a Thursday which is expected to be a little heavier on the traffic, but there was a summer skills camp going on leaving only 1 range spot for our group. The pitching and putting greens were also over-crowded so we put a couple on the practice greens next to the 1st tee. Pace of play was slower given the exceptional weather. We were backed up on almost every hole, sometimes stacked two groups deep. The round took almost 5 hours which was slower than we were looking for, but we didn’t end up minding given the perfect playing conditions. They also could have used an additional drink cart circling as the one out there was servicing both courses.

Overall the course played great, the weather was exceptional and the scenery was a steady reminder that you were just outside downtown while seeming like you were nowhere near at the same time. Looking forward to playing there again in the near future

Harborside is a great course for those traveling from the city. Beautiful views of the skyline on a clear day from several holes on the Port Course. Would highly recommend to golf enthusiasts! Be prepared for the Windy City!

Wow !!: pace of play was everything less than 4 hrs on the port side course fairways great shape .on several greens core aeration was in effect. The views were great Chicago skyscrapers to the north lake Calumet to the south as well as sag channel. To the east. Perfect Chicago weather which is hot humid windy and potential down pour at anytime.

Overall course condition was average, but expected more from a course in the $100+ Price range (I.e. Pick up grass clippings and geese feeces from greens - couldn't put on 16th green). A couple of scenic holes are not enough to recommend this course.

The course is in perfect shape and absolutely gorgeous. Both Harborside's courses, Port and Starboard, are equally challenging and pristine. By the slimmest of margins, I prefer Starboard, but you can not go wrong with either course. It is on the more expensive side by golfnow.com standards, but well worth it. Treat yourself and pay the extra money….it will not disappoint you.