Bittersweet GC
A view of a hole at Bittersweet Golf Club.
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Rating Index Rating
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4.3
362 Reviews (362)
5 Stars
131
4 Stars
189
3 Stars
28
2 Stars
10
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.1
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.2
92.3%
Recommend this course
334 out of 362 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.1
12 Reviews (12)
5 Stars
5
4 Stars
5
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.3
Layout
4.5
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.5
StaffFriendliness
4.6
91.7%
Recommend this course
11 out of 12 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
27 Reviews (27)
5 Stars
12
4 Stars
12
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.0
Layout
4.4
Pace
3.7
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.6
92.6%
Recommend this course
25 out of 27 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Bittersweet offers a demanding, unique layout where every hole presents a distinct challenge that tests all aspects of your game. Consistently friendly staff and well-maintained fairways, tee boxes, and greens make it a reliable and rewarding round.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6751 yards
Slope 135
Rating 73.3

Bittersweet Golf Club in Gurnee, Ill. is ideally situated for a scenic round of golf. The diverse landscape flows seamlessly from lush wetlands to native prairies covered with colorful wildflowers. The layout also winds across a 100-year-old sage meadow and through forests of mature hardwoods, which serve as a home to an abundance of wildlife. Beyond the beautiful scenery, the terrain presents many challenges. The undulating fairways demand accuracy as you hit from multi-tiered tee boxes. Water also comes into play on almost every hole and there's an array of strategically placed bunkers you'll have to avoid. The eighth is the toughest hole on the front nine, a par-4 dogleg right with a lightning fast green. Bittersweet Golf Club's back nine is known for its scenery, which is best displayed on the signature par-5 11th hole, which offers not only a challenge but also a spectacular view from the tee.

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Course Details

Year Built 1996
Golf Season Open: 3/15 Closed: 11/15

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Caddies No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Illinois (2016 #12)
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Reviews

4.3
362 Reviews (362)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 14
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 23
Forced Carries 18
Bunkers 12
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 19
Locals 14
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 13
This Course's Location is:
In the 'Burbs 17
Worth the Drive 15
Near Local Attractions 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a year
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Bring Hair Spray

Course is in great condition, we played early morning staff dried the seats of the carts and were pleasant. The hair spray poke is about you can't spray the ball at this course. It's fair but has some tough holes. It's a must play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Bittersweet both Bitter and Sweet

One of the most challenging and beautiful golf course I've ever played. Tight fairways, lots of water and marshes, fast greens. It's not for the faint of heart, but I'm ready to play it again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

A real gem nestled in a great spot.

The golfers were the biggest problem. And no ranger to keep people moving along. That is my biggest issue.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great good nice

Great course all around. Played the whites because my buddies were beginners so didnt use the full course. Greens rolled real nice and fairways were consistent. Would play again whenever i have time to make the hour long trip.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Reviews 98
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Got a great deal from GolfNow. Very challenging course. Would recommend to bring some extra balls as it is easy to lose balls. This course offers a mix of long and short holes with different twist and turns. Some of the holes have parts of the fairway blocked off because of the heavy rain we have gotten the last couple of weeks. However the rest of the course is very well maintained and beautiful. Staff was great and very helpful.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Would Play Again

Played on a Monday afternoon. The staff was very helpful and accommodating, The course is a combination of links style and then tree lined fairways, always keeps you thinking. I would have to say there is ample landing areas in the fairways but the greens are protected and challenging to putt

The course was in excellent shape but as to another comment...please repair your ball marks on the greens and fill your divots in the fairways!!! Seriously...every time I filled mine, there were at least 4 -5 others nearby. Congrats to the grounds keeper...well manicured! The only complaint would be the lack of GPS on the carts. Otherwise I look forward to playing there again now that I know my way around. Great course for the money!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Perfect weather
Used cart

Really like this course....

Really like this course.... I drive an hour to play here. Always friendly staff help start your golf out on the right foot! Trees and water add complexity to a well shaped course. It would be nice to have better course information for first timers and us non regulars.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good golf course that's challenging yet playable. Good mix of marsh and tall grass amongst the tree lined fairways. Good layout and great value. GARP! Golf at a reasonable price.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Solid course

Played here for the first time this morning. I was the first person out so pace of play was no issue. Started at 5:55am, was in the car headed to work at 8:05am w/o rushing through holes. Course is routed well through forest/ wetland area. Feels like a $70 course, costs half the price. Awesome.

My impression after my first round is its a shot makers course. Distance off the tee really is not paramount, but if your comfortable with your long game, you can turn many holes into pitch and putts. It's the classic risk/reward scenario. There's a lot of hazards on this course, but because most holes are short, the need to be aggressive off the tee just isn't there. Conservative still gives you a short iron into most greens. Greens have nice shape to them. Some undulation, but nothing crazy. Not extremely fast. A bit bumpy at times. If they could get these greens rolling a bit faster and more true, I would be a big fan of them. Later in the summer hopefully!

My one suggestion: If you hit the ball only one way (aka fade or draw), there are holes that will demand you play very conservatively off the tee. Play within these holes, wait for the ones that set up well for you to get aggressive. The course is shorter and the greens aren't terribly difficult. Pushing it on the wrong holes is how big numbers are made here.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap Don't know
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Slow

Course was in great condition, weather was perfect. Had a 8:06 tee time as we were hoping to get a jump on the dawdlers but, both, the group (3) we were behind the front 9 and a different group (4) on the back 9 really slowed things down for us (3). Why must duffers practice swing EVERY swing 4 times before hitting it 60% as far as most other golfers???

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great layout

Challenging course with plenty of teeing options for players of all abilities to enjoy.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Very nice course

Very nice course. Played a few tines. Staff is very friendly.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

sung

Good location & rate .

Nice course layout.

My wife & her friends like the this course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Fair weather
Used cart

Great Course

I had heard how challenging this course was. I decided to go play it anyway. It looked like it was going to rain and that kept the crowds down. I got out there and it was a very fun, challenging course. I scored pretty well for me and was happy. The fairways were very nice and the greens were pretty fast. I would play here again in a heart beat. There is water on 16 of the holes or something like that. The only issue I had, which was taken care of very well, was that we teed off at 9:36 and were told at 12:40 that we had to be off the course at 1:00. There was a high school tournament that was an 18 hole shotgun start. I wish they would have told us this as we were checking in, but again we were given a rain check for 9 holes. The customer service alone would bring me back to this course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 35
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Twice a year
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Challenging

Impressive layout with a variety of shot making challenges. White tees shorten course significantly, and condition of some white tee boxes is poor. From blues or blacks this course will require discipline and skill. Ranks with the best in the area.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Amenities Good
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Golf Packages

Destination Kohler - Champions' Trail Golf Package

FROM $617 (USD)
KOHLER, WI | Enjoy 2 nights’ accommodations at The American Club or the Inn at Woodlake and 3 rounds of golf at Blackwolf Run (River or Meadow Valleys Course) and Whistling Straits (Straits or Irish Course)

Destination Kohler - To Dye Four Golf Package

FROM $557 (USD)
KOHLER, WI | Enjoy 3 nights’ accommodations at The American Club or the Inn on Woodlake and 4 rounds of golf at Blackwolf Run (River & Meadow Valley Courses) and Whistling Straits (Straits & Irish Courses).

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BELLAIRE | Enjoy lodging accommodations at Shanty Creek's Lakeview Hotel or Lodge of Cedar River and golf at Shanty Creek - Cedar River, Hawk's Eye, Legend, Schuss, or Summit Courses.
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