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
Handicap Don't know
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

very nice course

We loved this course. It has rolling contours, challenging greens, lots of water and high rough making accuracy important. The tee choices are good with the four tee sites quite different for each hole. After playing the nice but relatively flat courses in the area, this one was a treat. We will be back.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Nice day in Gurnee

Course was challenging and in beautiful condition. Greens were smooth and ball rolled nicely.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Wished play front 9 first

We were arranged to play back 9 first which turned out to be much more challenging than the front 9. After having my worst 9 holes record after back 9, played the front 9 like a pro and had my best 9 holes record. What a up and down day! A very challenging course to play.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Consistently good course

This course is definitely challenging in spots, however, after playing it many times, it's an enjoyable course. The course maintenance is consistently good and it dries fast after hard rains. The staff is very friendly and the clientele is too.

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

Great Course, Great Value (If You Don't Count the Cost of Lost Balls!)

Bittersweet is a great course that's in great condition. And whether I've been paired up with other golfers on the first tee, they've been great guys. Just be sure to bring plenty of golf balls!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Bittersweet is bittersweet

The course is well kept and the greens are fast. Every hole is a challenge and can make you feel like you need to get a few lessons. But the course is well laid out and very pretty. It has matured well. We will play it again for sure.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 449
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Illinois Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Bittersweet is sweet

A fun interesting golf course with lots of water hazards, dog legs and very tight/wooded in some places. We had a nice day (two deer and a very fast turtle were on the eighth hole visiting) and the course conditions were very good....greens were most speedy and overall the course was playing pretty hard/fast. A quality 4 to 4.25 star experience as it was last year when we played it. Recommend the course but you do need to play it a few times to get some good tee shot aiming points.......pay close attention to the flag positions as many of the greens are very large.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Fair weather
Used cart

Course Review

It was fun and somewhat challenging courses.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

BSweet

good course, plays fair but challenging - only a few holes where "local knowledge" is a distinct advantage.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good course

The course was in great shape. Tee boxes and greens were great for the end of the season. Pace of play was poor. The round started at a good pace but then hit a lot of slow foursomes that would not let you get around them. No Rangers on the course to help speed them up.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

I could recommend this course to my friends.

Because of excellent weather the course was busy with some waiting at times, other than that the course was relatively well maintained and the staff members were friendly. I could recommend this course to any of my friends.

Conditions Good
Value Good
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
Previously Played

Richard N

I play this all the time. Great Staff, great food, course is always in super shape. Each time I play there I seem to find it a challenge.
Everyone needs to play it once. You will want to come back.
Richard

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Beautiful layout

Tough but fair, the course layout is great, can't wait to play it again.

Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Poor weather
Used cart

Quite a challenging course

Good for long drive and straight shot golfers. Will be back again for a better heat index, lots of obstacles, water, wetland, bunkers, but beautiful natural habitats like geese, unique birds.
Would be nice to have ice cream on food truck, and lots of good directional signage for new comers.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Average weather
Used cart

Target ready.....

The course was in good shape. This course forces one to leave the driver in the bag. I find it to be very much a target course. Plenty of water and houses. Lots of interesting layups.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great day to be out for 18...

We are 2nd to tee off at 6:09 AM Staff as well professional. Great value for Friday morning - $30 w/ Cart. Fortunately, I was covered by my brother in law - he owed me one.

Anyhow, the course was in great condition. Fairways were well maintained but ball would bounce instead of roll due to tough ground. Green were fair but lots of unfixed ball marks. C'mon players, please fix ball mark always.

Overall played within 3 hours. Shot 85. Lost only 2 balls.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Awkward

This was an awkward and uncomfortable golf course. The staff, amenities, condition generally were fine, but the design of the course did not make for a fun round. With 6 foot plus cat tails blocking your shot sight on a number of holes, blind fairway shots with elevated greens angled backwards I found shots in to be unnecessarily onerous.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 7
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Straight as an arrow

There is a good reason this place is called Bittersweet. A good deal of target golf. May want to leave your driver in the bag for many of the holes. On some of the holes a score of bogey is good. There is maybe 1 hole on this course that may be considered "easy". If you are not a straight hitter, you may be in for a long round. Beautiful course, greens roll true and you cannot beat it for the money. Play was very slow when I played with a foursome.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Started Slow but was great

We started out the first few holes frustrated on the pace and considered ending after the 9th hole. The pace picked up and we enjoyed the round. We will definitely return to play this course. the staff was great and course was in good shape. Now that we played the course it will make playing it much better in the future as far as course strategy is concerned.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Average weather
Used cart

Great Experience!

It had been about 8 years since I had played here. Love the changes. Course is now in very good condition. It is challenging but very fair. It might be difficult for someone playing the first time, as many holes have extreme doglegs. But overall, it was a great morning round of golf with friends. One had played there before, the other had not. I will be back again soon.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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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)
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