Bittersweet GC
A view of a hole at Bittersweet Golf Club.
GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
4.3
350 Reviews (350)
5 Stars
126
4 Stars
184
3 Stars
28
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.1
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.1
93.0%
Recommend this course
323 out of 350 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
17 Reviews (17)
5 Stars
9
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.2
Value
3.9
Layout
4.4
Pace
3.6
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.6
94.1%
Recommend this course
16 out of 17 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
39 Reviews (39)
5 Stars
14
4 Stars
23
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.1
Value
3.9
Layout
4.4
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.5
94.9%
Recommend this course
37 out of 39 reviews
Read Reviews

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.

Book a Tee Time at
Bittersweet Golf Club
Powered by GolfNow.com
Hot Deals at Bittersweet Golf Club

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)
The Best Way To Book Is With GolfPass+
waivedfees
10 rounds of waived fees
golf ball.svg
$120 in tee time credits
teetime protection.svg
Tee Time Protection
redeemtrophy
Redeem GolfPass points

Reviews

4.3
350 Reviews (350)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Tough track

Course is in great shape. It's a tough track that plays more difficult when you tee off before the range opens. Tee'd off 6:15am and was unable to warm up due to range opening at 8am.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

need ranger

Too many courses, including this one, do not have a ranger(s) on course to keep up pace of play. Too many times we are caught behind players who are a hole or more behind the players ahead of them. But the course is nice and challenging from tips.....good value.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Awesome

Beautiful and difficult. Perfect mix. Would definitely play again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Different course

I played Bittersweet when it first opened and have seen it change from a completely unfair course to what it is now.....challenging but very fair.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Average weather
Used cart

Same 'ole Bittersweet

Played this course dozens of times and it is still the same. Course eats golf balls if you're even remotely wild off the tee and number 8 still owns me. Greens roll really well for the amount of play, but the pace is a bit slow.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Challenging but Fun

Great course with high level of difficulty. Well kept grounds with water hazards abound. Had a lot of fun playing at Bittersweet and definitely recommend it.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Bad 9 / Good 9

Front 9 is not fun... you can maybe use a driver 2 times safely... the other times you can pick between missing in a hazard or homes that are right off the fairway. There are signs every where reminding golfers they are responsible for things they hit - not really what I want to be reminded of when golfing. Looks to me like home owners love to go after golfers for bad shots. Back 9 is much better and feels more open.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Poor weather
Used cart

every hole was a challenge

course a little dry until the monsoon hit, deffinately play again, alittle short from the blue tees, black seems more playable to above average golfer. received rain check from club pro and extremly friendly. look forward to playing again

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Nice chanlenging course

Course is always a challenge and you must hit it straight. Greens were running fast. Overall decently maintained although a little beaten up late in the year. Course played quickly today, but have been out there when its taken 5 hours. A nice experience if you are an above average golfer. If you don't hit the ball straight you could have a long afternoon.

Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
4.0
Previously Played

Bring extra balls !

Very tough for beginning golfers. Must be able to place shots or count on lost balls and 100+ scores. A course hate and love at the same time.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 138
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played

Shot makers course a short game dream

The course was in wonderful condition the staff was very nice. For 15$ this course was a steal. The pace of play was very slow. I arrived early at 345 for a 430 pm tee time. They had an outing that began with a shot-gun start at 1pm at 430pm they were still on every hole the staff told us to go to a set of holes but the people from the outing became angry with us for playing between their groups. We finally went to the 1st hole and played a very slow round behind an outing of crabby men playing a course to hard for them. In short golf now should not have had a tee time during an outing.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Labor Day Golf

Fairways and bunkers were in good shape but greens needed work. I attribute it to the end of the Labor Day holiday; I just wish golfers would repair ball marks even if they are not there own mark. The driving range could use more targets and a practice bunker. I was also 'rushed' to get to the 1st tee. I was called 15 minutes prior to my tee time which didn't leave me much time on the putting green. I usually have my practice time controlled; I had to leave about 15 balls on the range and then rush to the green and hit only 3 short putts.

Conditions Poor
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Appropriately Named!

Beautiful course with well maintained fairways, excellent greens and really interesting holes. The problem is that you really need to be precise especially off the tee. On many holes you can be just off the fairway and be lost in tall reeds or grassy wetlands. There are only a few holes where you can just grip and rip with no regard for precise placement. Overall though, great value for the price. I will go there again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

THIS COURSE WILL CHALLENGE YOU!

Nice course set up. First tee seems straight forward not a driving hole seemingly easing you into the round. Hole #2 really sets the trend for the rest of your round. It is a difficult Par 5 and from there it just gets more fun and challenging. I enjoyed this course and look forward to golfing there again!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good course close to home.

I've played Bittersweet many times. Best shape ever ! GolfNow has the best prices. Good value.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 25
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

This is an excellent golf course.

I'll start with a summary: Fairway conditions - excellent; Green conditions - excellent; Rough - excellent (i.e., not long enough to lose golf balls but thick enough to draw your attention).

I found the fairways on Bittersweet to be a nice mix of narrow, hard to hit fairways with fairways that were wide enough to enable you to relax a bit. All of the fairways were nicely cut and therefore rewarded you with a good lie for your effort provided you didn't land in a divot.

I always judge a golf course by the condition of its greens. I can forgive unkempt fairways and granular sand traps if a course's greens are in pristine condition. Bittersweet had none of the former and a lot of the latter. I like fast greens on which a ball rolls true. Bittersweet didn't disappoint. This means that you need a deft touch in your short game. A knowledge of the greens wouldn't hurt either.

The sand in the traps wasn't as fine as I would like but the traps were manageable.

I started playing the course from the white tees. However, after the first ten holes I decided to move to the blue tees because the distance from the white tees was way too short for me. And I'm not a long hitter. Bittersweet's score card states that anyone with a handicap from 6 to 17 should play from the blue tees. I disagree with that. My opinion is that anyone with a handicap from 6 to 12 should play from the blue tees. I'd hate to be behind a player with a 17 handicap playing from the blue tees unless of course he/she knows how to keep pace.

This course also has its share of water and trees. However, since I was playing the course for the first time I paid particular attention to the score card for distances and hazards and to my pleasant surprise the score card was very helpful.

Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed this course and I would return to it in a heart beat.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Difficult course, but had to stop and take a picture - Beautiful

Beautiful course with extremely tight fairways. Beware, brings more than a sleeve of balls unless you're a scratch golfer. The challenge is a beautiful as it is challenging, just a great course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Well Maintained Target Golf Course

You might lose a few balls but this course is not as penal as it once was (it was all but unplayable 10 years ago). Target golf so if you don't hit it straight you may struggle. In very good condition but you need to know when to leave the driver in the bag. Overall, a fun yet challenging course in very good condition.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 23
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful layout, not for the faint of heart..Be prepared if u are not a target golfer.

Beautiful layout, some very picturesque holes. Be prepared if you do not hit the ball straight, bring plenty of reinforcements, (extra balls). Some blind shots. You should play this course several times in order to appreciate the lines and understand where you should be hitting your shots.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great value

I've played this course often enough to expect the course to be wet when it rains. The day I played was, to my surprise, in great shape. The greens were in great shape and rolled very nicely. Good consistent speed. The fairways and tee boxes were cut the way fairways and tee boxes should be. I would definitely recommend this course to any level golfer. It's challenging yet fair. If you have a chance to get out there, try this course....you won't regret it.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Nearby Courses
Grayslake, Illinois
Public
3.3720930233
43
Gurnee, Illinois
Public
4.5034284363
228
Grayslake, Illinois
Municipal
4.4180672269
94
Libertyville, Illinois
Private
4.0
1
Round Lake, Illinois
Public
4.1743034056
197
Wadsworth, Illinois
Resort
3.6774696117
518
Mundelein, Illinois
Public
4.8027210884
51
Mundelein, Illinois
Public
3.2998035741
358
North Chicago, Illinois
Public/Municipal
3.9744153752
393
Waukegan, Illinois
Public
4.6107060503
0
Ivanhoe, Illinois
Private
4.5
2
Lake Villa, Illinois
Public
4.3888888889
4
Golf Packages

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).

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)
Now Reading
  • Home

  • Memberships

  • Library

  • Account