Oak Grove Golf Course

4.5 stars. Oak Grove is always a fun play and the folks in the clubhouse are nice. Course is well maintained and the greens are in very good shape....with all the rains they are slower than usual but still have a very good speed. Unfortunately we were the 2nd group behind the typical two complete idiots playing the tips with their wives in full golf regalia holding up play abusing the course (no rake, no divot repair) for everyone behind them on their 2 3/4 hour plus "I own the course" pace for nine not even attempting to keep a reasonable pace with the several 4 somes in front of them.. It's amazing how quickly they play the 8th and 9th holes (because they were completely clear when they got to the 8th tee for 15 minutes)....and this happens way too often....but this is the first time we've had this issue at Oak Grove. This time the course help actually berated and warned these mopes several times....thanks Oak Grove...and I wish other courses would do this because these types of folks know exactly what they are doing/don't care and ruin the experience of all other golfers behind them the remainder of the day.

Our outing was cut short by rain but they honored us with 9 hole rain checks. The fairway tree on the 15th was cut down....unfortunate because that's what made it a difficult driving hole. Otherwise everything was in fine condition. Highly recommend this place, they have decent range and the track routing is interesting and challenging. $40 value. Well worth the drive to Harvard.

I've played Oak Grove many times, and it is one of my favorite courses. It's mostly a great layout with excellent conditioning. My sons took me this time on Father's Day for a great special twilight rate of only $25! That is one amazing price for a course of this quality! Oak Grove is fun and fair for the novice, but is a stout challenge for any low handicapper or scratch golfer.

Pretty nice layout with a few confusing holes on the back side. Course was in good condition, fairways perfect, greens a little firm, traps decent. Only negative to my visit was going into the pro shop and waiting 10 minutes for someone to show their face, finally went over to the bar area where a couple of workers were huddled together and they helped me. Sort of out of the way but I would go back again.

Really fun course. Makes you think and play strategically. Obviously you wanna keep it on the fairway, but more-so on this course because lots of bunkers and the wetlands guard the course. A couple of blind tee shots. Greens were fair. Hole #11 is interesting (ugh!). Even with the 45 min it took to travel from Schaumburg, really liked playing here. Was not crowded on a Saturday afternoon so we were able to enjoy very quiet round. Definitely coming back for more!

Great lay-out, very nice condtion. Greens were smooth and true. Bunkers need work, more dirt and rocks than sand. Over all I would give it a 9.

The course layout is good. Challenging par 3's and strategically positioned bunkers highlight this beautiful nature setting. The unfortunate thing about this course (and clubhouse) is that it's not very well maintained. The traps are terrible (variety of hard packed sand and lots of rocks) with rakes either hard to find or broken. There are weeds growing in the fairways and traps, and the greens look and feel like they have not been plugged and dressed in a very long time. The clubhouse and staffing is in similar condition as the course. The deck overlooking the 18th green is full of slivers. The walkway to the clubhouse/pro shop is old weathered wood that was slippery from an earlier rainfall (it looks like there used to be a runner there). There was one person to tend the bar, check people in and bring carts out. The upstairs bathroom smelled terrible and the pro shop is ill equipped with scarcely anything other than golf balls, tee's and minimal selection of shirts. I wish someone with a love for golf and some money to invest would buy this place. It is a worn down venue screaming for some love.

For a Nov. outing the course was in very good condition. All though the winds were in the 10 to 20 mph range. The greens were extremely fast and undulating which made holding and putting them very difficult.

The Good: Unknown gem in the northwest suburbs of Chicago is a Steven Halberg parkland design with demanding shots off the tee and small greens. Several beautiful Par 3's, some interesting Par 4's and one excellent Par 5 in particular. Well-conditioned fairways and nice greens. Good practice facility. While there is no GPS, there are many yardage markers on sprinklers throughout the course. Very good value for quality of course.

The Bad: Clubhouse and on-course amenities are lacking. No GPS or on-site restrooms are detractors. Service is to be desired. Some greens on the back nine were in poor condition compared to the rest of the course.

The Verdict: While not nearly has heralded as its former Harvard neighbor Plum Tree National (now closed), Oak Grove is an even better golfing experience. Just a fun, quirky golf course.

Best Hole:The Par 5 11th is the epitome of risk-reward. The drive must carry a ravine and avoid water left while the approach must carry another ravine to a small green.

Nice course some very challenging holes.

This course has plenty of character and lots of holes to challenge you. If you're straight and long this will be a good course, anything else will require extra balls or a lower bet.

If only I live closer I would be there every day. The course was in great shape for this time of year. Whatever you guys are doing to keep it in the condition it is keep doing it.

Golf layout is great greens are mostly large and have a good amount of ungelation they need to be looked at by all players or you will have more three puts. The tee boxes need some work but the fairways are in excellent shape. Enjoy having a great round of golf at Oak Grove.

DV

I've played Oak Grove 3-4 times now, and I would say this course is certainly a diamond in the ruff. Not much in the way of traffic any of the times I've played.

Course: Layout is great. Ive played 3 different tee sets and each set presents its own unique challenges. Course is maintained pretty well. Greens are in great condition - pretty quick, but very smooth and true. Bunkers could be improved - small layer of sand then hard pan below and decent amount of rocks.

Off course Amenities: if your looking for a good lunch or to have a few drinks afterwords in the clubhouse, this isn't the place to go. They have an alright selection of beer but their mixed drinks are just basics. Food is hot dogs, brat and breaded chicken sandwiches. Oh and if you looking for a drink on the course don't expect to see a beverage cart. Hasn't been on out anytime I've been there including one time there was an outing and the course was packed behind us.

Place is generally understaffed. And if there's a second person there it seems it's always someone new who's being trained. The pro was rude at times to other patrons - he was more concerned with serving people drinks then serving people who were there to pay. After a round I stopped for a beer and at one point saw a group waiting for 15 minutes to pay for their round, and when they told the pro they were still waiting and their tee time was in 5 minutes he replied "I don't care we're busy, understaffed and I have people waiting for drinks. Your just going to have to wait.

Overall I think for $70 a round things could be slightly better, but above average.

Great course in a excellent shape.

Course was in good shape even though it rained all morning.

I enjoy the course as it has a variety of challenges

Played this course many times it is a hidden gem not a lot of play due to the location club house is fantastic greens are great.

Beautiful fairways and greens. No houses, all big oak tree nature at it's best. The greens felt soft under foot, but we're fast and very tricky. Pace of play was great. All around wonderful afternoon

Don't understand the high ratings from others. Average course, but could be so much better. Greens are slow and rough -- seemed to be soft, so must be getting enough water that they could be cut shorter/better. Sand traps are TERRIBLE -- obviously had been watered and then left to sit -- hard as concrete, and lots of rocks. Good strategic location of the traps -- but if you're not going to invest in manpower to keep them in good playing condition, take out the sand and leave grass bunkers as a hazard.

Nice enough layout, but course condition is rather mediocre. Quite a few blind shots, which could use better directional marking -- perhaps striped posts for 150-yd markers.