Oak Grove Golf Course

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.

Fairways and greens were in excellent condition. The sand traps might have been the worst that I have seen, with very shallow sand and with pea sized pebbles common.

Very nice course. Great condition. Nice layout. The only hole I did not like was number 11, but it was the most unique I have seen.

This is a nature lovers course in the heart of a scenic area. You feel miles away from any sign of man. Love it!

Nice day at Oak Grove....always enjoy playing this place. It's worth the drive as pace of play is usually good and it's quiet/peaceful. Greens were rolling quick and in decent shape and fairways were bounding.....traps while maintained are basically a thin layer of dirt which is really the only drawback. It's a track that keeps your interest and has a lot of challenge. 4.25 stars.....they lose 1/2 due to the sand traps......greens are almost perfect but 1/4 star loss as they are getting a little chewed up.

This is a great scenic course away from any houses. You feel completely alone with nature. Different from any course I have played. There are a variety of holes and hazards. Good course for average to competitive golfer. Great price from Golf NOW

This course is amazing, fun, challenging and all about your tee shot. An accurate tee shot is how you'll avoid all the penalty strokes I incurred during my round. The greens aren't very fast buy they roll nicely. Worth the drive.

I have always enjoyed Oak Grove and have played it many times over the years. It is a fabulous layout (except #11, which you may read about elsewhere), with great greens, fabulous scenery and very interesting topography. I have noticed that it wasn't in as good as shape the last time I played it. That may be because it was still early in the season, but I suspect they are running this place on a tight budget (evidenced by the "pro" that took my money, got my coffee and was pulling carts out). The sad in the bunker needs upgrading and the overall conditioning of the course needs to improve. That being said, they have tons of specials online and it is always a good deal for such a wonderful layout. For those that say it is too far out, I agree it is a bit of a drive, but think of it as close to Lake Geneva instead of far from Chicago.