Oak Grove Golf Course

Large outing was booked and the last group teed off just before my tee time. Play was extremely slow because group was playing in some fivesomes so participants could play with friends etc. Group had few experienced golfers so course management was poor - people waiting on the tee for the green to clear, on a Par 5

etc. Course had almost no help - bartender had to double as cook so the wait at the turn was at least 20-25 minutes. Wait at No. 11 tee was over 20 minutes. Many, many lost balls by group and elongated search time. As the round went on, players became more inebriated extending time. After 4.5 hours with four more hole to go, we left. Pro shop attendant said we should know better than to book a tee time on a holiday week-end and expect good service and fast play. Never patronize this course again as this is the second time this has occurred.

I arranged for a 10:48 a.m. tee time on Sunday, September 3. I discovered that a large outing was teeing off its last foursome just before my tee time. this outing had fivesomes playing, drunken participants, and no respect for the rules or other players. It took three hours to complete the front nine and management told me directly that there was nothing they could do. They had so little staff available that the bartender also had to double as the cook. Wait times at the turn were about 20-25 minutes. We waited for 20 minutes on the 11th tee as the outing participants cavorted around the fairway, This is the second time that I have experienced such slovenly management here and the representative at the pro shop told me that I should have known not to play on a holiday week-end. They offered no apology or restitution. We left the course on the twelfth tee after 4 hours and 20 minutes of play. I would not encourage anyone to play this course unless they have infinite patience! Needless to say, maintenance, especially the condition of the greens, was poor.

A hidden Gem. A few holes seemed a little unfair. 600yd par 5 with a tree in the middle. I was lucky and put my tee shot in the left rough so I had a shot. # 11 is ridiculous. Everything else was great. Definitely need to think your way around. Huge greens.

Have played this course many times. The course is beautiful. There are 4 holes in particular that are vexing. 10 seems to have a really small landing area for the 1st shot of a par 4. Hard to judge the needed distance without going too long. 11 is an S-shaped par 5 that should be the picture next to the definition of "target golf" in the dictionary, and is too gimmicky (in my opinion) but a necessary evil for playing 14 really nice golf holes. 15 is really really narrow and requires more precision than your typical golfer can muster. From the whites, 16 leaves too much of the fairway obscured and thus too much uncertainty on where to aim. The other 14 holes are great and make up for these 4, so go play it anyway!

I think this is one of the best public courses in IL.

A few holes of target hole a couple of wide fairways were you can try and bomb away.

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