Ravisloe Country Club

Because of exorbitant rates I had not ventured to Ravisloe since August of 2015. A $39 fall rate Mon-Thurs convinced me to return. It's a $40 or $50 course at most but does retain it's charm as a former private club. It's like going back in time to the golden age of golf. Not a long course but demands precision and great putting, chipping and sand skills. I've always had an enjoyable day since it went public. The course conditions are impressive (vastly improved from 2 years ago) but I found the conditions on some of the greens slightly sketchy/spongy/slighty bumpy. It's a quirky front layout with back to back Par 5's (2nd & 3rd) and then back to Par 3's for 7 & 8. A ton of character, strong bunkering visuals and really fun to play. Moving the halfway house to the old tennis shack after the 9th was a disappointment as visiting the original house (after the 10th hole) was always a feature I looked forward to which really made you feel like you were at a private club. The food and beverage prices were reasonable...something in years past didn't seem to be the case. Men's locker room with showers....hot water is hard to come by. Solid 4.5 stars because of the old school clubhouse, quality of track and vibe but anything over $50 rate is difficult to comprehend forcing you to play elsewhere. Was told greens won't be aerated until October. The $39 rate next week may even get me back there again in a few days......

The golf course gets an "A", the staff gets an "F". Evidently playing on a reduced fee tee time reduces your class status to a lesser grade than a regular rack rate player. Seriously Ravisole you can do much better.

The fairways and greens were in excellent shape, the staff couldn't have been nicer. I payed around $47.00 and walked. I don't think I would pay the normal rate to play only because I live 50 minutes away. Overall I enjoyed it.

All the feel and charm of the turn of the century country club it is. Well maintained good pace. Not crowded. A real gem

Great course and in great shape

This is a great deal for this layout

Facility is top notch

Thoroughly enjoyed this course. Visually inviting holes with appropriate difficulty but with no surprises. As I told the Arthur the bartender (who is very proud of his course) unlike many courses, Ravisloe has no stupid holes! I look forward to returning.

If you're an average golfer within 30 minutes of Ravisloe and can get a rate of less than $50, this is worth a try. If you get a bunch of recommendations from your friends that it's awesome-as I did-lower your expectations. Don't get me wrong-it's a fun track, especially for wagering purposes. But if you prefer challenging, lengthy holes that reward accuracy AND distance, look elsewhere. This course is all about the green complexes-most are protected by deep bunkers and gnarly rough. A decent driver of the golf ball will hit wedges into the par 4s all day and even from the tips (less than 6400 yards) , I had mid iron into a couple par 5s. Greens are great, staff is super friendly and we played for $40/man in less than 4 hours, so I certainly have no issues with value or pace of play. I live an hour away on the North Shore so for me, this is a max once a year trip--too many other public tracks closer to me (Thunderhawk, Stonewall) or equidistant (Bowes Creek) that blow it away.

This course is a great layout that has stood the test of time. Great conditions and great value. Top 5 course in Chicagoland

I like this course. Haven't played it since last year. Never had any issues with this place until this round. Because I booked this with GolfNow and got a great rate, I was told that I couldn't get a key for the cart until 15 minutes before my tee-time. This was an inconvenience to me, and a revenue killer for them. If I had been able to get a cart when I arrived I would have bought a bucket of balls for the range. Instead, I putted and chipped on the practice green. Also, yesterday was very hot and humid. Water was a must. There's water at about every 3 or four holes, so it's important to have all the buckets filled. After finding out the halfway house wasn't open after the ninth hole, which I wasn't informed about, the buckets around the 12th or 13th holes were empty, so we had no water. I've never seen such poor attention at this course before. If this continues, I will not play there again.

The staff has been instructed NOT to give out carts until 10 minutes before your tee time, even if there are plenty of carts available. This forces you walk and carry your clubs or walk and take a pull cart to the practice range. For seniors and handicapped players this not a good business model.

The course was in good condition except for the greens. The greens looked like they had been aerated with small punch holes. The greens were also lumpy and littered with all kinds of debris. I asked the pro shop what was going on with the greens and he the staff worker had NO clue.

Course is holding up well. Very possible to score well here if you are very accurate with approach shots, as the greens are small and well protected with deep, well filled bunkers in many instances. Greens showing a bit of season wear due to unrepaired, or misrepaired ball marks, otherwise a great track

We found Ravisloe to be in excellent condition. It is a great layout and has always been a fun course to play. Glad to see it is being maintained so well.

First off let me say that I feel I'm a bit of a Donald Ross officianado. I've gotten the chance to play many of his courses over the years and was really looking forward to my round at this course. When we arrived we were told at the pro shop that the credit card system was down due to a truck hitting a utility pole outside the course. He asked if we had cash but when we told him no, he wrote down my credit card information so he could charge it later. The rest of the course however insisted on cash, this was the club house bar and grill and halfway house. Needless to say, this was a pain and an inconvenience.

The course is short but sporty. From the tips you are looking at 6300 plus in yardage. Greens are tiny and well protected like every other Ross course. Only issue with the greens is that they were extremely slow. My guess is the warm weather and the amount of play the course is now getting as a public track.

Our threesome played in less than 4 hours as we were able to go thru a couple groups and found some gaps due to our late afternoon tee time. I would definetly make this a place you shouldt play. It's great for testing your mid irons and sand game.

This was the 6th round at Ravisloe this summer and becoming my go-to course. Love the layout, although the 400 yd par 4s are a little boring. With a little more TLC, things could be better. 1. Get divot repair sand bottles on the carts! I was told that the head of course maint didn't want them because he wants ppl to replace their divot, not fill it in with mix. Sometimes there's no divot left to replace; and if ppl care enough to fill it in with mix, they'll also replace the divot it they can. 2. Clean up the tee boxes! 3. Cut the greens a little closer to get the effect Donald Ross intended. Very frustrating to read a break only to see a straight putt.

First off, I love the wedge area. Aside from Harborside, there aren't any courses that I've seen in the area that allow you to take wedges out to 80 yards on a practice green. Great course layout. If the course was a little longer and closer to the city, I'd be there every weekend. Nothing to be done there though. I love the bunkering and the old classy feel to the place. Really cool experience for people used to the standard rec or resort courses.

Ravisloe is truly a hidden gem among public courses in the Chicago area. I started playing there in the summer of 2016 after I got sick of losing so many balls in the fescue at Harborside where I used to play regularly. First, the total yardage of 6300 from the black tees make it accessible for golfers of all abilities. I started as a 30+ handicap then and in my first time playing there I broke 100! Second, the reason why I think I broke 100 is that the greens are in amazing shape and they are maintained like those at private clubs. Third, the course is maintained really well by a diligent grounds keeping staff. They are working on the course daily. Finally, the service from course staff is great. For the price you pay ($75 on weekends and approx $50 on weekdays), you are getting a premium experience. And did I mention it's the only Donald Ross designed course in the Midwest.