Big Run Golf Club

Big run could be a big hitters dream course; but the grass is too long (makes it tough to find balls just off the fairway; let alone hit them through the thick grass). And the the greens are not in great shape. Not Terrible - but beat-up a bit.

Beautiful course - but needs some grounds keeping.

This is your kind of course if you enjoy 5.5 hours on the course.

Greens are horrifically slow maybe rolling at a 6 ?

Rough is so thick you can’t find your ball doesn’t help the pace but they don’t care.

Fairways are similar to a park district course which probably is a better option.

As the leaves start to fall this will only make it worse !

Will never play again ( sadly it used to be half way playable)

My recommendation go to cog hill

The main "problem" in losing so many balls is not that they go into water or woods or other unsearchable areas, but that all the rough around the fairways and greens is so thick that your ball literally disappears and you have to be right on top of it to see it. They need to make it about an inch shorter and then it would be much more enjoyable and not so much time spent searching for balls. Also there are "only" 4 sets of tees which might normally be ok but here's the problem. The championship is at 7000 yards which is fine but the regular is at 6700 and then the senior is at 6100. I'm a bogey golfer and don't like to play over 6500 yards but nobody I play with wants to play a "Senior" tee. So now I'm stuck playing a much longer course than I like and once again not as enjoyable. Other than that I will be playing it again and plan to break 100 next time!

Big Run has a excellent layout, but it need a 2 million dollar facelift- If not more 🙄 Par 3s are unique, and the raised tee boxes are fun. I’ve never been there before, and got lost after the first hole because of the melancholy. There were signs everywhere that said “carts only in rough”, but at my early tee time you (I think that’s why because the back nine was better) couldn’t tell the difference..

I played early, as a single because I was working on my game, and played really well. Only a few errand shots, and some that leaked off fairway,…where did they go? Remained diligent watching shots, still lost balls, groundskeepers ran over balls twice, not because they lazy, because you can’t see ‘em, I understand paying the price when you’re a hack, but a little of the mark - Come on - Ridiculous

Golf carts were terrible, cart paths ever worse, eventually someone is going to get hurt. I’ve raced dirt bikes/Atvs all my life, and if my family went there I’d be worried.

On the positive, beautiful trees and a sanctuary for getting away from everyday life.

I could say “spend some money on the course, unfortunately it would take millions- It’s a goat ranch

I’m your average duffer and this course from the mens tees is over 7000 yards and most holes are straight back up hill to the pin. There is no need for the rough to be long enough to host the US Open. Trim down the rough. I lost at least 4 balls that barely rolled out of the fairway. This course is difficult enough, don’t need to be constantly frustrated with also losing balls from good shots. Bunkers are in bad shape, not enough sand. Tee boxes are chewed up. Greens are ok as per usual. Golf carts needed to be updated about 25 years ago. Get rid of the stupid layout cards next to the steering wheel and the stupid range finders from the carts as well, useless.

Course was in great condition considering it rained the 2 days before. Sand traps need more attending but overall I love playing there! We were the first to tee off that day and while chipping on to the 17th green the ranger I’m assuming says I know this is your last hole but you e played a 5 hour 10 minute round and speed it up. We had no one waiting behind us the entire day and if so we would’ve let them play ahead! By the way Harley the bartender inside the clubhouse was very professional and accommodating!

Sadly, the owners of Big Run are letting it go. The tee boxes have not been moved in weeks and you tee off in dirt. The rough had not been mowed recently which made finding a ball off the fairway impossible to find. The greens were in good shape but that's the highlight. The carts are wore. The cart paths are ridiculously bad. Whoever the greenskeeper is that moves the holes put them in on a slight angle so all pins lean. Simple things to fix that Big Run has turned a blind eye to unfortunately . Not worth 75 dollars that is for sure. I grew up in Lemont and have played here 30+ times. I was excited to get back. The area and layout are beautiful. Its a shame they don't care.

Awesome course! My friend is a scratch golfer and he shot a 77. Hot dogs are good.

I usually play Big Run once a year because it is such a test of my game. The course hasn't changed in the past 20 or more years. It feels like you're stepping back in time. The cart paths on the course are so bumpy that you may need to see a doctor afterwards. The rough can get a bit dicey as well. I had no problem losing balls that seemed to get swallowed up by the weedy areas. Fairways are a must out there. Some greens are nearly unfair with the severe angles of them. It's a super challenging layout that would be great if they would put a few bucks into it.

This is my favourite course, trying to get some guys there in next 10 days

Overall rating , please see title for short review description. For more detail see below.

For the cost of the course, I expect a little higher amenities than I was given at this course. The course itself has an old timey feel to it which I enjoyed and a couple holes were gorgeous to step up to, but the rough it self was just unplayable and some of the sand traps didn't even have sand. I would expect this at a course that was cheaper , but not at a course like this. The speed of play was fine although the Marshall overseeing the pace of play was great at first , but constantly was down our throats to move faster which Ill talk about further down in my review later. The rough on this course was not cut and hitting a ball just a foot off the fairway took us quite a long time to find let alone hit due to how deep it was! We aren't talking way left or right of the fairway either. There was a few shots where we had to drop a ball that rolled off the fairway because we were unable to locate the ball. Had we not been searching for a ball not on the fairway as much, our pace of play would have been great. We were practically playing ready golf all 18 holes (mind you there was never a group behind us that waited on the tees for more than a few minutes). The topping on the cake for this course was the fact that since the place was under maintained, a groundscrew member really got on us for mis interpreting a sign on the grounds. The signs all over the place said "carts on path " & "carts on rough only" and on one particular hole we parked our carts on rough to look for a ball only to be yelled at for misreading a sign that said " carts on path" that was facing the opposite way we were driving. Our group followed the rules for the entire course and the way the groundscrew handled our situation by belittling us and treating us like a child was disrespectful and ultimately was the reason I am rating this course below 3 stars.

I have been golfing Big Run for almost 40 years as a regular on Sunday. The course is difficult, challenging and very rewarding when I play well. A great value for the green fee, though conditioning could be better. Greens have been slowed down, fairways could be improved and the rough cut down a little. The elevation change can be dramatic for flat Illinois, quite fun with many elevated greens. Sand traps galore and water hazards on half the holes make the 6,690 yard regular tees feel like playing 7,000 yards. Carts are 5 years old, and expensive at $23/player with a laser shooter that frequently does not work. An outdoor grill makes great burgers and brats, the bar is old-school and the restaurant is good for breakfast. All in all a wonderful golf course that I am happy to keep playing!

great course. ruff was kind of long, hard time finding golf balls. great price especially for us Seniors. cant wait to play again

The course is long, hilly and covered in trees, very beautiful. I normally like to walk but was advised against it here and for good reason. Very challenging set up, but still very fun. Wish they had a bev cart driving around on a busy sunday. The halfway house was great and the grillmaster had dogs ready at the turn and the toasted bun really lets you know he cares. Some tee boxes and greens had some rough spots that could use some love. Overall had a fun time at a beautiful course.

I hadn't played this course in 25 years bur still remembered the hill going up to the 18th green. They offer a senior weekday rate of $42 w/cart, which is a bargain for this course. I checked a few reviews online and they were pretty bad so I called the pro shop to check on course conditions. The course was being sold prior to Covid, but now off the market. They admitted that the maintenance was neglected, but assured me that the course was in great shape now. We were glad we gave it a chance and were impressed with the beauty and layout - lots of mature oaks, plenty of flower beds, lots of elevation changes, and smooth greens made it seem like a private country club. We played the Senior tees from 6,190 yards and you paid a penalty if you missed the fairway as the rough is lush. The greens were like carpet and lots of slope, but rather soft, so not extremely fast. They have an impressive practice green, but no driving range - only a 3 bay net with free shag balls and some beat up AstroTurf for warming up (the only negative). They had a grill going outside the clubhouse with brats and burgers, and the drinks were reasonable. It was a 5 hour round with a lot of time searching for balls in the rough and a 20 min stop at the turn to let a couple of twosomes play through. Only a couple of coolers of drinking water on the course, and we didn't see a cart girl, so bring some beverages with you. I wouldn't want to walk this course with the huge elevation changes, but it's definitely recommended if you want a stern test on a beautiful golf course.

The greens were like shag carpet. Way too slow. Ruined my great ball striking round by not being able to convert hardly any putts because of the bouncy mushy slow green speeds. Okay to make the ball stop but had to hammer everything to get it to the whole. Not coming back here again until they have greens not shag carpet.

No ranger around Course people taking there time on course

This course has tons of character in its layout. There are elevation changes, the right amount of holes with sand and water, killer rough, undulating greens, and the dreaded par 5 ninth hole! There are needed cosmetic updates though, , bridges need to be replaced, floral or landscaping around the tee boxes, and newer ball washers would spruce things up. The course, if renovated, could bump up its green fees and easily get $90-100 per round like others in the area, especially on weekends. All in all, this is a great course to test every part of your game!