Big Run GC
A view over the water of a hole at Big Run Golf Club.
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Rating Index Rating
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3.8
928 Reviews (928)
5 Stars
267
4 Stars
340
3 Stars
157
2 Stars
96
1 Stars
68
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.9
Layout
4.5
Friendliness
4.1
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.3
78.4%
Recommend this course
681 out of 928 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.6
35 Reviews (35)
5 Stars
9
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
6
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.4
Value
3.9
Layout
4.5
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.2
StaffFriendliness
3.6
71.4%
Recommend this course
25 out of 35 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
68 Reviews (68)
5 Stars
18
4 Stars
33
3 Stars
9
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.9
Layout
4.6
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.3
StaffFriendliness
3.9
80.9%
Recommend this course
55 out of 68 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Big Run's dramatic elevation changes and challenging layout consistently earn high praise from golfers seeking a true test. Noticeably improved course conditions and friendly staff make this a strong value worth booking.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 7028 yards
Slope 142
Rating 74.6
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Big Run Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1930
Fairways Blue Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Harry B. Smead (1930) Dick Nugent (1986) Ken Killian (1982)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range No
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Dicover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper attire is required.

Available Facilities

Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2025 #24)
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Reviews

3.8
928 Reviews (928)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 34
Watching the Game 7
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 71
Undulating Greens 60
Plays Long 57
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 61
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 37
Locals 27
This Course's Location is:
In the 'Burbs 64
Worth the Drive 42
Convenient to the City 7

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course bad pace

Behind two elderly women and two elderly gentlemen that should not be playing 18 holes at 6700 yards. Round took 5.5 hours.....never had this issue here, really ridiculous. Course was in spectacular shape and still fun to play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Slow greens

For a $70 course I expected faster greens, they kept them long because of the drought and probably didn't want them to burn out or use more water. Generally the nicer courses have faster greens and the dog tracks have super slow greens. I've played here before and the greens were very fast but not yesterday and just couldn't get used to the slow speed, came up short a lot.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course, pace of play issues as usual

Course was good, greens were receptive but a little slow for my taste. Knowing there are always pace of play issues I booked a time with 4-5 open tee times ahead of me. We flew thru the front nine and had a death march on the back. No ranger or beverage cart. If there was a ranger this could have been helped

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Big Run. More like Big No Fun.

If you like six hour rounds, this is the place for you. Course is in great condition and offers a decent challenge. But the pace of play is unreasonable. Played in a three-some and it took 5 hours and 10 minutes to play 18. The 3 men in front of us must have been prepping to make their PGA tour debuts and also never wanted to not play a shot with the three of them together. When I called the club house, because there were no rangers on the course, the ranger who came out told the group ahead of us to pick it up. They decided to play slower. From the time I called the ranger, to finishing 4.5 holes, it took 90 minutes. When I saw the ranger again at that time, he told me "there were no gaps in play." What a joke. Price not worth the hassle.

Conditions Good
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

"Big Fun' at "Big Run"

Everything went great when it should of been a disaster. Both the indoor and outdoor staff were amazing. They had lost power the night before and it was still out when I got there; and when I finished! How the indoor staff made that all work was awesome. Since they had a rain storm the night before the staff on the course seemed to be everywhere. The were picking up all the fallen branches, mowing everywhere and working on the standing water in the sand traps. I was really impressed with the entire staff's dedication and work ethic! Well done Big Run, Thank You

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course

Great course very challenging and good staff

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Tough Course

Bring your A game if you play from the white tees or longer. Very challenging course with narrow fairways on some holes and almost unfair green slopes. This course would drive me to drink if I played it all the time, but it was a lot of fun to play it once.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Amazing course nice greens!

The best greens I have ever played on!!!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 75
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Great course for a great value

A local recommended the course to me and I was so glad I listened to him! The layout is interesting, visually appealing and challenging. The greens were in great shape. I played on Father's day so the pace of play was a bit slow but the price from GN was well worth the slower pace of play.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Big Fun at Big Run

Title says it all. You want to a great track and be challenged, hit up Big Run. Played in the morning and course was in great shape. Will be back soon.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course

Excellent course. Challenging layout. Enjoyed playing Big Run.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
1.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Poor Customer Service

Terrible customer service! I booked Big Run using golfnow and was able to find an unbelievable deal of $4/person (yes, $4) including carts for Memorial Day weekend. An hour later I received an email from the golf pro Bill stating that he won't honor the price, and instead will let us play for $45/person. I told him I understood there was a mistake in the price, however there needs to be some convenience/leeway considering golfnow and myself didn't make the mistake, instead Bill from Big Run made the mistake. Bill gave me HIS BEST OFFER of $39, which is a $2 discount of a hot deal at Big Run. I told Bill $30 is more than acceptable/reasonable but Bill never budged, ultimately putting disadvantaged college kids in the hole and ruining their Sunday plans all because incompetent Bill cannot honor and man up for his mistake. Bill mentioned numerous times over the phone that I was young, immature and wasn't understanding. Bill also mentioned he has never made a golfnow deal lower than $30, when the day after memorial day there was a golfnow deal for $22. I tried numerous times telling Bill my friends and I will play another day or another week of his choice, but there needs to be a better deal than $39. He never budged.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Extremely Easy
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Previously Played

Tight course with lots of elevation - Avoid the 'sand'

Big run sprawls through the hills of Lemont/Lockport. The fairways and greens were in very good shape with thick early season grass. Plenty of scenic views from elevated tees. The towering oak trees and undulation can make many shots challenging and it's easy to get off the fairway into a grove of trees adding 1-2 strokes to the hole. The worst part of the course though are the 'sand' traps. They are basically dirt with no sand. After being in a couple and experiencing the unfair play we made a rule to drop our balls outside the trap the rest of the round.

The golf carts are old gas carts that are noisy and barely climb the steep hills. The gps is basically a laser system that only works half the time and only helps if you have a clear line of sight to the flag.

The greens are thick and nice except for some extreme slopes where depending on the pin placement it can be downright unfair. Expect some 3 and 4 putts.

The driving range is merely a cage with a net.

Overall we played quickly in the late afternoon and the grass was in great shape and we got a nice deal on the price. However the course is tired and so are the facilities. Feels like a course that time forgot.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Challenging Elevation

Lots of fun and a real tough challenge. Great golf now hot deal of $29, can't beat it.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 449
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Illinois Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played

Always a fun adventure

I've been playing Big Run at least once a year since the late 70's. The course is in very good shape however the sand traps stink (most are rocks, dirt and hardpan) and the fringes around the greens are quite bumpy and inconsistent. If you're on the fringe do yourself a favor...chip/run it.....don't putt.

Love the folks (always welcoming) in the old school clubhouse and good water pressure in the locker room. A nice 50's style bar to relax in post round and decent prices at the halfway house. No range but nets/mats to warm up on and a very representative practice putting green where you should practice some downhill and uphill breaking putts to get a feel of what you are about to face. Picturesque hilly course that been significantly updated over the years. 9th is a beastly par 5 (good luck getting home in 3) and don't even think about being above the hole on the 11th (a two tiered green and angled into a very sloped hillside where par picks up at least one or two shots on your playing partners). Some areas of the course (1st, 9th, 12th, 17th and 18th) are a tad too tight with huge trees (you can be in the fairway with few options). Big Run is a course you have to play a few times to get the hang of several of the holes.

Rated as 4 stars but downgrading to 3.5 stars in my book. Power carts probably need to be replaced as they are showing some wear/tear. The cruddy traps, bad green fringes coupled with the cost to play just don't warrant a full 4 stars but I love the place and always will go back when the price is right. $59 standard fee on a weekday is pretty steep....and too much. They'd get a heck of a lot more play if their standard rate was $30 or maybe $35....it's a $40 course at most currently.

Conditions Good
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Glad I came back........

Hadn't played Big Run for a number of years. No particular reason but very glad I came back. Beautiful day course was in terrific shape, love the layout, challenging and long from the white tees 6670 yds. Won't wait so long to come back next time. It also helps when you play on Tuesday morning in 3 hours on a perfect day.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great for driving and putting challenge.

Great challenge. Only negative is that sand is needed in bunkers, they are extremely hard.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good course.

The course is very long for average players. Great for long hitters. Challenges are plenty with the lay out, ground topography, huge trees, water and abundant bunkers.

The cart paths are hoffible. Carts are gas powered and hence noisy and smelly. Range finder Attached to the cart is accurate.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

My Go-To Course for Elevation Change

Ive played here multiple times. There's a sad truth but I think of this course as one of, if not the only, option for Chicagoland golfers seeking large changes in elevation. Arrowhead GC has some nice little hills too, but not on every hole like at big run.

The layout and green complexes here are both excellent: I can recommend them to any golfer.

The thing this place suffers from is management/upkeep. They need a new clubhouse, staff-friendliness could use some work- and most importantly- conditioning and pace of play alike can be spotty. Not so much the conditioning, but I did play here late in the season once when the course was abysmal. Also, and this is a common problem, but lots of ball marks on the greens.

But I still highly recommend the course. Sweet layout. Great par 3's. Drivable par 4. Lots of strategy involved. Lots of trees. Aforementioned elevation change. Pretty tough course.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

best in Chicagoland

This is a must play course!!! Best in Illinois. If you shot in the 90's don't play here, it won't be fun and you will shot at least 110... Do not walk even if your in good shape, way to many hills... If your fancy and love the country club feel stay away this place is not for you but if you love golf and a real challenge and thats all that matters then this might be the best in the midwest... Oh I played good and still played better at Bethpage black... Yeah I said it, this place is harder then bethpage black....

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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Golf Packages

Destination Kohler - Champions' Trail Golf Package

FROM $617 (USD)
KOHLER, WI | Enjoy 2 nights’ accommodations at The American Club or the Inn at Woodlake and 3 rounds of golf at Blackwolf Run (River or Meadow Valleys Course) and Whistling Straits (Straits or Irish Course)

Destination Kohler - To Dye Four Golf Package

FROM $557 (USD)
KOHLER, WI | Enjoy 3 nights’ accommodations at The American Club or the Inn on Woodlake and 4 rounds of golf at Blackwolf Run (River & Meadow Valley Courses) and Whistling Straits (Straits & Irish Courses).

Shanty Creek Stay & Play Package

Click Below
BELLAIRE | Enjoy lodging accommodations at Shanty Creek's Lakeview Hotel or Lodge of Cedar River and golf at Shanty Creek - Cedar River, Hawk's Eye, Legend, Schuss, or Summit Courses.
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