Marengo Ridge Golf & Country Club

Marengo is a fun and interesting track. A newer school front nine and a quirky old school back.....but they blend well together....Really nice welcoming folks in the clubhouse. Well maintained...greens are in great shape....smooth/speedy and plenty of breaking putts. Always a challenge and lots of doglegs to keep things interesting. There are a few holes that you have to play a couple of times to get the hang of them....the 12th, 13th and 16th in particular. The 5th hole is a well designed short par 4 that can wreck a card. Always a really good value (you could play here twice for what they charge at nearby Blackstone) and I've always experienced a pleasant day at this place. My playing partner (a 1st timer and 7hcp) remarked he liked the Marengo vibe more so than Blackstone (which is a very nice track but pricey). Marengo Ridge is definitely worth a play or two or three each season. 4.5 stars and highly recommended if you have not played here before.

A nice coarse.,very well maintained in good shape ., We found the staff very pleasant, We played right through with no wait time. I would differently play this corse again,I am looking forward to it.

I played in a twosome on a Friday morning. Teed off a few minutes before our scheduled tee time. Course was wide open before 8 AM but looked like it filled up pretty quickly as the morning wore on. Keep that in mind when scheduling a tee time. With that caveat out of the way, let's get on to the good stuff.

Pros: The course tips out at 6600-6700 yards and offers a huge variety of holes with no two holes really playing the same. Plenty of dog leg holes around this course that don't favor one type of shot over the other (draws and fades). Par 3's all vary in distance and have their own unique hazards and obstacles. Mature trees will provide obstacles should your tee shot go awry. Water hazards are also plentiful around the course. A lot of challenges are present on a course that is set out in the middle of the country. Greens were surprisingly fast for the course having wet spots. Ball rolled well on them. Hopefully they'll stay on top of them and keep them in good shape. The best part about the course? The rates they charge. Unless you get a Hot Deal on GolfNow at one of the other "premium" courses in McHenry County (Blackstone, Foxford, GCI, Chalet, etc), you'll be hard pressed to be able to beat the rates here for morning tee times. The rates they charge for the challenge the course provides as well as the course conditions make it an excellent value in my opinion.

Cons: The conditions of the cart paths are bad. Like really really bad. It would've been tough to walk along the path, let alone ride in a cart on it. I've played here for multiple years and every year I think they'll get better and they just don't. The good news? If that's my biggest complaint, that's a good thing. Some of the bunkers were in rough shape when I played but it was to be expected with all of the rain the area got during the week. Other areas on the course were soggy, but again, to be expected. Overall, I thought the course had drained pretty well. The other "con" for some people may be that it will take a couple of times playing this course to learn where to place your tee shots on the dog legs in order to give yourself a clear shot into the greens.

Verdict: Course conditions were great for this time of year and I anticipate them being in good shape as the year goes on. I love the course layout but like I said before, I've played it more than a handful of times and know some of the "shortcuts" around the course (like trying to hit a slice on 18 to shave off a TON of distance for your second shot into the green). My playing partner had played here a couple of times before and even he had a hard time remembering layout without driving the cart ahead to check out how the hole is shaped. Having a GPS app or a range finder will also help with some of the sharp dog legs so you can see where the fairways run out. Blackstone gets all of the accolades (and rightfully so, I gave it 5*) but give Marengo Ridge a chance as well if you are in the area. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and you'll have some spare money in your pocket.

Course was a little rough after all the rain and the sand traps were terrible, but it's a challenging layout and was in overall good shape. Can't beat the price.

February golfing at its best. Course in great shape, mostly dry unmarked fairways and greens. Tee and yardage markers in their place. Carts readied and waiting. This golf course is challanging yet fun from the tips. Will be a scenic gem in the summer.

Played this course several times and always walk away satisfied with the course upkeep and the friendliness of the staff.

Course conditions for January in Illinois were remarkably good! Course was walking only, though carts had clearly torn up the paths prior to the day we played. Most greens were slow and wet, but only a couple were soggy or pooled. There were only a couple of other players out so pace was no problem.

Have played here in better weather and course conditions are typically pretty good, and pace is usually decent even on a weekend.

Finally played Marengo Ridge for the first time in 2014. Glad I did. Great layout, conditioning is not premium, but still definitely above average. Great collection of holes. Water on 8 holes, good range, good putting green. Staff is very sincere, so I always look forward to playing here.

First time playing this course and i am impressed. One guy in our foursome booked it in a very good price through golfnow and everybody had fun. Greens are fast considering that it was late in the year. Lots of challenges. Staffs are friendly and the clubhouse is very "homey". Definitely will come back again and again. Highly recommended.

Found the course easily in a quiet rural setting. Easy access to club house, carts and car park. Course was lush and all greens had been tined/sanded sometime in October. Greens were all consistent speed and even, with no unexpected bumps. We had just beaten leaf falling so not too much debris on greens. A few holes had small hills/dips and some doglegs and a few had water hazards but nothing too intimidating. As a 2-ball, we did catch a 4-ball by hole 12, having completed 9 holes in just under 2 hours. We declined their offer to play through, as their pace was OK. Weather was marvellous at 75f, so a great day!

The course is in excellent condition in every way. Beautifully landscaped and fairways were in the best conditions. I will be back for sure!

Gave this course a bad review last time out.

Attempted to give them a second chance but rude service again!

Attendee attempted to embarrass for using GolfNow.

Attempted to play a round purchased on GolfNow.

Clubhouse staff was rude and unfriendly.

Won't play again!!

Good coarse. They were air rating the greens.

Fun course. Not pretentious. Good value for the money.

played Oct 1 wet day, course was in great shape

Very good value for the course. Well maintained for autumn season.

To start we were forced to follow two extremely slow foursomes who appeared to be just learning the game. While everyone has to start sometime, they should not be allowed to start during the weekend prime time.

The course is well laid out with numerous blind shots and wicked dogleg holes. There are plenty of trees and accuracy is at a premium. The greens generally held approach shots while maintaining reasonable speed. The tee boxes were beat up which made finding a level tee spot difficult. The course uses "barber poles" to designate 150 yards to the center of the green and for the most part they were accurate. The beverage cart was constantly on the move and visited our group 4 times during the round.

This is a course which warrants playing TWICE. The first round is simply to get a feel for the course and the what it offers and the second is to try for a low score. The value through GolfNow is worth playing the course two times.

Difficult course on the front nine. Dog leg? More like hockey stick.