Cantigny Golf - Hillside/Woodside

Thoroughly enjoyed playing Woodside & Lakeside courses. The course layout is interesting and the fairways & greens are meticulously manicured.

We had beautiful weather, and the course lived up to expectations. Overall good experience.

Played on 8/7/17 and the course was in great shape. Fairways were excellent as were the greens. Some of the best fairways that I've played in the area. Greens fast ans smooth. Challenging layout.

Top drawer experience from bag drop to finish.

Excellent course in excellent shape.

Having played the game globally over the last 50+ years, I can, with some certainty, claim that Cantigny Hillside/Woodside was one of the most extraordinary tests and experiences I've had the pleasure to know. The condition of these Parkland courses, the layout, the staff, the circumstances and the company were perfect on this day - July1, 2017. To appreciate value you must have context. My good fortune to have traveled to play is that context and history.

The Cantigny complex is structured in a way to give both the avid and novice golfer the opportunity to prepare, play and assess the day, without ever once questioning the decision to do so. From the moment you enter the grounds your approach to the clubhouse features views of idyllic golf holes flanking the drive in. Views that entice the mind and spirit and prepare you emotionally for what's to come. The conditions on this visit were spectacular: late afternoon sun, cloudless sky, light breeze, open courses, fast greens and verdant, ample fairways. On this day, perfection was the color green at Cantigny. I can only imagine the palette in the Fall, it must be spectacular.

Knowing golfers come to accept the odds that accompany any round of golf. Cantigny under any circumstances would be a good bet for a great day of golf. By this I do not mean scoring, I mean great golf. That is an important distinction that lies at the heart of the game and is often lost on those new to the game. Cantigny is an old soul in a relatively new 28 year old body.

The Cantigny courses demand full attention and respect because the golf here will reveal the full measure of your game right from the first tee shot. A novice or disinterested player might reconsider making a tee time here given the demands and expense. The required shots and skill set for many of the holes will frustrate those new to the game, yet the courses themselves are so beautiful that your poor play gets rewarded nonetheless. Don't despair. Cantigny will inspire you to practice and improve your game if only to bring you back again and again to test your progress. The Golf Academy on-site is where you may acquire the skills and confidence to play. As I said, this is a complete golf destination, not a resort. Golf is the focus, and golfers should support and utilize all aspects of the Cantigny experience. The Caddie program supports one of the foundations of the game. At Cantigny, I can see that the future for caddies is secure. Young people are everywhere. As a senior, I found this detail to be so important and specific. Cantigny is making a statement, by signaling that the spirit of the game is young even if the game itself is old. A perfect balance, in all respects.

At some point, I will return to play Lakeside. I can only imagine it will be more of a very good thing.

This golf course doesn't get the recognition it deserves because it excels in all categories. Simply outstanding!

One of the best public courses in the area that I have played. Course in great shape. Played at a great pace.

One thing they do on the scorecard is offer alternative tee configurations beyond the standard color tee marker sets. These days with my vanishing distance, I look for either a short set of blues or a long set of whites. The card gives you your ratings and slopes for such configurations, blending blue/white holes for example throughout the round.

Beware the fairway bunkers. The sand is so deep near the edges, your ball will bury. I had one shot leave only half an inch of ball exposed.

Cantigny is a great golf course. Good food nice amenities and a fun course layout. Only complain is all the stagnant water in the ponds leads to a tremendous amount of bugs and bad smelling water. Gotta get some fountains and circulate the water a bit. That will cut down on the smells and the bugs. A couple holes the bugs were almost unbearable.

Holes offered great variety of challenges. Fairways and greens were in very good condition for this time of year. We were further challenged by the 40 mph gusts that day, but the warm temps helped.The course and overall layout was spectacular.

Private club experience, conditions excellent, friendly and knowledgable staff.

Nice layout. Paid 104.00 per person and had to pay for range balls. Not a good value for the money spent. Schaumburg, Blackstone or Bowes have better greens and the fees are more reasonable. Most likely would not play again. Twosome in front of us was slow and no ranger around to move them along.

I have played this course a handful of times. It is always in good shape though the greens were rolling a little slower than when I have played in the past. Despite being a busy Friday, the pace of play was good. Aside from the girl at the bag drop, the staff could be a little friendlier.

Lakeside is a good course. Woodside is a great course. Both should be great at $90 a round, but this is why we only play here 1 to 2X per year.

Cantigny is certainly one of the top four or five public courses in the Chicago area. From the Bag Drop staff to the restaurant and bar&grill, it is better and more accommodating than most private clubs. The three nine hole courses are extremely well designed to provide a real golf challenge in a beautiful woodland setting.

Played Lakeside/Woodside and it was definitely worth the $58 I paid for the Hot Deal on GolfNow. The entire course was in excellent condition with semi-fast greens that were trickier than they looked. I played in a twosome on a Saturday afternoon and we were in a cart. We completed the round in just over 4 hours. There were 6 or 7 holes that I would play completely differently if I had known the course better. We played the tips and it was definitely a tough test. There are many trees on this course and many times the branches stick out and make the holes quite a challenge. I highly recommend this course for better golfers. Can't wait to play it again!

Awesome course, used to be my home course, very traditional , everything was perfect except greens are rather slow , when I played there before their greens were always fast so I don't know what happened over the years. But if have not played their before you should

I have played this course three times now and it never seems to disappoint me! This course in particular provides plenty of challenges for any skill level of golfer. With that being said I do not recommend this for beginner golfers, who are not confident in their abilities to hit greens. I highly suggest that if you are not a long hitter with your irons, you lay up. The greens here are amazing, they have played well on both of their courses. They can be challenging at times, but they have a great firmness to them. This course also has a really great setting! To even get to the course you drive down a road where the trees surrounding the course are easily 60+ years old, and then when you pull in you are greeted with lush greens, and beautiful scenery.

I can't believe I only live 20 miles away and this was my first time. When all other courses are hacked and aerated, this was pristine! Well worth $100.