Shepherd's Crook Golf Course

Greens rolled fast! Course in great shape. Rough was reasonable. Played best round of the year despite five three putts. Always a fun and challenging layout.

Shepherds Crook is the course I enjoy the most . In the Nortern Illinois are, you can’t find a better cv ourse for the money.

The course conditions could be a little better, but I’m not complaining.

This was my third round at Shepherd's Crook this year and as with the first two, it was enjoyable. We had the 2nd tee time and played in a little over 3 hours for our 4-some. The course was in great shape, but the greens did not seem to be as quick as normal.

There was a little bit of an issue as the course had 3 different 2-somes at the same time as out tee time and everyone had a reservation showing the same time, but the course insisted one of the groups should have been 10 minutes earlier. Their stance was wrong which is why I rated the staff friendliness as 1 star.

Definitely recommed getting out there for a round.

I've played the course multiple times and have had nothing but positive experiences until this last time around. The attendant in the pro shop was friendly and efficient, the starter was personable and upbeat and the course was in perfect condition. We were two twosomes (walking) and the tee time was at 630am. We were delayed a few minutes because of the group ahead of us but that wasn't a problem to us at all. Pace was perfect throughout the front and moving on to the 9th hole from the 8th, we were projected to finish the front in an easy 2hrs15mins. We were then approached by the ranger at the tee box telling us to pick up the pace since we were falling behind what they wanted. We agreed, although warily since their website says the pace for a round is 4hrs30mins and the most important aspect: the group behind us never had to wait for us to finish to take their shots. We ended up finishing the front at 2hrs10mins. We got to play uninterrupted for a solid hole and a half before the ranger approached us on the green at the 10th. He said we were falling behind again and that he needs to do something "drastic" because his manager is getting on him. This is where we all got really irritated. He tells us we need to SKIP the next hole. We look behind us, AND THE GROUP BEHIND US ISN'T EVEN ON THE TEE BOX YET. It wasn't until we were teeing off on the next hole the group behind us finally got to the tee box. We ended up finishing the round in 4hrs5mins as walkers playing from the tips. I'd say that's a phenomenal pace exemplified further by the fact that the group behind us was never on the same hole as us. That ranger and manager completely killed the experience here. Other than that, I have nothing but positive to speak of when regarding this track.

We had a perfect day. Went out as a solo and was paired with two other guys who played here frequently. Played in under 4 hrs, the course conditions were great, greens rolled true and got faster as the day went on, the pin position sheet really helped through out the day, Par 3's from the back tees were tough (First par 3 was 249 yards that day). You can get away with spraying it off the tee on some holes and some holes demand control.

The staff was very courteous and made sure my experience was good one. I did not eat so I can not comment on the food. The only negative is no range, just a chipping/putting green.

Great place to play!

What a wonderful course! Challenging but can be forgiving. Plays fast. Always in great shape. The staff is always ultra friendly. A hidden gem for sure!!

This course is always in good shape. One of my favorite courses to play in lake county, best bang for your dollar!

Live 58 miles from course

Play here several times a year , reason

Layout

Course Conditions

Value

Spectacular layout in northern lake county with a taste of the best woods and links style architecture. 6800 yards allows plenty of options off the tee. Challenging holes set beautifully in the existing landscape with plenty of elevation gain, blind shots and....style. Think harborside with...trees. $60 with a cart, played 18 holes in about three hours on a Saturday evening. Staff friendly and helpful. Like a secret only a few know about. Best municipal course I’ve ever played, bar none. Can not recommend enough.

For 65 with a cart it’s a great deal and fun course. Always enjoy playing here. Rangers were weird (starter was nice) but everything else was good.

Me and my buddies played 18 holes today & I've never seen this course in better condition. Fairways are nice, greens are fast & true & they've cut the rough down slightly so it's not as penal as years past but you still gotta watch out. We basically decided to eat dinner after our round closeto 6 o'clock & the ladies work the bar, the grill & the facility were fantastic and very accommodating. We'll definitely be back just because of them and how accommodating they all were!!! Thanks ladies...Chris & your crew ROCK!!!

I had heard about this course for years and finally got to play it. Really enjoyed the layout, setting, and conditions. Unfortunately got rained out after 13 holes but have rain checks. Note that there’s no GPS on the carts, but there are good markers on the fairways and cart paths.

Pace of play was fast and course conditions were outstanding!