Shepherd's Crook Golf Course

Great track, this is my fourth time playing this links style course. The course is in perfect condition. Everyone playing there takes great care in keeping the course pristine.

Only problem that I have is the pricing. Since I do not live in Zion the weekend greens fees are $60 with cart. Too high for this course. A weekend round for $45 would fill up the Tee sheet.

First off, I would recommend this course to others. We got a great hot deal on GolfNow.com. When we arrived, the guy in the clubhouse asked us for the confirmation #, which I gave him. Then he asked for my name, which I gave him. Then he asked for how many people were playing, which I gave him. Then he asked we how I was going to pay for the round. I was shocked at this point. Then he asks me for the same information 2 more times which started to perturb me quite a bit. Then when he started to see my frustration he rang us up and gave us our receipt...which....again...shocked me. There is no range, which I didn't like, but I did not check into it prior to the round. The staff started us early which I didn't mind. Pace of play was ridiculously slow (there was a 2-some and 2 foursomes ahead of us). Now to get to the course. The course is surrounded by a garbage dump (technically two with one being across the street), which I did not like. The fairways were weird, some areas were somewhat dry and other wet where if you don't make perfect contact your shot was greatly effected. Then on top of that...the greens were LIGHTENING fast. I had multiple 10 footers that were uphill that I tapped and blew by the hole. I was absolutely perplexed. Thankfully, I was able to figure them out and actually didn't mind the greens. It was just the combination of the fairways and the greens that I had an issue with. The 4th hole (the first par 3) was stupid. A 250 yard par 3 which was playing into the wind. In those conditions, which are normal for the course, I would say it's best to hit an approach shot into a par 3...which all of you know...is absolutely insane. Now, I know this review seems terrible, but the rest of the round was not terrible. The greens are extremely undulating which was kind of dumb and excessive in my opinion. the staff does take care of the course without a doubt. it would just be nice for them to take care of the paying customers as well. If you are a regular golfer with some skill and even average distance, hybrid off the tee is the way to go. This will get you PW to 8 iron in at most on par 4s. I actually ended up playing pretty well. The temperature was fine but the wind conditions were a little rough. I would recommend this course to others, but make sure you pay a price you are comfortable with. I use GolfNow.com quite a bit, and would definitely not pay full price for this course.

A nice links style course in the far northern suburbs. A bit pricey for the location but worth playing if you find a good tee time deal. Well maintained fairways and greens. Tough greens if you don't land in the right spots.

Really enjoyed my round. Lots of great, natural views and pretty golf holes that are right there for you. Forgiving off the tee box but more and more challenging as you near the hole.

Had a great round with my Son, course was in good shape, greens were very consistent and on the fast side and very tricky to putt depending on were you are in reference to the pin placement. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Will for sure play more rounds this season. P.S. both the 9th and 18th holes are par 5's and a quite a challenge if you have never played before, may take a few rounds to decide how you want to play them.

I have played all of the good courses in Lake County and Shepard's Crook is still my favorite from a value perspective and is fun to play. The course has fair landing areas with the expected penalties for wayward shots. The grassey dunes give it a links feel with club head-eating shots to go with it. The course still has to come out of the Chicagoland winter for the greens to get into shape. The greens have some character without having tricked out breaks, many are elevated, so think about an extra club.

I played the black tees, but would recommend the sivers for a better player as it gives many of the holes a slightly different look.

Challenging course. Well maintained. Nice staff. Great rate from G/N. Please don't tell anybody! But, if you do, advise them it might take longer to finish the brat sandwich than the front 9.

This is one of my favorite courses in the area, club house is beautiful, course is always in great shape and staff is friendly.

A new type course with wetlands, grasslands, water, wide fairways, well maintained. Worth the drive.

Course was pleasant surprise. booked it last minute as free time for me opened up, and was happy. Course had character as each hole was different. Few blind shots, which were difficult for first time player. Played at 1 pm so greens were furry, but could be very nice in AM round.

All around, satisfied with value.

Played as a 2-some on a Wednesday;got the special $40 rate w/cart. 1:55 front nine; 2:15 back nine. Saw refreshment cart 3 times. There is drinking water on 4 holes on the course. Staff was friendly..

We found the course to be challenging but fair. Some of the greens require a few rounds under your belt to figure out. Approximately 2/3 of the holes are links style, 1/3 have some trees. Easy to walk as the holes are next to each other with fescue strips separating them. What that means is a 50 yard slice is sometimes better than a 20 yard slice! Nice rolling fairways, well defined holes, but maybe one too many blind tee shots for me. Grass was healthy everywhere . Most greens were in good shape, a few bore the marks of people not repairing ball marks/dragging feet. Fairways were good, no crazy tight lies. Small gripe on tees as many were not flat/rolled allowing for a few un-level bumpy spots. Even if you hit the ball into the fescue, there's a good chance you will find it. Had a good experience, will play again.

Solid golf course that will test your game without completely beating you up. Not tons of flower beds and no fireplace in the clubhouse, but bunkers/Fairways/greens/tees are always in fantastic shape. They understand the priorities.

They desperately need a set of hybrid tees to fill the gap between 6200 and 6800+. Big miss on this design.

Recently moved to N Illinois from Phoenix and have been looking for a go to course and believe I have found it. Love the open feel of this course yet the challenging approaches. Would fully expect to pay double what I paid to play this course. If the value continues I will be playing this course with regularity.

Greens and fairways both in great shape. Challenging, yet not ridiculously tough. Can't wait to play again.

It's too bad that course is great and beautiful. The general attitude of the staff is terrible. They act as if this is some private or 400 dollar per round course. Noses are up in the air and they act as if you are troubling them. When it is actually a Zion park district course. Just come back down to earth folks and everything will work out just fine.

I have been enjoying Shepherd's Crook for many years. The course is always in great condition. The greens are true, the design is sporting and fun.

The course was in good shape and the greens were very fast. My only issue was we played at 2:30 and needed to complete the front nine by 4 because of league play. Fortunately we were a two some and no one was in front of us. So next time I will call ahead to check for league play before booking and plan to get off earlier.

Play this course at least once a year. 75 miles from my home round trip. Course is always in good condition. Nice range of holes from 150 to 654. Yes, 654 from tips on #14. Primarily a links course with a few parkland holes thrown in for variety.

Links style course, excellent conditions, great layout. It's a bargain at $30. The 18th hole is one of the best finishing holes I've played. The biggest drawback was the pace of play. Almost 5 hours for a threesome. We waited 8 to 10 minutes on each tee box, never saw a ranger. We live almost an hour away but will definitely be back.

on an average day, with golfers playing a fairly slow pace, it is advertised as a three and one half hour round of golf, but the rangers do not help make this happen,
friendly yes, but asked why it is said to play as a quicker pace, and we were an hour passed there time allotment, their replies were, ITS BUSY,
over all a great course, greens built a bit difficult for a park run golf facility, will not keep us from coming back,