Lake Forest Golf Club

As a long-time resident of the neighborhood, Lake Forest has been my go-to golf spot for years. While recent investments in the clubhouse are a welcome change, the overall experience remains a mixed bag.

On the positive side, the clubhouse renovations have truly elevated the ambiance. The new deck is a genuine asset, offering a lovely space to unwind after a round, catch the sunset, and enjoy a bite or a drink. The improved food quality is also noteworthy. Since the change in kitchen staff and the hiring of a proper chef, the menu is significantly better. You can even get a charcuterie board now, something beyond the reach of the previous staff. Furthermore, the wait staff consistently provide excellent service – they are friendly, efficient, and always seem to be working hard.

The golf course itself offers an enjoyable layout. The front nine's generous fairways provide a sense of relief for those errant shots, offering a good chance to recover. In contrast, the back nine, winding through the woods, presents a more strategic and demanding test of golf. The practice facilities are also a strong point, featuring a driving range with ample space, a large chipping area, a dedicated bunker practice zone, and a sizable putting green.

However, several areas require significant attention. The course conditions, unfortunately, fall short of even typical public course standards. Years of apparent neglect are evident, making it challenging and likely costly to restore the course to its full potential. For instance, I recall a season where a significant portion of the putting green on the 13th hole was staked off due to extensive dead grass. More recently, the redone area around the 8th green remains quite messy with uneven, sparse grass despite the renovation last year. The cart paths throughout the course are in a state of disrepair, with crumbling edges and uneven surfaces. The bridge connecting the 11th and 12th holes appears twisted and shows signs of rotting, raising potential safety concerns. Exposed drainage pipes and random piles of what looks like construction debris are scattered in various locations. Moreover, many of the bunkers consistently hold water, and the sand has become so compacted it's practically concrete. In comparison, municipal courses like Pierce Lake and Leslie Park consistently offer noticeably better playing conditions.

Another significant issue is the pace of play. Expect long, slow rounds at Lake Forest. With tee times booked just 8 minutes apart and no visible ranger to encourage timely play, waiting on almost every shot is the norm.

While the majority of the clubhouse and course staff are genuinely pleasant, there are exceptions. I have personally witnessed a starter speak rudely to multiple golfers, which is a poor first impression for anyone arriving at the course. It would be beneficial to have a dedicated ranger handle any enforcement of pace of play or late arrivals, allowing the starter to focus on providing a welcoming experience. Similarly, while most of the staff behind the clubhouse counter are friendly, I have both seen and experienced instances of rudeness towards customers.

Finally, while the food has improved, the bar still has room for growth. Sticking to beer, wine, and very basic cocktails is advisable. More complex drinks tend to be either poorly executed with incorrect proportions or overly diluted and sugary.

In conclusion, Lake Forest possesses considerable potential. The recent clubhouse upgrades and the inherently enjoyable course layout provide a solid foundation. However, significant investment and attention are needed to address the poor course conditions and the slow pace of play. Ensuring consistent professionalism across all staff members and improving the bar's capabilities would further enhance the overall experience.

As a local, I genuinely hope to see these improvements made, allowing Lake Forest to become the premier golf, dining, and social destination it has the potential to be.

As a long-time resident of the neighborhood, Lake Forest has been my go-to golf spot for years. While recent investments in the clubhouse are a welcome change, the overall experience remains a mixed bag.

On the positive side, the clubhouse renovations have truly elevated the ambiance. The new deck is a genuine asset, offering a lovely space to unwind after a round, catch the sunset, and enjoy a bite or a drink. The improved food quality is also noteworthy. Since the change in kitchen staff and the hiring of a proper chef, the menu is significantly better. You can even get a charcuterie board now, something beyond the reach of the previous staff. Furthermore, the wait staff consistently provide excellent service – they are friendly, efficient, and always seem to be working hard.

The golf course itself offers an enjoyable layout. The front nine's generous fairways provide a sense of relief for those errant shots, offering a good chance to recover. In contrast, the back nine, winding through the woods, presents a more strategic and demanding test of golf. The practice facilities are also a strong point, featuring a driving range with ample space, a large chipping area, a dedicated bunker practice zone, and a sizable putting green.

However, several areas require significant attention. The course conditions, unfortunately, fall short of even typical public course standards. Years of apparent neglect are evident, making it challenging and likely costly to restore the course to its full potential. For instance, I recall a season where a significant portion of the putting green on the 13th hole was staked off due to extensive dead grass. More recently, the redone area around the 8th green remains quite messy with uneven, sparse grass despite the renovation last year. The cart paths throughout the course are in a state of disrepair, with crumbling edges and uneven surfaces. The bridge connecting the 11th and 12th holes appears twisted and shows signs of rotting, raising potential safety concerns. Exposed drainage pipes and random piles of what looks like construction debris are scattered in various locations. Moreover, many of the bunkers consistently hold water, and the sand has become so compacted it's practically concrete. In comparison, municipal courses like Pierce Lake and Leslie Park consistently offer noticeably better playing conditions.

Another significant issue is the pace of play. Expect long, slow rounds at Lake Forest. With tee times booked just 8 minutes apart and no visible ranger to encourage timely play, waiting on almost every shot is the norm.

While the majority of the clubhouse and course staff are genuinely pleasant, there are exceptions. I have personally witnessed a starter speak rudely to multiple golfers, which is a poor first impression for anyone arriving at the course. It would be beneficial to have a dedicated ranger handle any enforcement of pace of play or late arrivals, allowing the starter to focus on providing a welcoming experience. Similarly, while most of the staff behind the clubhouse counter are friendly, I have both seen and experienced instances of rudeness towards customers.

Finally, while the food has improved, the bar still has room for growth. Sticking to beer, wine, and very basic cocktails is advisable. More complex drinks tend to be either poorly executed with incorrect proportions or overly diluted and sugary.

In conclusion, Lake Forest possesses considerable potential. The recent clubhouse upgrades and the inherently enjoyable course layout provide a solid foundation. However, significant investment and attention are needed to address the poor course conditions and the slow pace of play. Ensuring consistent professionalism across all staff members and improving the bar's capabilities would further enhance the overall experience.

As a local, I genuinely hope to see these improvements made, allowing Lake Forest to become the premier golf, dining, and social destination it has the potential to be.

Showed up to the course to see cars parked alongside the road and a golf cart "shuttle" from the parking lot to the clubhouse. Only a couple carts were available when we checked in, and they didn't have enough keys for the carts.

When we pulled up to the first tee box at our scheduled tee time, the 2 groups ahead of us hadn't teed off yet. Figured it would get better once we were on the course, but it didn't. 2:45pm tee time, made the turn at 5:45pm and didn't finish until 8:15pm.

Multiple holes where people blasted obnoxious music through Bluetooth speakers. No rangers to correct this, but they sent the drink girl 4x. It's all about the $$$ here.

Bunkers needed more sand, several were missing rakes. Greens ran well (fast, didn't break too much). Wide open course - water and woods don't really come into play outside of a few holes. Front 9 was easy, back 9 was far more challenging. Wide open course that favors distance over accuracy, wind would make it far more challenging on a windy day.

Might give it another chance on a weekday when it's less crowded, but the 8 minute tee time intervals are a killer.

The course was very nice it was my first time playing it. The staff was friendly, But the ranger was a JERK!!! He came late in a bad mood or something. I’d come back and play as long as he isn’t there.

interesting layout, not too easy or hard for average golfer. staff alternates from friendly to officious. greens mediocre, lots of bumps. good practice facility.

It was the first time I have played this course so there was something of a learning experience. The course has a good design with lots of tee options for all levels of golfer. The carts are nice but simple without GPS or club washers. The cart paths are good but some end abruptly into the native areas and all could use a repave. The layout is varied with lots of elevation changes from tee to fairway and fairway to green. The greens are interesting but not extreme. There are a lot of blind tee and approach shots so some local knowledge is helpful. A fair value for super-twilight. I will be back to play the back 9.

The course has a great grass range with plenty of hitting stations and decent balls, mix of good and fair, a dedicated pitching green with up to 40 yards of fairway, a huge chipping green with many holes and lies, there are grass and sand bunkers and a putting green. There is a full restaurant and bar. The pro-shop is small with only a few things but has all the balls and tees you could need but not a shopping destination.

There are 5 sets of tees with good spacing for different levels of golfer. There were several times when the blue and black tees were the same. The tee boxes had good coverage but were a bit uneven. I never had a problem finding a place to tee it up.

The fairways had good coverage with minimal divot damage in my landing area. The fairways like the rest of the curse was damp so tee shots didn't run out. also they were a bit fuzzy and the ball would sit down just a little bit. There are a lot of elevation changes with uphill and downhill shots to the greens. I can't think of many shots that didn't have an elevation change.

Greens were good but not great. They were soft and had a lot of moisture in them. It was hard to hold a low trajectory shot (the ball would just skip). Like the fairways the greens were a bit fuzzy late in the day. There were good contours in the green but no big breaks or shelves.There were minimal pitch marks in part due to the size of the greens.

The bunkers were damp and grainy. There was sufficient sand in all of the bunkers. However, several of the bunkers were flooded. Also the bunkers were not very well edged but not a big issue. People left many of the bunker rakes were left half in and half out of the bunkers. I ended up against a rake outside the edge of a bunker.

Great course, greens fairways and tees are in excellent condition. We booked the tee time and did not know there was an outing, the first 7 holes were played in record time then we caught up with the outing and we crawl the next 8 holes then it was over and we finished fast. Great course and worth whatever the price but it is very reasonable.

Course was in good shape with just a couple of condition issues on a couple of greens. Lots of hard pan areas off the fairways can cause awkward bounces. Plays short which is good for seniors looking to find more fairways. Not the best course in the area but worth picking up on a "Hot Deal".

Beautiful course. Fast greens. Super challenging layout. Dry though. Not the courses fault, been super dry everywhere all year.

Many holes are fairly straight-forward so first timers can shoot good scores. But #11-15 are in & out the woods and really tight. Greens were relatively fast. Course kept in decent shape. Worth a visit.

Lake Forest is well worth playing again and again.

First time playing this course and really enjoyed it. Front is open heathers style while the back nine are into the woods. However even the back is fair when it comes to risk / reward and very scenic.

Really like that they have plenty of yardage markers in the fairway. Typically we do not use a range finder. Having those markers really helps pace of play. We finished in just under 4 hrs and did not rush. Course was in great shape from tee to green. Front feels like you're out in the country and the back has a little more of the up north feeling. Some of the cart paths need maintenance and could be better marked however. Especially coming off number 8. (Turn right).

Only a few miles from downtown Ann Arbor so we went into A2 for lunch after the round. Great fun day. Will definitely return.

Love the course,course is mostly wide open but enough heather to pose problems.Greens and faiways in great shape.Will definitely be going back

The course is in excellent condition with fairways and greens in tip top shape. Traps were in good condition, I know since I was in a few and had no problem getting out..