Geneva National Resort & Club

Excellent and scenic course can't wait to the middle of summer

Such a shame. The Player course at Geneva National is my favorite golf course anywhere (and I have golfed in every state except Alaska). My son got his first hole and one on the Player on Father's Day no less.

I would buy a 10 round Gold Pass there every year until recently when I moved to St Louis. When I moved to St Louis I still bought the Gold Pass in 2019. I played 6 rounds in 2019 and asked in the pro shop if they would let me use the passes in 2020 since I moved out of state. They said sure and a guy even signed my passes

saying it was ok. Covid hit in 2020 and I just called before I booked a flight to play there this Father's Day

asked the pro Charlie Brown if it is ok to use my prepaid rounds. He said absolutely not. Very simple I will NEVER PLAY THERE AGAIN. what would it cost them to do the right thing???

I’ve played “Players” and “Palmer”, both amazing courses. You won’t be disappointed playing here. Full tee sheet, but still ran at a reasonable pace.

greens not as great as other visits but that time of year

Unseasonably warm today so I went up to Lake Geneva to play at Geneva National. The course was still in pretty good shape for November. There were some repairs that were in progress, and they had just aerated and sanded the greens, so putting was difficult. But overall it was a great day to be outside. This course has very beautiful views.

I feel the Palmer course is the best course on the property. The back 9 is more challenging than the front. Holes along Lake Como provide great views.

Had a beautiful fall Indian summer day temperatures in the high 70s. Course was in fantastic shape. Beautiful layout. Punishes you when you miss the fairway or the green. Be prepared to lose a few balls and have your score impacted by penalty strokes unless you keep it in the short grass. Fantastic time.

Our group of 24 was first off at 7:30am on the Player course before we departed for home. It was refreshing to be out there with the mowers and set the pace of play that had been an issue our first 2 rounds at GN. The Player course felt like it had the most character and it was the most evident on the holes that went around the halfway shack/steak house. With holes that provided some risk/reward and some shapely par 5's the Player course provides the most playability for all handicaps. With some nice views of Lake Como as well as some holes winding through some of the neighborhoods there was a nice blend of holes on the Player. One small issue was it looked like the 18th hole has been re-done and the yardage book I purchased was out of date. It made for an interesting finish....

In all Geneva National is a great resort with a great setup if you choose to a group outing since you can stay within walking distance of the clubhouse. There look to be some institutional things that need to be corrected and the value is a little higher than I would expect but our group had a great time.

Day 2 at Geneva National for our 24 man buddy trip was a morning (9:30am) round at the Trevino course. The Trevino course was my least favorite of the 3 courses at Geneva National mostly because there is so much left-to-right bias that it made it less fun. I believe 7 of the par 4's as well as most par 5's all favor a fade which can get a little redundant especially when you are a natural drawer of the ball. The Trevino course seemed to be a little more playable than the Palmer course and the greens were definitely less severe. While both courses were well manicured it seemed like the Trevino course greens were not as fast. As was the case with our first round, pace of play was horrendous. Our group teed off at 9:00 and the 1st group was done in 5:15 which is completely unacceptable. This again was attributed to a slow group in front of us but nothing was done by the ranger to try and get back on pace. The Trevino course would rank 3rd on my rankings for the 3 courses at Geneva National.

We arrived at Geneva National for our 1st of 3 rounds to be played on the Palmer course. I had played the course a few years ago and struggled to remember a lot of the holes until stepping back on the tee. The course itself is a fun course with lots of tee shots requiring a little shape or a layup if you don't want to try it with driver. The first few pins were very severe making a 3-putt almost un-avoidable which but after #4 things got more under control. The unfortunate part was the pace of play, we were unable to complete our round because the 1st tee was 25 minutes behind schedule and the pace of play was horrible. 4:35 into the round and we were only on the 16th tee in the dark and were not able to enjoy what is the best stretch of the course. We saw a ranger on multiple occasions and nothing got better, based on how the bar/restaurant was staffed this felt like it was strictly a money grab and the resort was stuffing in as many people as possible. When I brought this up with the pro shop that evening they said there was a slow group ahead of us but they did nothing to speed them up. Our group was given a slight refund on golf but it wasn't enough to get the sour taste out of our mouths. When compared to U. Ridge the day before, this course pales in comparison for value and playability.

This is a truly exceptional golf course. The setting of the front nine is like playing through an old stand of oak trees with beautiful home scattered throughout. The back nine opens up a bit after 14 to get you with lake views.

What truly stands out is that the layout offers risk reward decisions on most holes but always leaves a safe out if you choose to play conservatively course was in gear shape and the greens were fast and took some time to get the feel for the speed and the grain.

Will definitely be back

Living just north of Lake Geneva and only playing one area course when the opportunity to play a Geneva National course for $60 presented itself I knew I had to jump on the opportunity. At this price point, there was extreme value in the course. With normal weekend rates touching $120 it may be a bit of a stretch but the conditions seemed fair and the holes were interesting and challenging.

Having never been on location and only hearing stories, I assumed it would have been more upscale and stuffy. I was pleasantly surprised when I got there. It was nice and accommodating, the club drop and check in let everyone know the tone for the day. It would be one of the nicer experiences of the year.

The course itself was very interesting to me and the layout kept us engaged all afternoon. Although we were told this was the 3rd of the 3 courses because it wasn't on the lake, it had plenty of views and changes in scenery. The conditions throughout were what you would expect and the greens were rolling really well from what we saw. The greens featured a good amount of movement which as fun to navigate all day. A few of the par 3's seemed to be under construction as the approaches were being removed and used for other parts of the resort. It didn't factor into play at all which you would expect at a place like this.

Overall we really enjoyed or time on the course and enjoyed the bar area for the post round wrap up and discussion. Will certainly put the Palmer and Nicklaus course on the list, but may continue to watch for another deal before splurging on them.

The Good: Very challenging and interesting layout from golf king Arnold Palmer has some of the most picturesque holes of the entire Geneva National Resort. Many holes weave through forests sprinkled with ponds and creeks, while the course closes with several super views alongside Lake Como. Superb course conditions, a top-notch practice amenities, and an exceptional clubhouse and service for a public facility. Make sure to eat at the Hunt Club Restaurant after your round! On-site accommodations are very nice.

The Bad: Some holes have great character with elevation changes or intimidating hazards, while the holes in the middle of the track (particularly the Par-4's) appear to be "filler" holes until the great closing stretch on the back half. The $130 greens fee during peak season is steep for the course. The greens, while putting very true, are extremely slick and difficult to the point that it can ruin a happy-go-lucky round. Lack of GPS on the carts is a glaring amenities omission.

The Verdict: The Palmer course at Geneva National has arguably some of the best holes of the entire resort, yet the Player course is the better all-around track. A joy to play if you can avoid 3-putting all of the greens. A great option if you are in the Lake Geneva area.

Best Hole: The closing is a great capper to this impressive track; however, the best hole of the resort is the long Par 5 #17. The hole borders Lake Como and winds around the water to a green pinched between sand traps. Make sure to bring your camera!

The Good: Well-conditioned Lee Trevino layout is a great addition to the Geneva National resort. Not as intimidating or appealing to the eye as the Palmer and Player courses, this track has an excellent first 6 holes that weave through the most densely wooded area of the 54-hole property. Outstanding course conditions, very smooth greens, and very nice on-course amenities. I was particularly impressed with how the course has drained considering how much rain the area has gotten the past two-weeks. Top-notch practice facility and an exceptional clubhouse and service for a public facility. Make sure to eat at the Hunt Club Restaurant after your round!

The Bad: The middle portion of the course routing seems to drag a little and does not provide the eye-candy as the first and final third. While its expected because a Trevino design, there are SEVEN dogleg right holes and not enough overall variety of shot-making required. A really solid course, but overpriced at the $85 price tag during off-season weekdays. Lack of GPS is a glaring omission from the resort that has amazing amenities.

The Verdict: The Trevino course is a great experience, but the "weakest" of the three at Geneva National. This is no slight though, as it is more playable than the other tracks. Trevino's layout certainly favors those who slice!

Best Hole: While the back nine is not as impressive as the front half, the closing #18 is a great par 4. The drive must avoid big trouble left & right, and the approach with a long-to-mid-iron must carry a ravine to the green. Great finisher!

Still absurdly priced on weekends. They must be subsidizing the broader condo assn with their fees. Over a hundy to play and carts don't even have GPS. Play Hawks view down the road where they value customers.