This course is one of the crown jewels of municipal golf in the Chicago area. Think Kemper Lakes without the attitude or gimmicky holes. No golf course community to deal with, just pure golf. A brief history...when this course was built back in the late 70's/early 80's (can't remember exactly) people (myself included) would line up overnight outside the gate for the chance to play that day. But neglect in the 90's drove people away. The last 5 years, however, has seen the course return to it's original grandeur, and at a reasonable $65 w/cart (including GPS), it is a must play.

The course is a monster from the back tees, but is very playable for the higher handicap from the 3rd (of 4) tees. The layout winds through groves of trees and around several lakes, and is heavily bunkered. And you will likely see a number of deer wandering around the edge of the forests. But for the most part, everything is right in front of you, no blind shots. And almost every hole (except for maybe #'s 4 & 5) are separated, so the odds of hitting into another fairway are minimal.

It is hard to pick out the "best" holes because they are all good in their own right, but my favorites are #4 (a long par 4 dogleg left with the classic risk/reward drive over a pond), #6 (par 5 with the chance of reaching in 2 for big hitters if you want to deal with all the bunkers by the green), #15 (uphill par 4 through the trees), #17 (beautiful par 3 over a lake) and #18 (monstrous finishing hole with a tee shot over the lake to a narrow fairway protected by bunkers on the right). If you can par 18, then you earned it.

I have held my golf outing here (around 40 players) the last 4 years, and the staff has for the most part been great. Of the courses I have played in Chicago (and I've played a lot of them), this one rates in the top 5.

Customer Service

Professional, solid, friendly, no issues.

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Kemper Lakes, Balmoral Woods

After reading the negative reviews, I had to post a comment. I play this course 3-4 times a year. Since Billy Casper took over the quality and experience has improved dramatically.

The conditions of the course is very good, the only complaint I have to have the sand in the bunkers not so compact.

Customer Service

Very Good

I was planning on setting up a round at the end of August '03 after hearing that this and the other Forest Preserve courses were under new management. I played it once in 2000, and a few times in the late 80's - early 90's when you waited in your car overnight for a tee time. I will pick another course after reading the previous reviews as it confirms that the new management has not come close to raising this course back to the level it once was. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has fantasized of buying this course and maintaining it properly (if I won the lottery.)

I played GDGC 2 weeks ago and was pleased to see the course conditions improving with new management. I was not impressed with the handling of my group by the rangers and course manager. After making the turn to the tenth in 2 hrs 10 min. walking, rangers continued to ride along with our group for a total of 6 holes. After finishing at 4 hrs. 10 min...20 min. better than suggested pace, I was disgusted with the lack of professionalism by the rangers comments as well as the course managers answers. I don't appreciate my enjoyment being comprimised because the previous sat. was 50 min. behind pace. Not an acceptable answer! Maybe you should hire qualified rangers who understand and appreciate the game of golf or modifiy tee times to every 10-12 min. from the current 8 min.

Great layout, and very challenging. Loads of fun!

A little pricey for a Forest Preserve course.

I played this course for the first time last week. I thought it was a great course. I realize that this course was once a gem, but I thought that it is still the best Forest Preserve course available. My friend and I had a great time! This course is very difficult. The fairways were in good shape, and I didn't notice any of the disease that was evidently prevelant in 2001. The greens were slow, but in good shape also.

Customer Service

High school kids. What can you say?

One of the best layouts in chicagoland. Many trees,water and tough trap placements.

the conditioning is terrible. traps are never raked, greens are always fuzzy, i've seen teenage workers cut the holes (laughing as they do it) three feet from the fringe!!! For fifty bucks or so, there are many other places you could go to. Plus, the moron in the starter booth is always a grouch. no beer cart. Traffic cones in the middle of fairways signifying course under repair.
Stay Away!!

This once great course is now in shambles.

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None

The clubhouse is a great facility for playing cards or having a beer when the round is over. The pro shop is fully stocked for all your equipment needs. The staff inside the clubhouse are usually friendly.

Pace of play. A foursome cannot play this course, even if it was wide open, in under four hours. The rangers are never around to speed up play. The maintenance people who cut the grass seem to follow you on each hole, and they never have any courtesy towards the players. The bunkers never have any sand in them. When it rains, the bunkers accumulate water and they don't drain. You could easily lose a few balls in the bunkers each round, and it may not have rained for the last 2 weeks!

A very challenging layout! Bring at least 18 golf balls as there is water, out of bounds or high fescue grass on every hole. Getting a tee time on the weekends can be a major problem, as you must call at least 6 days in advance to reserve a slot. The greens are the slowest in the county to putt on. Forced carries on some holes can make the round last much longer than normal.

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Could be a nice course with its current layout if it were in even so-so condition.

$45 dollars for a unmaintained course.

Terrible. The fairways were diseased and in disrepair. To the extent that the "sand" traps were actually filled with sand as opposed to mud and rocks, they had multiple tire tracks from mowers, footprints, and broken rakes. The greens were also in poor conditions. The greens were ridiculously slow, full of ball marks, and aeration scars.

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