Pottawatomie Golf Course, St. Charles, Illinois - A Review

Nestled along the banks of the Fox River in St. Charles, Illinois is the Pottawatomie Golf Course. The nine hole park district golf course totals 3005 yards. I am relatively close to this golf course and have played it a number of times so I feel an honest review was well overdue.

Pottawatomie Golf Course - Layout

The course consists of only nine holes over three thousand yards which include a few par fives. The fairways consist of blue grass and the greens are bent grass. The course features four holes that have river exposure with beautiful scenery. The yardage is marked for each hole, though some holes seem to play longer than posted on the tee boxes. The course offers a practice putting green along with a practice net that acts as a "driving range". I have never used this net before nor do I ever really see anyone using it.

Pottawatomie Golf Course - Service

The staff and club professional/general manager are very friendly and courteous when it comes to scheduling your round all the way to managing the traffic flow getting off the first tee. The club professional has been with Pottawatomie for many years so he is well versed in the course play and conditions that are valuable information to those have not played Pottawatomie.

Pottawatomie Golf Course - Price

The cost of play for Pottawatomie depends on whether you plan on playing nine or eighteen. The cost of eighteen ranges from $31 - $34 depending on residency. Whether resident or non resident fees, the cost is a welcome relief in contrast to high golf rates touted by other neighboring courses in the area. I do not play golf regularly and do not see the point in paying eighty dollars to write down a hundred on my score card. I think the value is tremendous since there are some challenging holes to this course.

Pottawatomie Golf Course - Challenges

The course throws immediate challenge to the golfer on the first hole. The hole is a dog leg right with a forest of trees getting between you and the fairway banking right. The fun does not stop there as the Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed course includes an island green (hole #3) which I have yet to conquer with a par. The fairways stay pretty tame until approaching the ninth hole which has another vicious dog leg left and up a hill.

The greens at Pottawatomie are not for the faint hearted. Every hole requires careful reads so do not take any shot lightly. I have had some really good days putting this course when taking time to study the lies, and I have had days when I could not buy a putt. Simple said, getting to the green in two or three shots does not guarantee you a par. You have to finish strong.

Pottawatomie Golf Course - Recommendation

If visiting the city of Saint Charles, Illinois, set aside two to three hours to play the nine offered on this gem of a course. I find it to be a calming experience walking these fairways and looking out on to the river on a warm Sunday afternoon. The only shame with this course is that the architect didn't add a second nine along the Fox River.