Review of Gleneagles Country Club in Lemont, Illinois

A co-worker and I recently ventured out to the Gleneagles Country Club in Lemont, Illinois for a round of eighteen courtesy of invitation by friends. The course is considered 36 holes and is subdivided into the White/Woodlands course and the Red course. We ended up playing the White/Woodlands course which is located at 13070 McCarthy Road which is a short drive from Archer (Illinois 171).

The Course

The course is laid out as a par 70 with a slope rating of 116. The course measures a distance of 6,120 yards from the longest tees. The slope appears less pronounced as several holes appear relatively flat with a few par 3 and par 4 holes showing some occasional peaks and valleys. The fairways are tree lined and appear to be very forgiving for us golfers that have a tendency to put a charge into the ball and leave the fairway. I would almost recommend going to more irons more often with the need for precisions to avoid the tall grass. There are a few water hazards on some of the holes and the sand bunkers are numerous. The sand conditions on this course are pretty dismal. The few times I landed into these hazards I realized how hard and rocky some of these traps were. The grounds keeper might want to either sift out some of these traps or consider replacing the sand entirely.

The fairways are bent grass and in great condition thanks to the very wet July we just experienced. The fairways play rather thin as the taller grass borders are capable of swallowing up a tee shot if one does not hit dead center.

The greens played relatively smooth with no unexpected tricks. The greens were very short in diameter and also played into the need to be precise when chipping to the hole. Several times I was sending my approach shot at the hole which subsequently rolled off into the nearby fringe.

The Price

This course is one of many located in golf friendly Lemont known for other great courses such as Cog Hill, Ruffled Feathers, and Big Run. This course is dated and shows its history, thus the green fees are relatively inexpensive. A weekend round of eighteen with cart will run approximately $56.00.

Overall Opinion

I would rate this course as average at best. There is something tranquil about playing golf in the Lemont area as these entire area courses seem to share similar dated qualities as the ancient clubhouses and fairways with strong mature oak trees. Overall, I feel for the price and savings in gas, I can find better courses located closer to home that will be a little more forgiving with larger greens and better clubhouse amenities. If I am close to this course, I would most likely play again; otherwise consider this a onetime play.