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4.1
418 Reviews (418)
5 Stars
278
4 Stars
111
3 Stars
18
2 Stars
7
1 Stars
4
Conditions
3.2
Value
3.3
Layout
5.0
Friendliness
3.3
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.9
99.3%
Recommend this course
400 out of 418 reviews
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Average Rating
Avg Rating
0
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.0
1 Reviews (1)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.0
Layout
5.0
Pace
4.0
Amenities
5.0
StaffFriendliness
3.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
1 out of 1 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 71
Length 6917 yards
Slope 142
Rating 73.2

Bowes Creek Country Club is situated on the western edge of Elgin amidst gently rolling hills. The golf course enjoys an idyllic setting, sprawling across lush farmland accented with stands of mature trees, natural wetlands, and rocky bluffs. The layout incorporates the natural hazards provided by the terrain but massive, sweeping bunkers were also strategically placed throughout for added challenge. Tall fescue grasses edge the face of the bunkers as well and the undulating terrain guarantees that you will come across a few uneven lies. The trickier elements of the golf course are balanced by expansive, player-friendly fairways that offer a little room for error. In addition to the golf course, Bowes Creek C.C. also boasts a comprehensive practice area with an elevated, 30-station driving range with target greens at varying distances, and putting and chipping greens.

Course Details

Year Built 2009
Golf Season Year round
Architect Rick Jacobson (2009)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
GPS Yes
Pull-carts No

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Caddies Yes
Golf School Academy Yes - "Bowes Creek Golf Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Indoor Practice Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Single Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper golf attire required.

Food & Beverage

Bar

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities, Locker Rooms

Accolades

Reviews

4.1
418 Reviews (418)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 37
Patio Dining 29
19th Hole Scenic Views 24
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 57
Forced Carries 44
Elevation Changes 43
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 50
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 34
Locals 30
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 48
In the 'Burbs 42

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Great layout and green compexes

Bowes creek is just fun to play, The layout can be as challenging as you want to make it with 5 sets of tees. The bunkering reminds me of Scotland with many smaller bunkers instead of one large number. Lots of visual challenges with water and highly grown natural wet lands but not overly done. The green complexes are very challenging with undulations, green within green pin positions, and the put quickly even on the day I was there which was the morning after significant rain the day before. In fact the entire course handled the drainage very well. The staff a service is at a quality country club level. A must play!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 448
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Illinois Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

This isn't a 4.9 folks

While Bowes is a nice facility however I was very surprised that most greens still had small aeration mark issues. Overall good speed but not as smooth.consistent as other courses played this season. Downgrading a full star because 4 of my drives were right down the middle ended up in divots....that's way way too much and no apologies.....you can't chalk that up to bad luck. Fairways are cut pretty tight but generally are laced with far too numerous sand filled divots....and with the lack of rain so far this season the course is playing hard and fast. First cut and rough are very lush. Traps are in good shape and maintained better than most.

Front nine is way more difficult than the back nine. Front nine suffers as the par 3's are way too similar, same wind direction and you usually hit same club. $7 for a small bucket of maybe 25 balls is a tad steep. Halfway house has a really mediocre at best beer selection - not what you'd expect from a "club" of this caliber. And yes there's some "entitlement" of members as noted in a previous review......for some reason you never do feel really welcome when you play there. While the employees are nice the 4 minute starter talk you get at the first tee seems to be a bit much....and there was a bit of slow play going on.....and it can be a long day if the course is really crowded as the difficulty can be a bit much for the occasional player.

62+ senior rate $55 during the week is a very good value. But it's not that "perfect" 4.9 folks.......recommend -Bowes always has been a solid 4 stars plus....to get a 4.9 rating you absolutely should not have the issues mentioned above.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart

Great staff

Big shout out to Patrick. He provided me with a ride back to my car after/during a rainstorm. He couldn't have been more helpful and I greatly appreciated it. Many thanks!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bunker Nightmare

Bowes Creek is a very nice track, but ruined, in my opinion by a devilish bunker design. My ball caught the mess of thick grass and weeds that surround each bunker 3 times over the course of my round, making a recovery nearly impossible. Wasted too much time trying to find the ball.

I have only played one other course with this design feature and I will never play either ever again. Took the fun out of the day. By the way, I am only in my 50's (not 65+)

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 181
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 100 Contributor
First Time Playing

Enjoyed the day.

Their Member for a Day is worth it... great course to spend the day on.
Tee boxes, fairways, greens and bunkers were all in great shape.
Staff are helpful, and starters were friendly. The front 9 is long, but the back 9 gives you shorter holes with some scoring opportunities.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

"Members" don't like public players

Bowes Creek is a daily fee course that for $4,000 allows golfers to be "members", and also apparently gives them free reign to be rude and disrespectful to visitors.

While in the first fairway. someone playing the 10th hole approached us looking for his ball while blaring music. After looking up a couple of times while attempting to play my shot, in an attempt to politely suggest that the music be turned down, was told "you don't like music? Welcome to Bowes Creek...this is OUR club.". Wow. Not wanting to provoke a confrontation, our group kept silent and played on.

After the round, told the clubhouse guy about the comments and he was very apologetic. Our group went to the halfway house for a post-round beverage (inside was not yet open) and afterwards while walking back towards the clubhouse, I encountered the same person drinking with other presumed "members" who directed profane comments towards me. Again, I didn't speak a word to this person but did stop by the clubhouse to let them know of the rude and disrespectful treatment from this "member", and informed the pro I'd never play here again after this experience.

Disappointed such a nice facility has "members" that believe $4,000 allows them to behave like some entitled country club brats. If a real country club member treated a guest the way I was, they'd be immediately asked to resign. Hopefully the pro and course administration will encourage its "members" to treat visitors with more respect.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Excellent place to play!

Second time playing there and each have really enjoyed playing there each time! Will definitely play again soon!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/21/2019

We're glad you enjoyed your 5-star experience with us, Junior1926. Please comment or reach out to our team in the golf shop to let us know more about your round!

Played On
Reviews 43
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

October Golf

Frost in the morning meant a delay. Starter did a GREAT job of getting people out. Course in great shape!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/21/2019

Hello, Mdoti. Thank you for your 5-star rating! Please book another round with us soon at Bowes Creek Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Wow!

THE best public course in the western suburbs, bar none. Great track, fast greens, good pace of play, well maintained. I love this course

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 39
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

tough course

A really great layout.Very interesting holes,none alike.Make sure to play the correct tees.I thought the rough was too penal,very high,hard to find your ball.lots of deep bunkers.I would give the course FIVE stars.It's fall and wev,'e had alot of rain.Still this is a must play

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/11/2019

grumpy12, we want to hear more about your experience with us! Please call us at (847) 214-5880. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/11/2019

Hello, u000005282155. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to see that your overall experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you'll give us another try in the near future.

Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
TTP
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/06/2019

Hi, thank you for your 5-star rating! Please book another round with us soon at Bowes Creek Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 68
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/06/2019

We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. We will inform the entire team, so they know their hard work is paying off. We look forward to having you back at Bowes Creek Country Club!

Played On
Reviews 17
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great course

Would definitely play here again. Unlike a lot of courses I’ve played this year they actually had sand in the sand traps. Layout was challenging but definitely fair.. Cary girl was very present throughout and the halfway house had plenty of selections.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/06/2019

We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. We will inform the entire team, so they know their hard work is paying off. We look forward to having you back at Bowes Creek Country Club!

Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/05/2019

Hi, thank you for your kind words and great review of your round with us! We look forward to seeing you again at the course soon for another 5-star experience with us. Thanks for choosing Bowes Creek Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 67
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/23/2019

Hi u000002496967. Thank you so much for the great review. We are glad you had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks for choosing Bowes Creek Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 25
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

Fix the Tee Box

I have played Bowes Creek several times and the constant problem is the tee boxes are in really BAD shape. They look like they are diseased and in Desperate need of repair. This is every time i’ve played there over the last several years. Can someone please work on this problem or I will not be returning!!!!!

I will also not recommend this course for any of my friends to play!!!

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/06/2019

Hi, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to see that your overall experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you'll give us another try in the near future.

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played

Former gem, now just blah

Disingenuous staff. Course used to be a great gem that was maintained well and with a pleasant staff of normal people. Not anymore.

Course conditions were sub par for this time of year. Most courses in the area are in as good, if not better shape than Bowes. What a shame.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/13/2019

Hi, Jeff. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We are going to pass on your feedback to the teams in charge so they can work to make changes. Thanks for visiting Bowes Creek Country Club. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Nice Course

Really like this course. I've played it about 4 or 5 times now and it always is in good condition.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/08/2019

plowman64, thank you for your kind words! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another 5-star experience. Thanks for choosing Bowes Creek Country Club.

Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 20-24
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Will play again

There had been mixed reviews from other golfers about this course regarding conditioning, value for money etc. I found the course to be very enjoyable, the staff very friendly, and overall experience really wonderful.

This course plays like two courses. The front nine is nothing like the back nine. The front plays like a conventional course with nice landing areas even for errant shots. The back plays like a crazy links course with narrower fairways, lots of grass and water.

The only negative about this course is the driving range. The tee areas were brown, dry, hard, not watered.

I will be back to try this course again now that i know what I am getting into.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/06/2019

Craig, thank you for your kind words! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another 5-star experience. Thanks for choosing Bowes Creek.

Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/30/2019

Hello. Thank you for your 5-star rating! Please book another round with us soon at Bowes Creek!

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