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I played Cherry Hills last year and enjoyed the layout, with several very interesting and fun holes, but the greens were badly damaged by winter kill. This year the greens are in great shape, with a few of them very challenging. The grass in the rough is a little thin. but the fairways are very good. I love how the character of the course changes several times through 18 holes, to keep things interesting and keep you on your toes. We will be back.

Maxwelton Braes is a pretty flat course that looks benign from the road, but plays harder than that. There are many doglegs that will challenge your fairway positioning, and most of the greens have a few undulations to eliminate straight putts. The greens are in excellent shape, and the fairways are surprisingly good given the dry summer. Overall a good value.

Cherry Hills is one of the most interesting layouts I have played, with many thinking holes. There are more places that require a layup, either off the tee or on a second shot than so many courses that call for bombs away. The course conditions let down the layout. Weather has been dry, and it appears that there has not been enough watering to maintain conditions. A little TLC could make this a truly outstanding track.

The front nine is still a mess from the heavy rain in June. We got a great price, but anybody who has paid full price to play with the poor conditions of the front nine deserves a refund.

This was the first time 3 of us had played this course. It is a beautiful course, with interesting and challenging holes. This is not a course for walking, as there are many long stretches between green and the next tee. My only complaint was the lack of anything showing the layout of the hole. No signs on the tee box and no depictions on the score card. Many times we were left guessing where the hole went beyond what we could see from the tee.

This was my first time playing Bristol Oaks despite living in the area for many years. I will be back. An attractive layout with enough variety to make things interesting. In very good condition despite the heavy rains recently.

Bridges is a relatively flat course, making it walker-friendly. There is unrecoverable trouble lining both side of most holes, but there is nothing gimmicky or unfair about it. If you hit the ball in or near the fairway it is fine. If you stray beyond normal rough, the ball is likely lost. The white tees were appropriate for my group of 60-year old plus, mid-handicap golfers. The greens were excellent. Very consistent from hole to hole, and with few ball marks or scuff marks. Learn the appropriate speed early and you can putt well all round. Some local knowledge is helpful, as there are a few places where water crosses or cuts into the fairway. I look forward to my next round there.

Shepherd's Crook is a very nice track, especially given that it is a municipal course. The Links style is pretty unique to northeast Illinois. The course was in outstanding condition. Greens are lightning fast, and many of the greens are ringed by small berms on the sides and back. Coming off of those and stopping the ball on fast greens is a challenge. Keep your approach below the hole to get manageable putts.

The Platteville Golf and Country Club is a beautiful old style course. Loaded with mature trees, and plentiful elevation changes. The bunkers could have used a second raking as they dried out from the previous day's rain, but that is my only complaint on the conditions. The greens are in excellent shape and roll true, and the fairways are lush bent grass. Our entire group looks forward to playing it again.

Wolf Hollow was a wonderful surprise. I booked the tee time because it was a good price at a location that worked for my group. All of us came away raving about the course. It has beautiful vistas, interesting layouts and enough trouble to keep you on your toes. The front 9 has extensive elevation changes, while the back 9 has more doglegs with blind greens until you get out into the middle of the fairway. It is in great condition. We all look forward to playing it again.

The architecture of the holes is the best feature, but course conditions hurt. This may be a reflection on the people who played ahead of us more than anything else. Most of the greens were full of spike marks from people who do not pick up their feet when they walk. Many of the sand traps were un-raked. The course needs better signage. Most tee boxes lack signs identifying the hold. Playing the course for the first time, it was often difficult to know where to go to find the next tee.