Prairie Landing
About
Prairie Landing Golf Club has received acclaim ever since first opening in 1995, including a four-and-a-half-star rating from Golf Digest. This West Chicago course will make you feel as though you've been transported to a seaside links course in Ireland. The prairie-style layout closely follows the tradition of classic links golf courses. Robert Trent Jones II designed the course, fully utilizing the rolling terrain. He incorporated large, undulating greens and rolling bent grass fairways. Vast swaths of native grasses stretch along the fairways and strategically placed bunkers frame the greens. There is also contoured mounding to contend with. The golf course finishes with a memorable par 5 that features fairway bunkers on the left followed by a carry over a lake to a well protected, high bowled green. Prairie Landing also boasts a practice facility that includes a driving range with target greens, four practice holes, and a nine-hole chipping and short-game area.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black | 72 | 6950 yards | 73.2 | 136 |
Gold | 72 | 6580 yards | 71.3 | 130 |
Blue | 72 | 6097 yards | 68.5 | 122 |
White | 72 | 5576 yards | 72.2 | 124 |
Red (W) | 72 | 4859 yards | 68.3 | 116 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black M: 74.0/137 | 347 | 430 | 205 | 530 | 406 | 195 | 598 | 386 | 438 | 3535 | 550 | 366 | 218 | 570 | 195 | 374 | 440 | 224 | 570 | 3507 | 7042 |
Gold M: 71.9/132 | 330 | 350 | 178 | 513 | 390 | 174 | 555 | 352 | 408 | 3250 | 530 | 335 | 208 | 549 | 171 | 363 | 414 | 207 | 549 | 3326 | 6576 |
Gold/Blue M: 70.8/129 | 330 | 350 | 178 | 495 | 338 | 174 | 525 | 352 | 385 | 3127 | 530 | 335 | 195 | 520 | 150 | 363 | 390 | 185 | 549 | 3217 | 6344 |
Blue M: 69.8/127 W: 75.8/131 | 302 | 325 | 148 | 495 | 338 | 148 | 525 | 335 | 385 | 3001 | 500 | 310 | 195 | 520 | 150 | 329 | 390 | 185 | 525 | 3104 | 6105 |
White M: 67.6/122 W: 73.1/125 | 248 | 310 | 118 | 453 | 318 | 142 | 498 | 312 | 363 | 2762 | 464 | 280 | 172 | 500 | 125 | 290 | 372 | 144 | 504 | 2851 | 5613 |
Red W: 68.8/116 | 202 | 254 | 95 | 424 | 300 | 105 | 410 | 188 | 337 | 2315 | 440 | 259 | 103 | 471 | 95 | 234 | 348 | 112 | 459 | 2521 | 4836 |
Handicap | 11 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 6 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
Handicap (W) | 13 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 4 |
Course Details
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Clubhouse, Banquet FacilitiesReviews
Reviewer Photos
Unique golf experience in the west Chicago suburbs
Summary: This RTJ II prairie links style course is a gem and an underrated one at that. I played it one time and I can’t wait to get back and play it again. In fact, it has been the one public course in the Chicago suburbs I have recommended more than any other since I played there in early October.
Pros: The course design is top notch. It is a change of pace from other area golf courses. The prairie style links lends itself to a different style of play. It is not a “bombers” course where you can hit driver off of every tee. While I would not say the course is tight, I wouldn’t say it is wide open either. There is a good balance in the design where the best play may be a 3 wood, 5 wood, or even a hybrid or iron off the tee based upon the width of the fairway, the fairway bunkers, the water hazards, the weather conditions (specifically the wind), and the deep fescue lining the fairways. I did not hit a single driver on the front 9 and I loved every minute of it. Each hole is unique and presents its own challenges as well as its own rewards. WIth most of the par 4’s playing between 300 and 400 yards, you can play as risky as you want. Just know that if you miss the fairway, there is very little area for forgiveness. Deep, thick fescue throughout the course pretty much guarantees a lost ball should you miss badly. The 5th hole is a microcosm for the entire course. There is a split fairway with a water hazard bisecting the two fairways. It is approx a 220+ yard carry over the hazard into small landing area. Should you pull it off, you will have a wedge and a much better angle into the green. Play it safe by staying short and right of the hazard and you will have a long iron in with an angle into the green that makes it very shallow. Pick your poison. Its just a great golf hole that most golfers will appreciate and want to play multiple times.
What I probably loved most about this course was the design of the greens and the areas around them. The course staff did an excellent job of keeping these areas as close to pristine as possible. You essentially are only limited by your imagination. The angles and slopes around the greens allow you to play a variety of shots. You will have to use all of your short game tricks (flop shots, bump and runs, putting from off the greens, etc) in order to stick it close to the pin consistently on this course. Greens were in good shape and definitely have character to them. Different levels on the greens put a premium on good approach shots.
I loved that the course has two warm-up holes. Should you have enough time before your round, I would encourage you to play the two par 4 practice holes prior to teeing off on the actual course. It will give you an excellent feel for the angles, course conditions, and speed of the greens. Standing on the first tee box, I felt more confident in my approach after “testing” out the course on the practice holes. The course also has an excellent driving range should you prefer that. I would recommend both.
Should you take a cart, the GPS is excellent. For having never played the course before, it certainly helped with club selection as well as pace of play. It is one of the better in-cart GPS systems that I have seen/played with. For the most part, the yardages provided were extremely accurate. There were a few times where the yardages into the greens were off by a couple of yards but not enough to change a club selection.
Cons: I know I’ll be the outlier in saying this but I’ll say it anyways: I’m not a fan of holes 10-13. Those holes wind through a wooded area and to me, feel too much like what I can get at any other course around Chicago. Again, just personal opinion. To me, they just feel like they don’t match up with the rest of the links style course.
The par 3’s are somewhat lackluster. The lone picturesque par 3 is the 12th hole which is a forced carry over a large water hazard. From the gold tees, the yardages are 178, 174, 208, 171, and 207. From a design standpoint, I would have liked to see more variation in the yardages. The par 4’s and 5’s have that variance. The par 3’s, not so much.
Being objective, the planes flying overhead could also be an issue for some golfers. The course borders a somewhat busy airport and the planes that are landing do come in somewhat low over the course in their approach to the runways. They are not huge planes and they are not so loud as to hurt your ears, however they could be a distraction if you’re susceptible to that type of thing.
Verdict: This course instantly jumped into my top 5 Chicago suburbs courses. Worthy of a 5 star review in almost all aspects. The challenges and the risk/reward options presented throughout the course make this a true golfer’s course. The uniqueness in the design and style of the course make it one that will provide you with something new every time you play it. I can’t wait until next spring to give it another go. Highly recommended.
Delayed Start
1:50PM scheduled tee time assuming we could finish 18 in 4.5 hours. Our start was delayed 25-30 minutes only allowing us to get through 14. Asked for a refund or to be compensated and they refused. Not worth $80.
beautiful
had not played there before but wanted to play there. a bucket list course. beautiful layout. i booked a twosome and got paired with a single who played there and was a great help navigating the course. took almost an hour to get there, but glad i went. it is on dupage airport property so there is jet and helicopter traffic. i saw carts in the parking lot but could not figure how to get the cart there. would definitely play again.
Brian and Michelle are terrible managers
Brian and Michelle are terrible managers. The constant outings and nepotism is ruining the course. I wouldn’t play here
Beautiful course, great layout!
I recently moved to the western suburbs and will look forward to playing this course in the future. It is a beautiful course in a great location. The course conditions were outstanding and the greens rolled true and smooth. There were a great mix of shorter and longer holes that make a golfer deliberate and think about shot placement while also providing opportunities for mid-range handicappers like myself.
Beautiful Links Layout
While I don't normally like Links style courses, this one is outstanding. It is always in excellent condition from tee to green. It is a challenging target golf course. I really like that there are NO homes along the course so that you get a true feeling for being "away from civilization" while being on the course, even though there are some signs of life along the outer perimeter. A definite return to destination.
Exceptional Course - A Must Play in Dupage County
This course is a definite must play. Exception condition and very scenic and challenging holes. Pace was a bit slow due to Foursome that did not see to have any incident to play at a faster pace.
Lovely natures setting
Beautiful natural setting, nice prairie grasses and good layout. Course was very well maintained. Enjoyed the round and will return.
First Time
Enjoyed Prairie Landing very much. My first time on the course - in great shape, and I liked the layout. I'll be back for sure.
No Customer Focus
We drive 55 minutes to play this place that we hadn’t been to for couple of years. Our excitement quickly turned to sadness as we saw the sign “Cart Paths Only today’. The cashier quickly informed us of the 3/4 inch of rain the day before (we hadn’t had rain for the preceding week). What we were NOT told by neither the cashier nor starter was that the greens had been ‘lightly’ sanded; nor were we told that the white fairway stake was 125 yards out….not 150 (you think maybe something good to know during CPO conditions?). Much of this course was not deserving of CPO; the low lying areas were already marked to stay out. There were a few rangers out there (something rarely seen at any course this year), but they were worthless. CPO probably adds 30 minutes to the round, but the rangers did nothing to relieve the rest of the almost 5 hour round. Every time we asked about the possibility of CPO relief, they would quickly blew us off with ‘it’s the superintendent’s call and he never changes it’; thanks for being so customer focused. The carts and the GPS had problems; a ‘governor-induced’ slowdown and GPS beeping occurred SEVERAL times on EVERY hole….for no reason. Given the fact that we were blown-off when asking about our CPO concern, we didn’t waste our time mentioning this cart/GPS issue to anyone.
Fantastic Time!
What a great course, clubhouse, staff...This is absolutely a favorite. Can't wait to go back!
Public golf with private course feel
I really enjoyed our round at Prairie Landing, despite my worst score in a decade. It is a tough track and a thinkers course. As an older guy I just need to stop thinking I can hit it as far as I used to!
Typically I do not like government entity golf courses. This one is owned by a municipal airport authority and there is a constant stream of airplanes taking off and landing right over your head. I feel that taxpayers should not be subsidizing golf, but this is a good use of open space that is required for an airport, and if the course operation expenses, including the clubhouse bar/restaurant, are covered by golfers, it’s a win win. Usually, this is not the case. Not sure of the financials but typically places like Cantigny, Mistwood, Saint Andrews etc. I support as there are Capitalists behind the course and they deserve consumer support.
The greens were quite slow but to be expected with heavy play, and the yardage from the blacks was reasonable yet challenging. Tips would be TOUGH and the high school team that played behind us noted the challenge.
I will play it again soon as I feel I can do better with a more cerebral and more risk averse approach. #KeepItUp !
You made a 1:50 tee time at the end of October and you’re upset that you didn’t finish your round and you want a refund? I have a better suggestion, make an earlier tee time in the late fall.