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Rating Index Rating
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4.5
457 Reviews (457)
5 Stars
250
4 Stars
161
3 Stars
33
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
7
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.6
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.2
96.0%
Recommend this course
437 out of 457 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
20 Reviews (20)
5 Stars
14
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.4
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.3
StaffFriendliness
4.3
85.0%
Recommend this course
17 out of 20 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
80 Reviews (80)
5 Stars
59
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.7
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.5
93.8%
Recommend this course
75 out of 80 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6963 yards
Slope 135
Rating 73.5
Book a Tee Time at
Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1989
Fairways Zoysia Grass
Greens Penncross bentgrass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Arnold Palmer (1989) Ed Seay (1989)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes
GPS No

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Showers, Lockers

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Illinois (2023 #19)

Reviews

4.5
457 Reviews (457)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 19
Watching the Game 9
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 35
Bunkers 33
Forced Carries 25
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 31
Locals 21
Seniors 16
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 34
Convenient to the City 16

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 18
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 Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 49
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Golfing with buddies!

Beautiful course, fairways and greens in great condition.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 30
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 100
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 258
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Missouri Advisor
Top 25 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Best Value Around, Fairways Slipping A Bit

Spencer T. Olin is one of my top 3 courses in the St. Louis metro area. A great design by Arnold Palmer.
There are only 3 holes of the 15, I don’t really like. Holes 7,8 & 18. The hardest part about Spencer T. Olin are the greens – plenty of slope and fast if you’re above the hole. It is a bit of a drive from the St. Louis area to Alton, IL (45-60 minutes), however, it is the best value around. $52 for a senior on a Saturday morning. The course did not seem as busy as it usually is and the pace of play was excellent.

What is GOOD about the course…
The price. $52/$58 on a weekend morning. Senior and non-senior rates. The best value in the St. Louis metro area.
The staff. Extremely friendly. The starter and the lady handling the duties at the snack bar could not have been nicer.
The greens. Always in decent shape. Not as good as last year but still very good. There were 2 greens where the aeration holes seem to be slow in repairing (holes 3 and 6).
Pace of play. Hardly waited on any shot.

What NEEEDS IMPROVEMENT on the course…
The fairways. I think this part of the course is slipping a bit and there doesn’t seem they are doing anything to correct this. Numerous holes where the water sits or drains off – are bare! Overall, I thought the zoysia grass was thin throughout all the fairways. The worst holes were: 1, 6, 10, 13 & 15.
Beverage cart. On a warm, near 90-degree day, the beverage cart needs to be sent out earlier than noon.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 31
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Challenging but playable and enjoyable.

Great course for the above average golfer. Don’t feel bad about moving up a tee box because this course will challenge you. Always love playing here.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
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
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Greens are in great shape

We had a great time playing this course today. It’s in a lot better shape than it has been in the past. The greens are in really good condition as well as the fairways. The rough isn’t too thick and was manageable. We are overall very pleased with the course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 18
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 31
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Nice public championship course

Good course overall. Challenging from middle tees. But back tees should be reserved for very low handicappers.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 120
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 31
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

Not bad for January!!

Course in better condition than I expected for January. Having a mild winter helps. But I love this course for the challenge that it is.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
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