ThunderHawk Golf Club
About
ThunderHawk Golf Course covers a diverse terrain of mature forests, marshland, and prairie. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. who made a commitment to preserving the natural terrain as much as possible, it was the first public course in Illinois to be certified by the Audubon Society. It has also been ranked as not only one of the top municipal golf courses in the state but in the entire U.S. as well. ThunderHawk is definitely a must-play if you're in the area. The layout balances challenging elements with more player-friendly features, offering a course that is versatile enough to accommodate players of all skill levels. The fairways are exceptionally wide with some room for error but there are a few tricky blind shots as well as strategically placed bunkers.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black | 72 | 7031 yards | 74.2 | 141 |
Brass | 72 | 6631 yards | 72.4 | 137 |
Bronze | 72 | 6361 yards | 71.2 | 134 |
Silver | 72 | 6124 yards | 70.1 | 131 |
Silver (W) | 72 | 6124 yards | 75.6 | 138 |
Auburn (W) | 72 | 5046 yards | 69.6 | 125 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black M: 74.2/141 | 414 | 573 | 212 | 446 | 416 | 178 | 522 | 338 | 481 | 3580 | 429 | 517 | 385 | 225 | 363 | 172 | 578 | 182 | 600 | 3451 | 7031 |
Brass M: 72.4/137 | 394 | 554 | 187 | 424 | 391 | 168 | 501 | 333 | 452 | 3404 | 409 | 512 | 363 | 200 | 317 | 145 | 568 | 154 | 559 | 3227 | 6631 |
Hybrid M: 71.2/134 | 369 | 534 | 187 | 394 | 391 | 168 | 470 | 333 | 417 | 3263 | 362 | 512 | 363 | 160 | 317 | 172 | 568 | 130 | 514 | 3098 | 6361 |
Silver M: 70.1/131 W: 75.6/138 | 369 | 534 | 153 | 394 | 379 | 138 | 470 | 302 | 417 | 3156 | 362 | 503 | 331 | 160 | 276 | 134 | 558 | 130 | 514 | 2968 | 6124 |
Auburn W: 69.6/125 | 298 | 453 | 95 | 309 | 326 | 90 | 422 | 254 | 378 | 2625 | 299 | 444 | 241 | 120 | 246 | 66 | 401 | 106 | 498 | 2421 | 5046 |
Handicap | 17 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 6 | |||
Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
Handicap (W) | 13 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 2 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, Grill, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Banquet FacilitiesReviews
Reviewer Photos
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#5 - Par 4 Photo submitted by BryanTweed16 on 09/29/2019
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#9 - Par 4 Approach Photo submitted by BryanTweed16 on 09/29/2019
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#11 - Par 5 Photo submitted by BryanTweed16 on 09/29/2019
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#16 - Par 5 Photo submitted by BryanTweed16 on 09/29/2019
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#17 - Par 3 Photo submitted by BryanTweed16 on 09/29/2019
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#18 - Par 5 Approach Photo submitted by BryanTweed16 on 09/29/2019
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18th Green, after the 600 yard par 5. Photo submitted by brandonschicago on 08/05/2013
Best course in the north
By far the best course in the north burbs. This municipal course looks and feels like you are at a private club. A must see!!
Beautiful Layout...front 9 looks like Scotland
Love the course...worth the drive. Best daily-fee course on the north side of Chicago!
Cart paths
We were asked to stay on cart paths only and that made it for long round. Course was dry! No need to stay On paths only. Next I'll call first and make sure it not cart path only. Other then that greens rolled awesome and over all conditions were good.
Challenging , yet fun!
My Son and I really enjoyed this Robert Trent Jones layout. We were paired up with another Father-Son and were 2nd off on Father's Day following a twosome so we had not problem setting the pace for a 4 hour round. Course was in great shape with a good mix of water, tree-lined and links style holes. Liked the 3 par 3s, 3 par 4s & 3 par 5s on the back nine. All in all a good test of golf on what I consider to be the best course in northeastern Chicago Illinois.
Only Fair...
Been a few years since I've played ThunderHawk. A let-down to what I was anticipating since it's had a few years to continue maturing. Great layout, however the greens have taken a beating from our last winter. At full green fees there are other courses which are better. At a discounted rate it's worth a round.
Very good course
Always love getting out to play Thunder Hawk at least once a year. If wasn't so pricey I'm sure I would be back more often. The layout is very good with challenging holes. The greens were maintained and rolled true. I can't think of a negative to say about the course and will continue to make a trip there every year. ( live 1.5 hours away)
Best Course NORTH of Chicago
Thunderhawk really is an elite facility. Everything you can ask for is there. Beautiful....calm....spacious...multiple sets of tees for various skill sets, great staff, great food, etc. It's a bit pricey compared to most public courses - but discounts can be had if you are flexible. Worth every penny....a must play if you have the time to get that far north.
Great course
First off I love RTJ Jr courses and this one is great. Springs rates are good and the course is in very good shape. Well worth the drive.
Impressive
Really felt that every aspect of the golf course was tremendous. The atmosphere of the clubhouse, course, and surroundings is just really good. It's a high quality course without being pretentious. The course itself is very challenging and simply has a beautiful layout that is extremely well designed. A couple of the par 5's are real special and the natural areas and great bunkering give it a great look. If you're a serious golfer, you should definitely try it. This course is absolutely on my favorites list. Thanks Golfnow.
Defintely a very nice/difficult course.
Great course. Difficult. Long. Greens were a little slow but it was Nov 3. They were closing in a week so they might have been letting the greens grow for winter
Love Thunderhawk....
one of the best public courses available in Illinois. Great pace of play and difficult as always. Can't wait to play again.
Miserable Day
They think they are a premier course, but they treat customers horribly. We had a maintenance tractor on our tail most of the day, literally doing circles around us on tee boxes and greens. We asked a ranger for assistance, but he said, "Its not his job to police maintenance staff..." I'd rather play Shepard's Crook, Pine Meadow or Stonewall Orchard. If a manager reads this, don't bother contacting me.
WOW! Speechless
Trent Jr did an amazing job with this track. You won't be disappointed. It will challenge you. Target golf all day!!
Great course with great ambiance
Picturesque setting for this terrific course.
Normally fast and pure greens slow and bumpy due to aeration.
Otherwise the usual terrific golf experience
Excellent variety of holes/beautiful course
perfect 70 degree sunny day in October(how could I complain) Thunderhawk was everything I expected. Very memorable/interesting layout, especially the back nine. A couple of holes felt somewhat "target like" as you were limited on a couple of par 4's and one par 5 from hitting Driver. The course was in great condition other than the recently (one week prior) aerated greens which made putting a little less than pure. What I enjoyed most about T-Hawk was the variety of golf holes, I hit all the clubs in the bag. The starter was very helpful even gave us an extra yardage book he had with him. I would highly recommend Thunderhawk if near Wisc/ILL line!
Great course and price point!
This one of the most beautiful courses near Chicago. The staff at Thunderhawk took action to make sure that I had a good time.
Great course, and if you get a GolfNow deal, well worth the money
Fantastic course. Great layout, beautiful terrain and surrounding area, very nice greens, challenging and beautiful sand. The only negative is the horrible driving range. Hit balls somewhere else before you come here. If you can get a Hot Deal through GolfNow, it is worth the drive.
Great Course but.....
The course is great as everyone says but they give theses times out without saying there is a tournament full of terrible slow golfers in front of you. Won't be going back here anytime soon. 5 hours on the course and decided to leave after the 15th hole.
Too slow...
Don't go for a quick round. One group in front of us slowed us down all day, made us wait to hit every shot. Course was wide open in front of them yet they never let us through and the rangers never asked them to speed up.
Most beautiful golf course in the N Chicago area
I've played numerous courses in the N Chicago Illinois area over the past four months, but none rival this course. The tees, fairways, bunkers, and greens are absolutely pristine. I hate I'm leaving the area to go back home to Georgia, but took some good pictures for memory. I should mentioned the greens are lightening fast and very challenging.