Starboard at Harborside International Golf Center

Harborside Starboard is a really nice course and it features some surprisingly gorgeous views of the Chicago skyline! If it's a cold day, beware of the wind though ... it whips in off the lake and the course is unprotected.

We played when they were aerating the greens, so be cognizant of that ... always good to ask in advance. But highly recommend Harborside, given how close it is to the Chicago area

First time playing Harborside and I was really impressed with the conditioning of the course for late September. With it being the top Chicago public course, I was expecting beat up fairways and unfixed divots galore. Way off.

I grabbed the first available twilight tee time for a measly $42 and had nobody booked in front of me for ~40 minutes. A tactical move, as I showed up and went off 20 minutes early, and didn't really catch a group until 15. Really helped get me in before the sun went down.

As for the layout, I can see why it's a popular course. It's pretty open, but wayward drives could be punished. Green complexes were ok. Variety of holes could've been better, but it's understandable when it's essentially and out-back course for each nine. 3/4 par 5's play S-N, which isn't ideal. Oddly enough, and as hypocritical as this is, the par 3's were my favorite because of the wind. No wind = similar yardages, pretty simple. With wind = 3 different shots.

Overall, I'd return

Fun course that rewards you for the proper shot versus grip-n-rip. The wind forces you to club up or down on almost every approach shot.
Even in the fall, the fairways and greens are well maintained.

It's hard to beat the conditions, location to the city, and unique layout of this course in Chicago, but the price tag doesn't match up. Pace was fine, was about 4.20 for 18 though we had to wait a few times, and the course is challenging but not punishing now that the fescue is cut down. I played a course in the burbs a week prior to Harborside with similar conditions and a better layout, and was $20 less with a cart. I think if the standard rate was closer to $80-90 Harborside would be tough to beat.

That said, the brat at the turn was on point and the practice facilities are unmatched for the area.

Self explanatory and the staff doesn’t care about pace.

Starboard course is a fun and challenging layout. Course was in very good condition overall and the greens were quick. Can lose balls easily or have a very difficult time playing from the heavy grass surrounding any green or fairway.

This was my first time playing the Starboard side course. It was maintained very well, the greens and fairways were excellent. There is a lot of good sights on the course as well and it is a competitive course. The lay out does get bland, there are no trees to worry about and despite lots of scenic water most of it is not really in play, so you only have to worry about sand traps and high grass. I found that if you just focus on accuracy and not going into the rough you really remove much of the challenge of the course.

Overall a very nice course but a bit over priced for a fairly straight forward layout.

Course was in good shape. Staff was nice. Scenery was great. Only downside was the course was packed, and no one was really marshalling the play flow. We teed off at 3:30pm and finished in the dark. We waited to tee off on every single hole. The group ahead of us was severely holding up play and messing around the entire round.

I'll definitely golf there again, but on packed days, they need to make sure play is flowing more smoothly than the day I played.

Very safe playing there HOWEVER you should be able to go to 1st tee from my car without checking in at pro shop. I am pre paid on golfnow . The starter should have a note in his sheet if a client is prepaid. This would eliminate the need to go inside. Also surprised to see rakes. If you are going to leave rakes then you must leave hand sanitizers by the trap. I will not touch a rake anymore due to COVID .

This was my second time playing Harborside and while I have empathy for the impacts of COVID-19, I was really disappointed with my experience before, during and after. This was made even worse as I brought out two first-timers that had been looking forward to it for years...only to be even more disappointed.

Number one, the confirmation email read that you could not check in "no more than 15 minutes" before tee time which was confusing and pressuring since we were nervous to miss the actual tee time. Number two, this was compounded by the lack of signage on how to find the pro shop since more than half of the building was shut down due to COVID. Number three, after checking in, we had to wait five minutes before we could get a cleaned golf cart after waving someone down. Number four, once we finally got our cart, the signage was poor to direct us to the first tee and literally had to ask multiple people for directions even though it was less than 100 yards from the clubhouse. Number five, once we were on the course, the number of port-a-potties was disappointing as recall only one per nine holes. Number six, the condition of the sand traps were terrible and some were just gravel. Number seven, while thankful there was a refreshments cart person, she found us just once and it was not until the 9th hole. Number eight, once again, course signage was terrible and almost non-existent trying to get from #9 to #10. Number nine, while it was referenced in the email confirmation, it was disappointing that the restaurant was closed and that after our round, the halfway house was our only option. Number ten, after the disappointing round and experience, I emailed the course with feedback and appreciated getting an email response offering to talk about it. Unfortunately, that was it and after more than three weeks, the representative could not find two minutes to actually reach out to me to discuss.

I enjoyed my first experience at Harborside years ago, not so much this year and while I may go back in the future, it will not be a top choice because at $100+ a round, it is SO not worth it and even with a twilight at $70, it is still not worth it compared to others like George Dunn that at the same price is in great shape and offers a more scenic playing experience for all.

Fore!

We received two carts that one had a flat tire and the second ran out of battery. We asked them to bring us two new ones and brought one initially and then never came back to give us another. When we ended up getting another new one, it also had a flat tire. The cart boys need to be better than this at a prestigious course like this.