A view of a hole at Bittersweet Golf Club.
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Rating Index Rating
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4.2
273 Reviews (273)
5 Stars
98
4 Stars
142
3 Stars
21
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.1
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
91.9%
Recommend this course
252 out of 273 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
7 Reviews (7)
5 Stars
2
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
3.4
Value
3.6
Layout
4.3
Pace
3.4
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.3
85.7%
Recommend this course
6 out of 7 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.2
42 Reviews (42)
5 Stars
17
4 Stars
18
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.0
Value
4.0
Layout
4.1
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.4
88.1%
Recommend this course
37 out of 42 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6751 yards
Slope 135
Rating 73.3

Bittersweet Golf Club in Gurnee, Ill. is ideally situated for a scenic round of golf. The diverse landscape flows seamlessly from lush wetlands to native prairies covered with colorful wildflowers. The layout also winds across a 100-year-old sage meadow and through forests of mature hardwoods, which serve as a home to an abundance of wildlife. Beyond the beautiful scenery, the terrain presents many challenges. The undulating fairways demand accuracy as you hit from multi-tiered tee boxes. Water also comes into play on almost every hole and there's an array of strategically placed bunkers you'll have to avoid. The eighth is the toughest hole on the front nine, a par-4 dogleg right with a lightning fast green. Bittersweet Golf Club's back nine is known for its scenery, which is best displayed on the signature par-5 11th hole, which offers not only a challenge but also a spectacular view from the tee.

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Course Details

Year Built 1996
Golf Season Open: 3/15 Closed: 11/15

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Caddies No
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Illinois (2016 #12)

Reviews

4.2
273 Reviews (273)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 14
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 23
Forced Carries 18
Bunkers 12
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 19
Locals 14
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 13
This Course's Location is:
In the 'Burbs 17
Worth the Drive 15
Near Local Attractions 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 37
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Golfer

Always a challenge but have to say the course was in excellent shape and so were the greens . Didn’t appear to have had a full year of play on it allready!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 30
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course.

Great course. Only issue is that it was recently aerated and no one mentioned it.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 21
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
GE
Played On
Reviews 2
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Very unforgiving if you are not playing well

The course has a significant amount of water and is not fun unless you are playing well

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course is a very nice layout. Had 4 women not very good in front of us and very slow. They played only 9 so we moved on back 9. Will play again!

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Bittersweet

FYI for those thinking of booking, as of 09/15/2021 the back greens are being aerated and I would assume the front greens are next because it doesn’t look like they’ve been done yet.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 115
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Beautiful fun course

Holes are interesting and challenging but fun, tough greens. Tee boxes are a little chopped, sometimes hard to find level footing but overall a great round of golf.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Used cart

I think they improved the course

Great day! Course including greens in great condition. Great pace, and friendly staff. I think Bittersweet has stepped it up.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 20
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Toughest course

One of the toughest courses I’ve ever played.
Hazards everywhere. They call it a target course….. you better be right on target if you expect a decent round. Narrow fairways add to the many challenges.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
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