Sunset Valley Golf Club

I will echo all of the positive reviews.

This is a redesign done correctly. The greens are gorgeous and will only get better as they age (hopefully). I've walked and rode while playing, and I'm not sure which I like more. The first hole is challenging, but rewarding, and that is a common occurrence. The front 9 definitely outshines the back 9, but the back 9 is a little harder. The front is a lot more open, whereas the back 9 feels more congested.

My only complaint about the course is the price. It's a little steep. But I guess the point is keep the riff-raff away, which I think was part of the original problem, that caused the re-design. I'd like to see more tournaments (happy the North Shore Amateur is back). The carts are awesome, some of the best in the city. The restaurant and pro-shop are great. The course feels like an upscale course with a upper mid-tier price.

Overall my favorite course near the city.

Played with a couple of golfers who preferred to play the back tee, big mistake. Will be back to play the blue tee next time. But we enjoyed the game nevertheless because of the great layout and well maintained condition of the golf course. Staff were very friendly and ground rangers very courteous to our group. Highly recommended or all types of golfers.

First time play here,
They build a Good design nice remaintenance.
Course is required good play,

The course was in great shape. We played early and were done in less than 3 hours. All good!

Narrow fairways, tough pin placement, and many sand bunkers made every hole a challenge Plenty of water on sides of fairways or crossing fairways.

Staff very, very nice.

The redesign created a modern course with the same layout. Removed useless and overgrown trees replaced with open links style fescue and rolling mounds that make the course FUN and offers multiple options one each shot into and around the greens. Closely cut fairways and grass collecting areas across the course creates for a highly challenging round if you do not place the ball in the right spot. Greens are FAST for a public course with tons of break. They roll true despite being a little thin since the course is so new.

Cons...the people that play the course are MORONS!!! The greens are great REPAIR your Ball Marks!!! The greens are littered with tons of ball marks. If players fix them, the greens would grow in faster and roll even better.

Great course with great future but needs better golfers than the idiots who do not know how to play and repair their ball marks and divots.

Enjoyable course with variety of hole lengths and features in a classic style. Well-bunkered with very nice sand. Fairways well manicured and some wide and some narrow. Several holes where water is definitely in play. Greens are moderately fast and roll very true. There are four sets of tees and card also offers a fifth combo option with shorter distances on selected holes which I probably should have tried. Carts have GPS and also allow advance ordering of food or beverages at 8th and 17th holes. Warning: Carts are disabled if too close to greens even when a bit short of signs. I look forward to playing here again.

The Good: Fun, sporty parkland layout is an old school municipal course that received a complete overhaul by Rick Jacobson and re-opened in 2018. What was once a course with little undulation and small greens is now much more visually appealing with Jacobson's signature rugged sand bunkers and large, undulating greens. The Par 5's are particularly great and interesting to play. Conditions were solid considering all the rain in the Midwest and greens putted true. Very nice staff will ensure you have a fun golf round. Updated clubhouse, while still small, is excellent for a quick bite and a beer after your round. Updated restroom areas on-course are a nice improvement as well. Very appropriate pricing, particularly online, for a north shore municipal course.

The Bad: The Par 3's have limited length variety. I wish there were more doglegs, particularly with the Par 4's. Except for the 10th hole (a tough little dogleg right), the Par 4's are mostly straight away and of similar length. The lack of fringe around the green is a little odd and tough to chip/putt around, putting a premium on high iron play. No driving range is a significant detraction.

The Verdict: Sunset Valley is now a huge player in the public Chicago North Shore golf sweepstakes. Has a "mini-Exmoor" feel to it. the Park District and Jacobson should be very proud of what they accomplished with the renovation.

Best Hole: The Par 4 1st and Par 3 4th tend to be the most talked about holes at Sunset Valley, but the 12th, a shortish Par 5, is the best hole. A drive must navigate several fairway bunkers and then a short sided pond left of the green. Beautiful hole!

This is a legit golf course now. Starters were all super nice and this is a absolutely an actual golf course. Greens were good. Elephants buried in them; small...a bit slow but it’s May and the weather has been brutal...but very 3-puttable. Used to play out here as a kid and in high school and I’m impressed with what they’ve done. Good job.

1st time playing since renovations. grew up playing this course. Getting rid of buckthorn and old bushes returning to a traditional layout is refreshing and a cleaner look. many fairway and bunker improvements. the greens are the best improvement. faster,true with nice amount of break

Played Easter morning. Course was in perfect condition. Almost no ball marks on the greens, divots mostly filled. The only negative is no driving range. Perfect challenge from the tips. Will be back soon

Course has been redone. Facilities are excellent.
I like it better now and the value for 13$ was great but the weather sucked!
Not Sunsets fault.

Great greens. All 18 roll true. Country Club consistent. It appears they took a tired Muni and breathed life into it with cosmetic as well as tactical enhancements. Looking forward to playing it again soon