Pine Meadow Golf Club

Pros: layout is fun, some straightforward holes, some more challenging; pace of play was snappy, our threesome finished in 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon

Cons: absolutely not worth the price given a number of similar courses nearby; greens were in alarmingly poor condition for this time of year, they were aerated (in August?) and shaggy; cups appeared to not have been recut in a week with circumferential spike marks and ragged edges to the holes; fairways didn't look to have been mowed in days and were much longer than would be expected for a course in this price range

The area has gotten an above average amount of rain this summer, so perhaps this is to blame for the conditions. The layout could provide a tremendous track, but until conditions improve, I'd recommend playing elsewhere.

I ordered a turkey sandwich and didn't realize till I was 2 holes away that they gave me tuna.
The course is beautiful but the Rangers were very annoying.
Our foursome was playing at a 4:00-4:15 pace and yet we were constantly being watched, followed and told that we were too slow.
For $77 golfers need to relax and enjoy themselves.

Our group reconsidered PM despite the farther drive due to it's great course conditions and good pace. Oh were we wrong. We teed off at 10am on Sunday and walked off 18 at 2:40. The starter insisted that all groups were making the turn at 2 hours. At the 3 hour mark on 13 we called in as the group ahead was crazy pokey. The ranger insisted that we were on pace and that it may have seemed slower for a Saturday (yea, we played on a Sunday). I guess he expected us to play 6 holes in just over an hour, which didn't compute. The ranger at 18 advised, "we asked that group in front to speed up 4 times". Even with a 10 minute cushion, I was late to an afternoon function after giving so many props to this course for pace of play. The cavalier ranger attitude and misinformation take this course off of our list.

Outstandingly beautiful course! Love the way you are "all by yourself" on many holes because of the way the course is laid out. If it wasn't for the price, it would definitely be my "Home Course".

Played a foursome at the twilight rate and thought it was an extremely good value. The course is in excellent condition and played slightly soggy as they have had a bunch of rain lately; which segways into my next comment that the greens were bumpy and needed rolled.

Definitely a good value and course ( for this time of year ) and highly recommend as every player in our foursome had a positive review. Some thought it was tough if you were having a bad day.... But what course isn't ?

The Good: Joe Lee design is a Jensek property that is "middle class" version of Cog Hill Dubsdread. Excellent parkland track devoid of houses; superb Par 5's, challenging Par 4's, and some very strong Par 3's. Top-notch course conditions and large, difficult greens that putt quick but fair. A top 5 public practice facility in the northern Chicago suburbs with large putting green, great range, and multiple short game areas. Very nice staff and good pace of play.

The Bad: Limited variation in the Par 4's. Amenities are lacking for a near $100 peak season price tag. Clubhouse is small with limited restaurant area, no locker rooms or banquet area. On-course luxuries are lacking as well with limited restroom areas and no GPS. Course is great but doesn't have bells and whistles to justify increasing greens fees.

The Verdict: Pine Meadow is pure public golf at its near best. Still a Top 10 Chicago metro public course, but could use facility upgrades to compete with newer upscale venues.
Best Hole: The closing hole is a demonic Par 4 similar to Dubsdread's #18. Watch out for the water short right!

Played here on a cold Oct day. Conditions were the best i've played this year, Plush fairways with immaculate greens that ran true and fast. Played on the fall rates, so more affordable than the summer. Play here at least once. Owned by the same owners of Cog Hill, so you can expect a well manicured course. No houses on the course which is a major plus, and definitely walkable.

This course can play as tough as you want. From the tips with a little wind, it's a bear, but from the proper tees, it's very enjoyable, which might explain why it's so popular with women. While there are probably close to a hundred bunkers, most of them aren't too difficult, and the greens are flat, non-elevated and very accessible for run-up shots. Still, with water on nearly half the holes, lots of trees and plenty of length, I'm told the course record is only 66, which is believeable. Hard enough for the good players, manageable for the higher handicapper.

I've been playing Pine Meadow for 20 years. It's my favorite public course in Chicago.

From the tees I play, there's a great mix of holes that will require every club in your bag. They're holes you can score on, and others that a par is great. Most of the holes are isolated from the other, so you don't see other players. It's a great course to walk.

The last few years, they've had trouble with some of the greens . But, they 're working hard to fix them. They do discount the green fees when the conditions don't meet their standards.

Pine Meadow is fairly strict about pace of play, and will "encourage" slow players to speed up. Most courses give a lot of lip service to poor pace of play, PM actually does something about it.