University Park Golf Club
About
University Park Golf Club (formerly known as University Golf Club & Conference Center) boasts one of the most popular championship courses in the Chicagoland area. The golf course has been a local favorite since it first opened in 1962. The original design by Lawrence Packard received an update in 2004 by Greg Martin, but the classic character of the layout still remains. The course wanders across gentle rolling terrain, providing elevated tees and undulating fairways. Water hazards come into play on half the holes, including on the 17th, University Park Golf Club's signature hole. This intimidating par 3 requires a tough carry over water to an elevated green. Miss it and you'll be faced with the nearly impossible task of getting up and down. The difficulty doesn't let up with the final hole, an uphill dogleg par 4 with a sloped, elevated green and water on the right.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black | 72 | 6724 yards | 71.7 | 126 |
Gold (W) | 72 | 6354 yards | 75.8 | 131 |
Gold | 72 | 6354 yards | 70.0 | 122 |
Silver | 72 | 6003 yards | 68.5 | 118 |
Silver (W) | 72 | 6003 yards | 73.8 | 127 |
Bronze | 72 | 5208 yards | 64.9 | 109 |
Bronze (W) | 72 | 5208 yards | 69.4 | 117 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black M: 71.7/126 | 328 | 536 | 428 | 180 | 362 | 446 | 197 | 565 | 390 | 3432 | 329 | 200 | 328 | 488 | 423 | 354 | 623 | 158 | 389 | 3292 | 6724 |
Gold M: 70.0/122 W: 75.8/131 | 319 | 526 | 408 | 144 | 334 | 429 | 176 | 485 | 373 | 3194 | 321 | 192 | 318 | 463 | 418 | 345 | 600 | 142 | 361 | 3160 | 6354 |
Silver M: 68.5/118 W: 73.8/127 | 308 | 506 | 396 | 124 | 320 | 401 | 146 | 462 | 356 | 3019 | 307 | 184 | 306 | 449 | 408 | 337 | 532 | 124 | 337 | 2984 | 6003 |
Bronze M: 64.9/109 W: 69.4/117 | 294 | 417 | 261 | 119 | 311 | 291 | 131 | 411 | 251 | 2486 | 295 | 178 | 296 | 421 | 340 | 328 | 488 | 110 | 266 | 2722 | 5208 |
Handicap | 15 | 11 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 14 | |||
Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Available Facilities
Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities, Locker RoomsAccolades
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Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2022 #3)
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
Course has matured over the years
Last time I played here was probably about 15 years ago when it was still called Urban Hills. What a difference a bunch of years makes! The course has matured quite nicely and many of the holes are barely recognizable compared to what I remember. And this is all for the good! Trees now provide a nice presence on the course. It no longer looks like a track cut out of a cornfield. There is nothing very special or tricky about the course (well, the 600-yard par 5 #16 certainly puts a strain on distance), but there are a few nice doglegs and some water. Sand traps were relatively few and far between - and that's a good thing, because they do need serious attention. Otherwise conditions were nice. Very nice (must be fairly new) clubhouse. Tasty jumbo $3.25 hot dogs. Course is nicely landscaped with built-up landscaping walls around most of the tee boxes.
My only real complaint has to do with tee selection.. The course has 4 tee boxes to choose from - 6724 yards from the Black tips to 5208 yards from the Bronze forward. As seniors, we chose the 6003 yard Silver. The gripe is that on some of the par 4s, the Silver tees were placed way up at the Bronze tee box, effectively making many of these par 4s 80 to 100 yards shorter and well under 300 yards in length. The course should strive to set their tee markers so that the advertised distances are close to what the card shows. Otherwise, tee selection is based on erroneous information and that can affect the player's game.
Otherwise, we had a nice day at the course and we'll return again, especially at the GolfNow rates.
Course not ready
The course was not ready for play. Greens were in really bad shape
Price is same ,so course should be maintained
Rough is still to high,you spend lots of time looking for ball even if you are right on top of it,also someone should be getting rid of leaves Everyday,price is the same so service and maintenance should still be the same
No Fairways
The course had not been mowed in weeks. There were no fairways.
Bad experience
Overall the greens were terrible as they all were bumpy with small dirt chunks. Fairway looked like the rough, also greens was playing super slow due to grass being too tall. Overall will not return.
Course needs help
Management company deserted them, so they have no equipment. It’s a really nice course, but needs someone to manage the grounds.
Slightly disappointed
Played here Sept 3. Fairways indistinguishable from 1st cut of rough. THAT was disappointing. Greens were "furry" and inconsistent. Conditions USED to be reliably acceptable. We had trouble finding balls that were actually in the fairways. Our group was saddened by the decline in course conditions at University. Hopefully this was an isolated event.
Unfortunately Golf Course
The golf course is in very good condition. I highly recommend this course. Don't miss out.
Needs improvement
I played this course a couple of times earlier in the year and felt it was in good condition except for the shaggy greens. This time I was disappointed. Greens about the same but I couldn't tell the difference between the fairway and the rough. I have no idea the last time they mowed the fairways. This could be a great little course if they put a little effort into it.
Good
I enjoyed this course. Great layout. I heard this course was in bad shape- those people were wrong. Good course. Wish they had a driving range. They do have a nice big putting green.
The course is ig very good conditions.
The course is in very good sha oe. However, the tee boxes do need to be trimmed.
Lost Balls
Majority if roughs, fairways, greens and tee boxes not cut. Can't find your balls. Same issue as 2 years ago. Understaffed. Lots of clover. Will see if they get it right 2 years from now. Disappointing for it could be a beautiful course.
Terrible course. Do not spend your money here.
The course was in really bad condition on July 16th, 2023. There are no fairways and it looks like they haven’t been cut one single time. The rough is so long it’s hard to find your ball and hard to find your ball even on the fairways. The greens were so slow and the grass so long that I wouldn’t even call them greens, also the holes weren’t cut and were overgrown.. The guy in the pro shop had a really bad attitude and didn’t have change when I paid for my round and looked at me like that was my problem? I paid with three 20s and he said he doesn’t have change for a 20? Maybe if they kept the course in better condition, more people would come and spend more and you would have change. Would not recommend this course to anyone.
Avoid at all costs
There are plenty of courses within a short drive that are better for the price and some are even more affordable.
Tee boxes 4-6”
Fairways 6-8” on the 3 holes they actually cut
Rough >8”
Greens 60’s shag carpet
We really appreciate you taking the time to leave your review and for playing at University GC&CC! We will inform our staff to audit the yardages from the tees mentioned and get a more accurate reading. We're so glad you enjoyed the course and the hot dog and found great value in playing here. Happy to hear it was fun and challenging!