Chicago Highlands - Illinois - USA
2 Bluebird Trail,
Westchester,
Illinois (IL) 60154,
USA
+1 708 947 2190
3 miles SW of Westchester
Members and their guests only
John Baxter
Patrick Crow
Chicago Highlands enjoys one of the largest properties for an 18-hole golf course in the Chicago area, part of which comes thanks to its willingness to convert a former landfill site to suit its needs. Another benefit of that decision was the ability to mold the terrain into a links-like aesthetic, which Arthur Hills has done nicely.
Despite the nods to Scotland in the fescue-covered hills, this property also sits on one of the highest points in the area, and Hills would have been a fool not to take advantage of the views toward downtown Chicago. This feature of the course is exemplified by No. 9, a drivable par four that sits on the property’s highest point. The putting surface is an alluring one, an infinity green backed by one of America’s largest skylines. Don’t get too distracted!
Heading back to the club's linksland intentions, Hills built blind approaches into several holes, such as the par four No. 3 and the par three No. 13, where players must trust their distance (and the punchbowl) to find a potential birdie putt.
Reviews for Chicago Highlands
Underrated course that deserves more recognition.
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I ranked Chicago Highlands average only because it is well-maintained. The golf course is absolutely terrible. This used to be a landfill and I think I would rather visit that site. I’ve never been a fan of Arthur Hills design, and this is one of his worst efforts. There are a lot of blind shots and several idiotically designed holes such as a par three with an incredibly narrow yet lengthily green nestled between two giant mounds of what used to be garbage. I seem to recall another severely uphill par four with no features of any kind other than a tremendous drop off behind the green. To make matters worse, the membership seems to pride themselves on the excessive speed in the greens. I played the North course at Olympia Fields the day before playing here and their greens weren’t nearly this fast. Extraordinarily deep rough combined with outrageously slippery greens and terrible design made for the worst golf experience at a private club I have ever had.
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