Highlands of Elgin

Played with a friend and had a blast. The course can be a bit challenging from the back and the greens give a good fair challenge. The only slight issue (very slight) is the people playing don't repair ball divots and the greens a specked with them, so I needed to repair a few before putting. The facility is excellent. It's a must play.

Course has matured beautifully, greens and. Fairways now excellent. Superb layout with lots of challenges and strategic options. Quarry holes give expansive visits and lots of challenge. Expect to lose some balls but you'll want to come back for more.

Excellent course... always challenging especially when the wind comes up. Can play long if you're playing from the wrong set of tees. Layout is excellent, course conditions are always good and a great value for the money.

Everything was fine but lots of bees and grasshoppers but that's Mother Nature.

This is a great lay out, only complaint would be the starter was really confused and it appeared that he was trying to get some of his friends sneaked out and the other thing is when we made the turn all of a sudden on the tee box was the ranger and he was talking to a twosome that appeared out of nowhere obviously friends of his because he promised that they wouldn't hold us up, which was not true we waited on about 4 holes that being said it was and enjoyable round overall.

Front nine airation just done
Greens were not worth putting

Great track and always challenging experience. Requires most of the clubs in your bad ! One of the best around Chicago

Links like with clever mounding that separates the course from the surrounding area. You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Course layout was very good, good mix of shots and views. Hazard mix was well done with a balance of water, traps and heather framing the course. Unlike some courses, though, the heather is only in play on truly bad shots. Greens were a bit chewed up, likely from a lot of play on this really nice course with a very reasonable greens fee. I see more and more courses where our fellow players are simply not repairing ball marks or raking traps. Overall, a great value for an enjoyable and challenging course.

Trees wont be an issue on this course. This is my fav to play. I prefer it over ThunderHawk, Prarie Landing, etc etc. Challenging but extremely fair. Big greens with multiple tiers, but the ball rolls true and breaks aren't dramatic. Always in great condition, and the staff is always great. Prices can be steep, but I always grab a hot deal. Worth the drive....course is built into a quarry. Lots of elevation changes and tests every club in your bag. I highly reco this course.

Tough course
Good condition
Keep the ball in the fairway

If you don't like this course, you may want to see a Doctor. Fun layout, excellent condition and friendly people. 4 sets of tees. For a "links course", there are some very picturesque holes...especially the par 3's. Fairways are pretty spacious, but you need to hit them. Greens are fairly quick, but roll true. A rare track that rewards those who work the ball from right to left, like me...but it's not a necessity. Another rarity, you can walk & carry. There are quite a few elevation changes, but it's not a major chore to walk. The carts do have GPS, but I can't speak for their accuracy. Their website has hole-by-hole maps with all yardages/carries...so I downloaded/saved/printed and threw them in my bag for reference. (VERY helpful). All in all, a fun afternoon.

Challenging. No two holes the same! I would definitely play this course again.

This course is very nice. Visually, it is very pretty, with tall grasses, rolling hills, and a central lake far below the tee boxes and greens. It has a few holes over water or with strategically placed bunkers that require you to think about where you want to hit your drive. The course was in very good shape and the greens were fast for a public course.

Highlands of Elgin has it figured out:
- The course was in great shape.
- The design is well thought-out; challenging but not restrictive.
- No houses or road holes! (A rarity in Chicagoland)
- Only 4 hours to play on a Saturday afternoon, thanks at least in part to 10 minute tee times.
- The sand traps actually have sand in them (and there are many).
- Great amenities/practice area.
- Friendly staff and starter.

The price is a little steep to play regularly, but I cannot wait to come back here again. A true 5/5.

One of the best course layouts within 60 minutes of downtown Chicago. My tee time was 8:30 am and played in 4:10. There were marshalls that monitored play. The course was in great shape. It is pretty tight with both tree lined fairways and water. The greens were in very good shape.y only complaint would be the driving range which looks like they didn't cut it in at least 3-4 days so it was very hairy. It is also one of the very few public courses where you could take caddies ($50-$60 total cost versus $20 cart). I would recommend the course to anyone especially lower handicap players that want a very good challenge.

Latex on a Friday afternoon. Proshop staff pretty snooty but after that the staff was great. Little windy but from what the starter said it's always that way. Course was gorgeous and the greens were fast. From the tee box the slopes on the green appear more drastic than what they actually are but you want to stay below the hole. Will probably use the driver a little less. Had a 4some about 5 groups ahead that had the whole back nine jammed.

Fantastic course with excellent views with several holes with great vantage points. Excellent condition with difficult 2 or 3 tiered greens. Difficult sand shots with a few bunkers twice the depth of my height (I am 6' tall). Loved it.

This is a very nice golf course. Tough but fair.
However when a golf course allows 5somes to play and the round takes 5 hours it cannot be recommended. Then, when the staff does nothing about it, it makes it worse. Ranger tells us "we don't allow 5 somes but we did this time" and then tries to tell us that he "told them to keep it moving" it fails to satisfy. Then, go inside pro shop to complain and staff member says "I just got here so don't know what I can do'....made for a terrible experience.

Worth the travel...really great layout, but pace was slow that day for whatever reason. Look for best values online for this one to pay off.

Nice track. After heavy rain unfortunately cart path only. Course drains well. Very little standing water. Soft, made course play a lot longer. Tough greens, pretty tricky. Good experience. Recommend.