Highlands of Elgin

Challenging, beautiful course in great shape. Greens were faster than most public courses. Looking forward to playing there again!

This track is a nice layout. Far different from most courses around here. Course was in good shape except for the greens. Pretty hacked up. Obviously not many golfers here know how to repair (or even attempt to repair) a ball mark. Greens still rolled true.
Had a tee time for a 3some and the course put a single with us, which I can take or leave, but then they make the single move everything from his cart into my cart. Have never seen that before in my life. Talk about cheapskates. Didn't really like that policy. Starter tried to justify by saying there would be too many people driving around out there and it would slow down play...just the opposite is true. The more carts the quicker any round should be.
All in all I recommend this course if you get a deal price like we did at $36 (+$4 on GolfNow for $40 total).

Really awesome conditions, wind was blowing hard and greens rolling true presented a really tough but fun challenge

Highlands of Elgin is one of the top public courses in the area. The course was in great shape, greens were fast but not lightning, and the pace of play was under four hours on a Sunday after in the summer...doesn't get much better. The layout mixes in some good risk/reward holes and is very challenging. Standing up on the tee at 12 and looking back down over parts of the front nine and you really get a sense for how well designed the course is. Highly recommended and worth the trip if you don't live close.

My playing partners and I like to play very early and that's what we did here. The reason for my comment about the would is because there are too many front nine holes going west to east. Hence trying to watch our ball flight into the rising sun was very difficult. Also the amenities that early were disappointing. For example there was no coffee brewing anywhere and the staff, while very friendly, did not know when it would be available. But other than that it was great. This course is in excellent condition and the pace of play was great and I would recommend it and will play here again.

Perfect weather. Paired up with another GolfNow subscriber. Had a blast on the course. Happen to hit the ball straight all day and was rewarded for doing so. Greens were receptive while keeping good pace and rolled true. Tight cut around collar of greens allowed for variation in shots around the green. Played at 7:30. done by 11:15.

I think my title pretty much sums up the rest of this review. By FAR my favorite course that I've played this year (beating out Hawk's View at Como Crossings, both courses at Grand Geneva, the Trevino course at Geneva National, and Blackstone; all of which are highly rated). My playing partner said it best when he said, "This feels like a course that we traveled a long way to play and should be paying A LOT more money to be playing." What a gem of a course in Chicago's backyard!

Pros: For me, this is all about the course. The practice area is nice and so is the clubhouse but the course shines. Course conditioning is top notch. Greens were rolling very fast and true with the complexes often having multiple levels. This places a premium on good approach shots and lag putting. 3 putts are a very distinct possibility on every hole from any distance. The course provides a great variety of holes in both distance and design. Playability is high with advanced players having to decide how much they want to "bite off" when lining up their tee shots. Fairways are wide enough that the average and even newer player will hit plenty of fairways throughout the round. The GPS units in the carts are immensely helpful when determining distance to certain bunkers and hazards and giving you the overall view of the hole. Tee'd off just before 8 AM and the pace of play was awesome.

Out of 18 holes, I'd say 5 of them are just OK. Nothing too special, just routine holes that you would see on any other golf course. The other 13 holes are ALL picturesque in their layout with elevation changes, natural areas, water hazards, bunkering, and just general openness. It's tough for me to pick out just one hole as a "signature" hole as all of the holes around the filled in quarry have a uniqueness and "signatureness" to them. Bring your camera and be sure to take plenty of pictures. This is not a course that feels like you are in the middle of one of the biggest suburbs of Chicago. The par 3, 4th hole is my favorite par 3 I've EVER played.

Cons: Only one con for me during the round. While the GPS is nice for tee shots, be careful relying on it for approach shots. Several times my playing partner and I had hit balls well over the greens when based on the distance on the GPS, we should have been near the center of the green. I started comparing some of the distances on the GPS with my rangefinder. On multiple holes the distance on the GPS was off by 5-10 yards. I know I'm being nit-picky but really this was the only negative I could come up with.

Verdict: Play it. Play it multiple times. It's worth the trip from wherever you are coming. It's worth whatever price or deal you can find it for. It's a great value. It's a great course. It's a challenging course. This course, along with Bowes Creek CC, realistically makes Elgin a golf destination for a day or two. Their high ratings on various websites and in various publications are absolutely justified. I can't wait for my next round back here.

Love this course, better greens than most public courses. Condition of course was terrific. Practice range was nice too.
Only fault was the strick thimble pour of vodka in a drink.

Everything went as expected / tee off onime/ finished the round on 4 hrs

Very challenging course and in great condition. Highly recommend to play.
Good for any skill level player.

Played here a few times and it's challenging and fun all in one. Great condition and pace of play every time.

Like the layout.
Course in fine shape.
Personnel helpful.
BIG WIND knocked us about.
We'll be back.

Great place to play for the price. Definitely worth it if you can play under 5 hours.

I booked on GolfNow as a single and was paired with another single. The weather didn't quite cooperate as expected. It was chilly and the wind was pretty stiff so even though the fescue was cut down and most of the hazards were dry this was a challenging round. While the greens were shaggy and slow and the fairways were mushy and had many bare patches it is only the beginning of march and I am happy to play such a nice course this early in the year. I'm sure the Highlands will be back to its full glory fescue and all in no time. The only real negative was the threesome ahead of us were playing from the black tees and really how many people have any business playing from the blacks here? The 230yd par 3 should tell you enough. If you can't hit a long iron that far with some accuracy and consistency then you're playing the wrong tees. We waited on every single hole with no one ahead of them.

Great course. Great views with high elevations. Challenging holes and nicely designed.

The course was in good condition but the pace of play was way TOO long. There was an outing scheduled on Sunday morning that caused a backup. I would suggest that outings are kept to weekdays or in the afternoons on the weekend. Not sure if we would come back to play a 5 hour round!!!!