A view of a hole at Bittersweet Golf Club.
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4.2
273 Reviews (273)
5 Stars
98
4 Stars
142
3 Stars
21
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.1
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
91.9%
Recommend this course
252 out of 273 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
9 Reviews (9)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.8
Layout
4.3
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.2
88.9%
Recommend this course
8 out of 9 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.2
47 Reviews (47)
5 Stars
18
4 Stars
22
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.0
Layout
4.1
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.4
89.4%
Recommend this course
42 out of 47 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6751 yards
Slope 135
Rating 73.3

Bittersweet Golf Club in Gurnee, Ill. is ideally situated for a scenic round of golf. The diverse landscape flows seamlessly from lush wetlands to native prairies covered with colorful wildflowers. The layout also winds across a 100-year-old sage meadow and through forests of mature hardwoods, which serve as a home to an abundance of wildlife. Beyond the beautiful scenery, the terrain presents many challenges. The undulating fairways demand accuracy as you hit from multi-tiered tee boxes. Water also comes into play on almost every hole and there's an array of strategically placed bunkers you'll have to avoid. The eighth is the toughest hole on the front nine, a par-4 dogleg right with a lightning fast green. Bittersweet Golf Club's back nine is known for its scenery, which is best displayed on the signature par-5 11th hole, which offers not only a challenge but also a spectacular view from the tee.

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Course Details

Year Built 1996
Golf Season Open: 3/15 Closed: 11/15

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Caddies No
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Illinois (2016 #12)

Reviews

4.2
273 Reviews (273)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 14
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 23
Forced Carries 18
Bunkers 12
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 19
Locals 14
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 13
This Course's Location is:
In the 'Burbs 17
Worth the Drive 15
Near Local Attractions 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

Nice Round

Glad the course is still open. Weather on the cold side but the course is still in good shape. Good job on clearing the fairways and greens from leaves. Lots of golfers out but the pace was good. Enjoyed the round very much. Thank you.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart

Rainy day

Course was ok. It had rained the night before so there was a bit of water on the fairways and a few greens. But the round was still enjoyable.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Beautiful day

I have played this course several times this year. The course is usually in great shape. However, this time around it was not. The sand traps had too much water, several fairways had too many leaves and it was difficult finding the ball even in the middle of the fairways. Many of the greens were completely covered with leaves also, and to the point that it was extremely difficult to put. Please have the leaves cleaned.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Poor maintenance

There were too many fairways and greens that were covered with leaves ;you couldn’t find your ball or make a putt without impeding leaves. There was no maintenance staff on hand to make the course more enjoyable for play. I asked the pro shop manager why they weren’t clearing the leaves and she replied that they couldn’t afford to pay Maintenace to work 24/7.. How about paying maintenance to work during business hours. I’ll bet, my round was extended 40 minutes searching for balls covered in leaves.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 34
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Tough but Fun Layout

This was my 5th time playing Bittersweet, but my first time playing in ~2 years. Practice facilities are solid. Great short game area, plus grass tees at the driving range. Putting green is a little small. Bittersweet isn't for amateurs, so if you're not striking the ball well... come prepared with plenty of extra balls because the course can be very penalizing. What surprised me most about Bittersweet was the speed of their greens and quality of their traps. I don't recall either being in this good of shape this late in the season. It was a treat to play and great way to round out the Chicago golf season.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bittersweet

I was impressed with the layout, the challenges and the condition of the course, Greens were nice, could be cut a little more but easy to read. The difficulty are the doglegs into blind areas, sand, marsh wetlands made target golf the method to play. I would play again had a penalty plague 87 because of lack of knowledge hitting into areas causing drops. Next time it’ll be 80!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Mature Course

I played here 20 years ago returning this week on vacation. The course has matured into something special. Defined fairways, forced carries and excellent greens. It would be my go to course if I lived in the area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 25
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 20
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 83
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Bring extra golf balls

Getting off tee boxes were punishing for slightly off track shots. Water and hazards will eat your ball on every hole - bring a dozen of your forgettable golf balls.

We had younger players in our trio - a beginner and a second season player. We felt eyes on our shots which caused some nerves as the pace of play was stop and go with 2 groups lined up in front of us and 2 groups staring us down behind us…didn’t make sense for anyone looking to play through as there was nowhere to go.

Course was in nice condition. The greens were soft and slow - needed to hammer on some of the putts. For a round of 9 at $30 a person, we definitely enjoyed and will return with a bunch of balls.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Pace Average
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