Big Run Golf Club

Large course with plenty of elevation changes and dog legs making it challenging and fun, but beware of the rough. If you don’t hit on the fairway you will spend a lot of time looking for your ball. The rough is VERY thick and long and you will often times not see a ball unless you’re standing directly over it, making finding any errant tee shots nearly impossible. However, the course is still very fun and challenge is welcomed. Do yourself a favor and ride this course, don’t walk

The conditions at Big Run always are dependent on the weather. They don't have a full blown sprinkler system. Currently there's US Open length rough and it's very difficult to find balls let alone hit out of it. If they cut the rough with the current drought they'd lose it. Same with the green collars and fairways.....and the fairways are already browning out a bit. Hard very fast conditions - greens slow and a tad bumpy.....traps have needed attention for several years now. Quite a few dead trees that should be cut down - and a bunch of others that need trimming. The opening tee shot is too claustrophobic. Nets to warm up and a great old school clubhouse with bar/locker room/showers. I've lost count of how many times I've played Big Run. Our group at a wonderful day and thanks to all of the great folks at Big Run for the hospitality.

Solid 3 stars plus. $45 senior rate during week is decent.....with a bit of rain hopefully the grounds crew will be able to cut the rough down to a playable level as we as getting the speed of the greens up a tad. Others have panned this place and guess what.....I love it, recommend it and always happy to play it. We'll be back later in the season for sure!

Good: Best layout in the area. Greens in good condition
Bad: Rough is cut high so that if a ball falls on it it disappears. Unless you step on it it will be lost.
UGLY: 1. Cart Paths are only around tees and greens, and that are in TERRBLE shape. 2. Bridges over creeks look dangerously out of repair. 3. Clubhouse area very unattractive, 4. Carts were not allowed in the fairways?

With some repairs and better maintenance you CAN bring this course back to its old glory, With a perfect day for golf, there very few players playing!

Ground sleeping much improved. I think it could still be cut shorter but the course it beautiful and although tough, was playable.

Rough could be trimmed a bit.. you lose balls just off the edge of the fair way and cant find it unless you stand right over it. You end up playing whatever ball you may find in the area if you cant find yours after 5+ minutes of looking. Makes for a 5+ hour round which shouldnt be the norm.

As a threesome we got stuck behind a foursome that was struggling. We passed them on 13 and when ranger finally showed up on 15. he gave crap for being slow. We told him that just bypassed the group that slowing us down. He did not really apologize, but the management should really try to keep an eye on pace of play. Also cut ruff down it was way too high, which caused play to be delayed as well.

The grass needed mowing, tree limbs hanging into the fairway, flags didn't stand straight up in the cups, tee boxes facing each other. Cart path wandering into other fairways. Can't park near tee box due to having to let other carts go by.

I’ve played this course a few times in the last few years, and there are a few nice holes on this property to enjoy. While there is a lot of general tree trimming and removal work that needs to be done to make the course more playable, this visit has a handful of downed trees that hadn’t been cleaned up yet. Another big complaint of mine and everyone playing in my group was the length of the rough which is about an inch higher than it should be for a public golf course. The rough’s length makes it difficult for most golfers to advance the ball well, but even more problematic is that it eats up golf balls. I personally lost a few balls that were not too far off of fairways, and my group experienced the same issue as well on multiple holes. This results in a slower pace of play as people look for balls vs being able to readily find their shots and the unintentional consequence is a much slower pace of play.

I would like to see the rough height lowered to speed up the pace of play, and some money put into doing some much needed tree maintenance to produce a more playable course. Another fast upgrade would be switching out the little garden shovels in the divot mix containers for a “scoop” style of shovel that holds more material to better fill divots on tee boxes.

The rough was cut three times higher than the rough at any other course I played at. It was unplayable. The fairway was cut twice as high as any other course I played at. Unplayable. If they figured out their grounds keeping and cut the course shorter this would be an amazing course.

The fairways, rough, and greens were all too long. The rough was especially bad. Lost three balls just off the fairways. My wrists hurt today. Quite disappointing.

Course was in nice condition. Pace of play was great. Two of the toughest finishing holes in Chicagoland on nine and 18. All around, a fun experience, and a humbling one as well.

THIS IS A COURSE THAT WILL CHALLENGE YOUR GAME. Several of the toughest holes you will ever play are here, but it’s worth it (and the ensuing frustration) when you hit the 19th hole. Be forewarned….this is NOT a course for really high handicappers….