Joe Louis Golf Club

Course in best condition in a while. Great value. Only missing a practice range..

Course is in the best shape in quite awhile. Greens great fairways nicely cut. Also they were blowing the cut grass off the fairways. Fantastic. Great job Jerry Jimmie and the whole crew. Always a good day at The Champ!

I was in a foursome and all of us were walking. We had to wait for 2 foursomes driving carts to tee off on every hole for at least 20 minutes. After 9 holes (which turned out to be a 3 hour and 10 minutes) I decided to go to club house and get a rain check for the back nine. Guy in club house told me if it's not raining we cannot issue you a rain check. I decided to stay. I'm not going to lose money. My interest in playing was gone after 9 holes. The ranger did not drive out and see what the delay was. Which Cleary was that they allowed 2 sums out and a single out. Never again will I set a tee time at Joe Louis if it's not an early tee time. My tee time was 11:50.

Joe Louis is a Cook County Forest Preserve golf course that is currently being managed by Troon.

As of early May 2023 the course is in good condition and can be played for a fair price.

PACE: Our round took 4.5 hours because a 4-some two groups ahead lacked any sense of self-awareness whatsoever. This course would benefit from having a ranger on the weekend that monitored pace and asked (the inevitable) slower groups to let faster groups play thru.

CONDITIONS: I wouldn't call Joe Louis manicured, but it's definitely playable. Tees and greens are good, and the bunkers were maintained (though the type of sand in a bunker seems to vary). The fairways have some sparse spots, but nothing to take away from enjoying your round.

STAFF: Got me checked in and out on the course.

VALUE: Given the conditions of the course, I think this course is responsibly priced. We paid $30 to walk on the weekend.

LAYOUT: A lot of straight holes with various hazards in your way to make the course a challenge. Hole #4 is a sneaky tough par 3; #7 is a long par 5; #14 and #15 are back-to-back par 5s; and the drive on #18 is tough. This is an easy course to walk.

OFF-COURSE: Giving this a 1-star because at the time of booking (not when you show up) is when they charge you 100% of your greens fee. Occasionally our 4th gets called into work at the last second, and Joe Louis said in that instance they would not refund that tee time. Not a fan of that policy... hence the 1-star.

Joe Louis can play slow. But their greens fees are fair and the course is fun to play.

Had a great time Saturday and the pace was much better than in the past. Greens were a little slow but understandable for early season and all the rain lately.

Nice close for the money. Beginner friendly as fairways are wide

Close to the city, good value. Tough greens. Big bunkers. Everything was a bit dry though, especially fairways.

We were the very first tee time, a twosome walking so we’d be fast, and they had us go off the back. No reason why. When we finished there we’re three groups on the first tee and the front backed way up. They got us out only after convincing them of the issue. We had to wait on every single tee box. It was awful. My golf watch said 4 hours and 50 minutes. For a twosome, walking, and the first off the box, we could’ve saved an hour easy if the simply never made us go off the back first. Not going back there.

The greens are nice at Joe Lewis the layout is nice. The course had good length at 6800 from the blues. The fairways in nice shapes the tee boxes were rough but acceptable for the price. The pace was ok. I normally walk this course it’s flat and the greens are close to the next tee box.
It’s a good course for the money and has some challenges

Everything was good. Just wish the fairways were watered or just get some rain.

Hard to beat Joe Louis for the money if you’re hitting your drive well. If not, it can be a challenging day.

It got backed up due to several sets of new golfers walking ahead of us, but with the weather we didn’t mind. It’s not the toughest course but sometimes you need that to keep your spirits high!

I thoroughly enjoyed my round at Joe Louis “The Champ”. The course layout made it challenging, and the grounds were all in good shape. Amazing value for your money. The staff was excellent. I honestly felt like a member at a swanky country club. I will be playing here a lot more this season.