Bartlett Hills Golf Club - Bartlett

I played Bartlett Hills (www.bartletthills.com) for the 1st time in 2009, and I liked it so much that I went back the next weekend for a 2nd round! This is a beautiful, hilly, heavily wooded layout with a variety of good golf holes, and is a perfect example of a course not having to be 7,000 yards (it tops out at around 6,500) to be worth playing.

The course starts out with a pair of par 4 dogleg rights, the 1st up a hill, the 2nd back down with a creek to maneuver off the tee and then back up to an elevated green surrounded by trees. The 3rd hole is a long par three to a green with sharp drop offs front and right. The 4th is my favorite on the front nine, a par 5 with a tee shot over a ridge that opens up to a view of a heavily bunkered, elongated green. Holes 6 thru 8 are par 4’s that alternate through a valley with approaches to elevated greens, all 3 offering scenic views off the tee.

The back nine starts out with a nice par 5 with a green tucked left back in the trees and behind a large bunker, and #11 is a heavily wooded par 3. #12 is arguably the hardest hole on the course, a long par 4 with a tee shot over a pond to a tight landing area between the trees, with OB on the left, and an approach to yet another elevated, two tiered green. #'s 13 and 14 are 2 more solid par 4’s, 13 with a drive over a pond and wetlands, and 14 a slight dogleg right with the wetlands bordering the approach on the right and evergreens behind the green, the highlight hole on the backside for me if forced to pick one. The round ends with the signature hole, a par 3 over a pond from an elevated tee next to the clubhouse.

The only hole that I didn’t necessarily care for was the 16th, a tight driving par 5 that slopes to the right and sits above the 15th fairway, which is where errant tee shots will end up if pushed that way.  Still, this hole is not without merit, with great views off the tee and at the green.  Sub-divisions are on the border of the course, but homes are not in play except for on #12, were any shots heading left will have to pass through a number of very large trees to do any serious damage, not likely to happen.

I played this course from both the back and middle tees, and it was a very fair test from both, and with a slope of 130 from the back (126 from the middle), provides plenty of challenge. I also played here the day after a fairly heavy rainfall, and the course was bone dry except for some standing water near the 17th green. Although a bit of a drive from my home in Lemont, I thought it was well worth it (a return trip in June 2011 reconfirmed my initial reaction) .  But make sure you get good directions, it is a bit tricky to find as it's hidden back in a neighborhood between Route 59 and Lake Street. The top weekend rate for non-residents w/cart is $63, and drops to $53 at 1:00 pm and down to $37 at 3:00 pm. (I used a players pass both times I played so the cost was just under $40.) In the final assessment, Bartlett Hills gets a big thumbs up!

Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) – 8
Playability (20%) – 8.5
Conditioning (15%) – 7.5
Aesthetics (15%) – 8
Amenites (10%) – 7.5
Value (20%) – 8

Total Score - 80