Oak Brook GC - Oak Brook

Oak Brook Golf Club (http://www.oak-brook.org/dep_recreaton/the_golf_club.shtml) occupies the southwest corner of York Road and 22nd Street, just down the road from Oak Brook Mall and next door to its very private neighbor, Butler National Golf Club. My memory of Oak Brook goes back to the days when Butler used to host the Western Open, but due to heavy rains and flooding, several of the holes at Oak Brook had to be used for a few rounds, and if I recall correctly, the strokes to par was actually higher on the Oak Brook holes! Now I’m not someone who has had the opportunity to play many private courses (only one comes to mind), but I would be hard pressed to imagine how much better the conditions would be compared to Oak Brook. From the immaculate tee boxes to the dense, springy fairways to the double cut rough to the fluffy white sand traps to the quick, smooth greens, this course was in phenomenal shape.

The course is classic parkland (no knee high prairie grass to search through for errant shots), with a variety of mature trees and evergreens present. The front nine is a bit tight in spots and relatively flat, while the back nine is more open and hillier, but both 9’s rate high on the fun factor. Water plays a significant role on about half the holes, which is also about the same percentage of par 4’s & 5’s that have doglegs of varying degrees. The only advice the starter gave us was “Stay below the hole”, which were true words of wisdom as the greens were fast with lots of slope. The 1st hole is a straight away par 5 with York Road close on the right which could make for a nervous 1st shot for those prone to slice (a guy in the group ahead of us had the misfortune of hearing the “thud” of ball against car), but that is the only hole to really afford that circumstance. The 1st dogleg is #3, a par 5 with a sharp left turn protected by a bunker and a pond about 250 yards out; large trees will block your way if you’re too far left with your drive. Holes 4 through 6 are all short (340 to 380 yard) par 4 doglegs with water in play, you must be accurate off the tee to avoid trouble. The front 9 finishes with yet another, longer (415 yds) par 4 dogleg right with a creek running across the fairway.


The back 9 starts out with 3 straight forward par 4’s, with #12 having one of the more severe greens, a big sloped bowl where a 3 putt is near impossible to avoid if your in the wrong spot to the hole. That brings you to #13, a monster par 5 with a 90 degree turn right with water running the entire length of the hole up to the green. A large bunker sits at the end of the fairway about 270 yards out and makes for a good target to aim at off the tee. My personal favorite is #16, another long par 5 dogleg, this time left, which requires an exacting tee shot up a ridge to a 2nd shot through a narrow opening between huge trees. Out of bounds stakes left will discourage any big hitters from trying to shorten the hole. The fairway sweeps down off the ridge, then back up slightly right to the elevated green, by far the best looking view on the course. This begins a strong finish to the round, as 17 is a long par 3 (214 from the tips) over water, and 18 is a 400 yard par 4 with the green tucked back and surrounded by thick woods.

I’ve played Oak Brook a handful of times over the years, the last being maybe 8 years ago, but a coupon in the Tribune that offered a significant discount off the $69 w/cart regular rate encouraged me to take another look. (I ended up paying $26 to walk, this is an easy course to get around by foot.) The 6,540 yd par 72 layout offers a very playable yet challenging (70.9/125) round to all skill levels, and they have a fantastic practice facility that rivals the best in Chicago. And the playing conditions have set the standard for all other public courses in the area, regardless of the green fees. I can guarantee you that it will not be another 8 years (or 8 weeks) before I play here again.

Mr Z Rating

Layout - 8
Playability - 8
Conditioning - 9.5
Aesthetics - 7
Amenities - 9
Value - 8

Total Score - 82