Maple Meadows GC - Wood Dale

Maple Meadows Golf Course (http://www.dupagegolf.com/) in Wood Dale is located just north of I-290 and a few miles west of Route 83, and is one of the 3 “Meadows” courses (with “Oak” and “Green”) operated by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. The 18 hole track, opened in 1998, is a prime example of the “prairie links” school of course design popular in this area over the last 20 years, with a variety of high grass in play on virtually every hole, lots of sand traps and water hazards, and a few trees (and some heavily wooded areas) scattered about. (The 27 hole complex also includes a traditional parkland style 9 hole course on the east side of Addison Road that used to be part of the old Brookwood Country Club.) Although the course is located smack dab in the middle of west suburbia, there are a few holes where you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, which is a good thing in my book.

The par 70 course plays to just over 6,400 yards from the back tees, with a rating / slope of 70.1 /122, but it felt more

substantial than that. Accuracy off the tee is rule #1 here, so if you are prone to spraying your driver, go to plan B, as the prairie borders almost every fairway.  A good example is the 1st hole, a short dogleg right par 5 that can be reached in 2 with a big drive, but a wayward shot will be penalized.  This scenario plays out constantly on the par 4's and 5's.  After the 3rd hole, a short, slight dogleg right to a green protected by bunkers front right and a pond to the left, the course veers south to the other side of the clubhouse to a stark, hilly, scenic prairie landscape where the next 6 holes reside. The 4th & 7th are downhill dogleg left par 4’s, and the 6th (par 4) & 8th (par 5) are uphill doglegs right, with 2 straight forward par 3’s included, but the look and feel of these holes is definitely different from the rest of the course. The 6th is probably the best of this group, 454 yds with water and high grass tight off the tee on the right.

The back side is 200 yards longer than the front side and features four par 4's over 400 yds, topped off by the 15th at 468 yards.  The 10th hole is a good start to the back, a par 4 with bunkers and large trees left and wetlands right off the tee, followed by the

longest par 5 on the course, a 550 yarder with 4 large bunkers staggered along the fairway, and the prairie tight left of the green.  #12 is a pretty par 4 with a drive through several trees guarding both sides of the fairway and the wetlands lurking beyond, and 13 is a tough par 3 to a well bunkered, huge sloping green.  The 14th is a short, uphill, heavily bunkered par 4, followed by the monster par 4 mentioned previously.  I consider #16 the best par 3 on the course, over 200 yards from the tips with water and trees left to a narrow green that slopes down at the back. The last 2 holes are both par 4’s framed by thick woods right and fairway traps left, with a nice view of the clubhouse behind the 18th green.

Maple Meadows was in above average condition on the day I visited, especially the smooth rolling greens, and at a top rate of $52 w/cart (zippy electric ones) presents a super bargain (the par 34 East nine can be played for a reasonable

$14 walk/$23 ride anytime). Plus coupons are readily available on greatgreenfees.com and

by registering on the course website (I paid $39 to ride after Noon on the 4th of July weekend). Although this type of course is not for everyone, I found it to be a very playable, scenic, fun round of golf at a great price, and I’ll be looking forward to playing there again in the near future.

Mr Z Rating

Layout - 7

Playability - 7.5

Conditioning -8

Aesthetics - 7

Amenities - 7

Value - 9

Total Score - 76.5