Pine Meadow GC - Mundelein

Pine Meadow Golf Course in Mundelein is about as unpretentious of an upscale course as one would find. As one of the 7 courses in the Chicagoland area that has a green fee w/cart of $100 or more, you might expect to see an enormous clubhouse (think Bolingbrook) with several young people scrambling to grab your bag as you arrive, but that is not the case here, as the combo pro shop/diner in the unimposing white house is not indicative of the course beyond. But when you have a layout to offer as nice as this one, you can afford to skip some of the more pretentious bells and whistles.

The course is classic parkland, with mature trees, lush fairways and true rolling greens. With the only significant distance between holes being from the 1st green to the 2nd tee, this is a walker friendly course, a great layout where the only other people you might see are the groups in front and in back of you. There are about 80 strategically placed bunkers, and water comes into play on a third of the holes, and with 5 sets of tees between 7,300 and 5,300 yards, you should not have a problem finding one within your comfort zone. (My group was fine with the Blue’s at 6,600 yds/71.7/131). The fairways are wide, but the rough was thick and gnarly and very penal the day we played, but overall this is an extremely playable course, no tricks, what you see is what you get, and if you putt well on the enormous greens, you can score.

The 1st 2 holes are a straight forward par 4 & 5, good warm up holes to prepare you for #3, a 492 yd monster of a par 4 from the tips that curves left around Lake Cooke (nice touch, naming the ponds). The 4th hole is another par 5, straight away with a right turn at the end to an elevated green with 7 bunkers providing protection on both sides. #’s 6 & 7 are both long par 4’s, with 7 a slight dog leg right to an elevated, well bunkered green. The par 3 8th hole features 2 deep grass bunkers behind the green that you absolutely do not want to be in, and the front nine ends with a short, tricky par 4, a tight drive through the trees with thick rough off to the right.

The back 9 is much hillier, with water an integral part of the layout. #10 is a dogleg left par 4 from an elevated tee, one of the best views on the course, with a 2nd shot requiring a carry over Lake Schroeder to a tiered green. The 12th hole was my favorite par 3, tucked back in the woods with large traps guarding the front, a great looking hole. This is followed by a strong par 5, as the lake cuts across and needs to be acknowledged when choosing the club for your drive (there is more room to the right), and then the fairway rises to the well bunkered green. The 14th requires a carry over water, which continues up the right side to the hole. The 15th hole was my favorite on the back, an intriguing dogleg left par 5 with a semi blind tee shot up a ridge with 3 bunkers at the bend, then over the ridge and back up to a green with an enormous bunker to the left featuring several grassy knolls within. And as with any top course, #18 is a tough finisher, a dogleg right par 4 around Lake McElligot, with 2 large bunkers set in a mound behind the green providing a great visual to complete the round.

Pine Meadow was founded by the Jemsek’s, the 1st family of public golf in Chicago, in 1985, and as the starter proudly declared “is maintained to the highest standards”. The course has received a boatload of accolades over the years, with Golf Digest’s “Best New Public Course in America – 1986” at the top of the list, and is one of the few to receive a 5 star rating by Chicagoland Golf. In all honesty, however. after the 1st 6 holes I was thinking that this was a really nice course but I was expecting more, but the interest picked up after that, and the back nine is one of the best I’ve played in the area. Is the course worth $100? As a once in a while treat, I would say “yes”, but there are other good layouts in the Windy City area that you can play that are better values (Village Links of Glen Ellyn and George Dunne come to mind). But overall, I would consider Pine Meadow a must play destination for the avid golfer.

Mr Z Rating

Layout -9.5

Playability -9

Conditioning -9

Aesthetics -8

Amenities -7.5

Value -7

Total Score - 84