The old Cherry Hills Golf Course, by most accounts, was a non-descript 27 hole facility on Kedzie Avenue in Flossmoor. The property was taken over by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District and redesigned into an 18 hole gem that includes an expansive driving range and 3 junior practice holes. Coyote Run (
http://www.coyoterungolf.com/) debuted in 2005, and the 6,500 yard par 71 layout features wide fairways, manageable rough, 54 bunkers, water on 11 holes and some of the fastest greens of any public course I’ve played in the last several years.
From the tips, the course carries a 69.5 slope/123 rating, certainly not overwhelming but still a firm challenge, and the well placed bunkers and slick greens ratchet up the difficulty quotient. There isn’t a lot of trouble off the tees as most of the trees are on the fringes of the fairways and the water can be avoided without too much difficulty, but what makes this course a winner is the solid layout, variety of holes and consistently superior conditions.
The course eases you into the round with 4 short par 4’s, with #2 the longest at 376 yards with an elevated green protected by a large trap, and #4 the shortest at 319, drivable for long hitters, but a pond and traps right and woods left near the green can cause trouble. The first par 3 is #5, a lengthy 215 yds, and #6 is the 1
st par 5 with water in play on the left side the last few hundred yards and a creek meandering in front of the narrow, severe back to front sloped green; the following shot to approaches flown over the green are near impossible to keep on the putting surface. #7 is my favorite on the front side, a 390 yd par 4 with water left off the tee, and another pond guarding the right side of the huge green and woods providing a scenic background. The next hole is a pretty par 3 over water, and the 1
st 9 finishes with the longest hole on the course, a 566 yard slight dogleg right with 3 imposing bunkers to the right of the green.
The back nine begins with the longest par 4, a 440 yard beast with a large green side trap that needs to be carried to land near the pin. This is the 1
st of arguably the 3 best holes on the course, with 11 a tournament worthy 200 yard par 3 and 12 a par 4 with woods pinching the fairway and a water hazard in play about 270 yards off the tee on the left that deceptively crawls across the fairway closer to the huge, 2 tiered angled green. The other highlights on the back are #15, a short par 4 at only 327 yds but with a tricky 2
nd shot around water to a green that’s steeply sloped from left to right, and #16, a challenging all carry par 3 over a pond that will normally play into the wind.
One of the knocks on Coyote Run that I’ve heard is that it’s not that difficult, but for the 90% of golfers who shoot 90’s+, there is plenty of course here. And besides the upscale conditions, which alone would warrant a much steeper greens fee than the $61 max rate w/cart, there are a number of nice touches, like the wide fringes and collection areas around the greens and the cool retro square tee boxes that house the 3 sets of tees. An added bonus: this is one of the best walking courses I’ve found in the area. So if you’re looking for a well maintained, reasonably priced layout and want to be challenged without being pummeled into submission, then Coyote Run is one of the best options you’ll find in the Windy City area.
Mr Z Rating
Layout (20%) - 8
Playability (20%) - 8.5
Conditioning (15%) - 9
Aesthetics (15%) -7
Amenities (10%) - 8.5
Value (20%) -8.5
Total Score -82.5
From the tips, the course carries a 69.5 slope/123 rating, certainly not overwhelming but still a firm challenge, and the well placed bunkers and slick greens ratchet up the difficulty quotient. There isn’t a lot of trouble off the tees as most of the trees are on the fringes of the fairways and the water can be avoided without too much difficulty, but what makes this course a winner is the solid layout, variety of holes and consistently superior conditions. 
The course eases you into the round with 4 short par 4’s, with #2 the longest at 376 yards with an elevated green protected by a large trap, and #4 the shortest at 319, drivable for long hitters, but a pond and traps right and woods left near the green can cause trouble. The first par 3 is #5, a lengthy 215 yds, and #6 is the 1st par 5 with water in play on the left side the last few hundred yards and a creek meandering in front of the narrow, severe back to front sloped green; the following shot to approaches flown over the green are near impossible to keep on the putting surface. #7 is my favorite on the front side, a 390 yd par 4 with water left off the tee, and another pond guarding the right side of the huge green and woods providing a scenic background. The next hole is a pretty par 3 over water, and the 1st 9 finishes with the longest hole on the course, a 566 yard slight dogleg right with 3 imposing bunkers to the right of the green.
Played Coyote Run last weekend, and in a harsh summer where many courses have struggled with conditions, this course was in great shape. Raised Conditioning rating to 9...
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