Deerpath GC - Lake Forest

In my ongoing quest to play (and write about) every public golf course in the Chicago Metro area, I ventured to the North Shore for my 1st round at Deerpath Golf Course in Lake Forest.  Truth be told, I had never heard of Deerpath, much less teed it up there, before I started this site, but a sunny April afternoon and a reduced rate coupon was all the enticement I needed to make the long trip from my home in Lemont.

Deerpath is a low frills municipal a few miles east of I-94 at the Route 60 exit.  This track will be celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2012, and is old school all the way, with tiny greens and relatively flat, tree lined fairways.  Although each of the greens are protected by a combination of water and traps, there aren't any hazards to carry on approach shots (except on the 18th hole from the left side), which enhances the playability for those less skilled.  At just over 6,200 yards from the back set of 4 tees, the par 70 layout still provides a very fair test (70.2 rating/128 slope), especially for middling golfers like myself.

Short par 4's and long par 3's dominate at Deerpath, with one par 5 and a long (over 400 yard) par 4 on each nine.  There are 4 ponds and a creek that come into play on 6 holes, and over 60 traps are scattered along the fairways and around the greens.  The one hole that stood out was the par 3 5th, a gorgeous 182 yarder over a creek with one of the aforementioned ponds guarding the left side.  The green slopes preciptously from back to front, so any putts above the hole are perilous.  2 other par 3's, the 13th and 15th holes, were also memorable, the former featuring a tee shot between mounds of native grasses down to a small green with a steep slope into sand traps off the left side, and the latter featuring large trees overhanging one of the  narrowest putting surfaces I've encountered. 

The 2 shortest par 4's were at the top of my favorites; #4 (339 yards) has the creek dissecting the hole from right to left, and the green sitting below the fairway, and #7 (305 yards) featuring 3 fairway bunkers and large trees squeezing the entrance to the green.  And any good course has a strong finishing hole, and the 18th at Deerpath meets that criteria, with a tee shot over a ridge and the sloped, kidney shaped green guarded closely by a pond off the front left.

The course does have a driving range wedged between the 10th and 16th fairways (be careful looking for any tee shots pulled left!), a practice area and a putting green (no holes, just stakes, which I always find annoying).  The clubhouse is a small white building that may be as old as the course, but the people inside were very friendly and helpful, which is what really counts.  My southside sensibilities tells me that the $72 weekend rate is on the high end, but you can save $18 by skipping the electric cart, and this is a primo walking course with negligible elavation and close proximity from green to tee.  Plus discount coupons are often available to further lessen the effect on the wallet.

I must admit that I did Deerpath a disservice by playing in late April of a miserable spring under less than ideal conditions (I did a double take when the young lady behind the counter stated "carts in fairways only" due to some standing water in the rough) and before the course became leafy green, so I made a promise to return during the summer when Deerpath is in full bloom.  So we'll call this a preliminary review, to be modified at a time to be determined.  But if you live up this way, I would definitely recommend Deerpath on my list of courses to play, especially when the right deal comes along.

Mr Z Rating


Layout (20%) - 8
Playability (20%) - 8
Conditioning (15%) - 7.5
Aesthetics (15%) - 7
Amenities (10%) - 7
Value (20%) -7


Total Score - 74.75