Fox Run Golf Links - Elk Grove Village

Fox Run Golf Links in Elk Grove Village describes itself as a "hidden gem".  The course is "hidden", tucked behind a parking lot and trees on the east side of Plum Grove Road at the far west end of EGV, easy to miss if you're not familiar with the area or don't have good directions.  As far as the "gem" status is concerned, it takes a lot to reach that level in my world, but Fox Run gets an "A" for effort in its attempt to live up to that lofty designation.

The par 70 layout plays from between 5,200 to 6,300 yards from 3 sets of tees, but the 70.2 / 119 rating is not indicative of the difficulty here, as large trees, numerous bunkers and 12 holes with watery hazards provides plenty of trouble.  The #1 handicap is the 4th hole, the longest at 508 yards, with a pond right and a creek crossing the fairway about 200 yards out, plus OB left.  The fairway rises (one of the few signs of elevation on the mostly flat track) to a well bunkered green.  But the hardest hole by far is #10, a harrowing 400 yard par 4 with ponds framing both sides of the fairway off the tee, and a 2nd shot across the  water running diagonally up the middle of the hole, up to a green that is protected by a huge sand trap and more water to the right.  (The back 9 has water on every hole in some form or another except for the 12th.)

Although there is room off the tee on most drives, the 2nd, 13th & 14th holes are all longer par 4's (406, 384, 415 yards respectively) with narrowed fairways. The 2nd has water behind and to the left of the green; the 13th has OB left and a skinny, 100 yard long bunker running parallel to the water hazard right; and the 14th shares the hazard with the previous hole on the right side, with a huge tree left that I'm sure has redirected many a drive into the drink (a sign attached to it that reads "I hate this tree!" attests to the pain that was inflicted on one golfer over the years...).  The 7th hole was another good par 4, a shorter, slight dog leg right with 3 bunkers each on both sides of the elevated green.

Of the four par 3's at Fox Run, the 6th and the 17th were the ones I remembered, both around and over ponds, and the 18th hole is a fine finish to the round, a tricky tee shot with trees left and the hazard right, with a slight turn left and wetlands skirting the left edge up to the green.  

Fox Run is enclosed within a housing development, and there are a few holes (most notably #8) where the homes are tight to the fairways, but designer William

Newcomb had the foresight to plant trees (now large) to help block errant shots.  Lightly travelled neighborhood streets need to be crossed on four occasions to complete the round, not a big deal, and the course had a nice flow to it, with very few instances of back and forth holes.  The 2nd, 3rd and 8th, however, are tightly packed together, so there's a good chance you may be playing from an adjoining hole if you are as erratic as our group. 

The course was in good condition the day we played, as the traps were easy to play out, the moderately sloped greens rolled true, and the ball sat up nicely in the bluegrass fairways (not my favorites, but OK here).  As this was my first visit to Fox Run (as with all the members of my foursome), I was pleasantly surprised at the scenery, variety and challenge of this village owned course (they need more pictures on the home website!).  So the general consensus of the group was that it was worth the trip and the money (a steal at $32 w/cart at 2 pm on a Sunday afternoon with a coupon), and a return to Fox Run will be in order.

Mr Z Rating


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

Value (20%) -8

Total Score - 73.5