Steeple Chase Golf Club - Mundelein

I have criss-crossed the Windy City landscape in my search for the best public courses, but being a life long south sider, I need assistance when it comes to tracks north of White Sox park.  A course that came highly recommended was Steeple Chase Golf Club, so I made a road trip earlier this summer to Mundelein to play this Ken Killian designed layout.  The par 72 course stretches out to 6,800 yards from the tips, but can play 2,000 yards less from the shortest of the 4 sets of tees.   But from whatever distance you decide to play Steeple Chase, you'll be challenged from start to finish by a combination of wetlands, lakes, mature trees, contoured greens and imaginative bunkering.

Steeple Chase is loaded with the little flairs and touches that seperate the good courses from the average ones, like the mounds that surround many of the greens, but it is the traps that made the biggest impression on me, as these are more like large abstract works of art than mere sand filled hazards.  The par five 14th hole features a monstrous 100 yard long bunker that reminded me of a giant centipede crawling towards the green.  Although there are only 35 or so traps here, it felt like twice that many, as they are strategically placed to inflict maximum damage to your score.  Four holes (9,10,11,18) wind around 2 large lakes that are focal points and provide plenty of scenic views, and at least half the holes in total have water and wetlands prominently in play.  Add this all together and it's no wonder that Steeple Chase touts a 73.1 / 139 rating / slope from the back tees.

The round starts with a basic mid length par 4 warm up hole (just the way I like my rounds to begin), but the 2nd gets the juices flowing with a blind tee shot over a ridge and several bumps and humps fronting the green and the first bunker lurking off to the left.  The wetlands appear on the next hole, with a forced carry off the tee and 3 traps surrounding the putting surface.  Water / wetlands are present the next 3 holes, with the long par five 6th offering a panoramic view from the elevated tee.  The 9th hole, however, grabs the attention on the front side, with one of the lakes bordering the right side and then jutting into the fairway about 125 yards from the elevated green, with a decent sized tree placed near the hazard for added annoyance.

The back nine is more compact than the front, with holes 12 thru 15 running parallel to one another (although well defined by trees and prairie), but the aesthetics are raised immediately with holes like #10, with the expanse of the 2nd lake and several fairway traps to the right and the water and a narrow bunker wrapping around the back of the green, and #11, a short par 3 but all carry with no margin for error.  The 13th and 15th holes are over 400 yards and 2 of the hardest on the course, with a pond and a large trap fronting a wide, two tiered green on the former, and woods and wetlands blocking access to the pin on any shots too far left on the latter.

But all this is a prelude to the 18th, a heavily wooded par 5 that is threaded between the 2 lakes as it twists left, and then slightly right near the green.  Any drives from the elevated tee that wander too far right may be blocked out by the trees, and the green slopes from left to right towards the water, making any shots from the left bunkers extremely precarious.  This is truly one of the toughest final holes I've encountered in the Windy City area.

The top rate at Steeple Chase on a weekend morning is $74 w/cart ($65 after 11 am), a reasonable greens fee considering

the quality of the layout, but I took advantage of the $51 twilight rate at 3 pm, which will give you plenty of time to finish in the middle of the summer.  And residents of Mundelein can save between $9-$18, depending on the day and time, making for a super discount for the locals. 
Although the fairways showed some wear and tear from the excessively hot summer, overall the conditions were quite good.  The only downside here is the lack of a driving range, but if you need to get a few swings in before the round, the range at Countryside is just down the street.  Throw in the $20 discount Monday thru Thursday for "young" seniors (age 55), the cleat cleaning pads in the full GPS equipped carts, and the unique horseshoe shaped tee markers, and the experience at Steeple Chase is a total win and highly recommended.

Mr Z Rating

Layout (20%) - 9
Playability (20%) - 8
Conditioning (15%) - 8.5
Aesthetics (15%) - 8.5
Amenities (10%) - 7.5
Value (20%) - 8.5

Total Score - 84

 Steeple Chase Golf Club

200 N. La Vista Drive, Mundelein (847) 949-9800
4 tees, 6,827 / 4,831 yds, par 72
73.1/139 - 67.9/119 rating / slope
M-Th $49/65 to 3 pm, $32/43 after 3
F-Su $74 w/c to 11 am, $65 w/c to Noon, $49/65 to 3 pm, $40/51 after 3
Srs (55) $34/45 M-Th
Ladies $32/43 M
Carts include full GPS
8-1/2 minute tee time intervals