Jul 4, 2025

COURSE REVIEW - GLENCOE

GLENCOE BY THE NUMBERS

  • 621 Westley Road, Glencoe   847-835-0250
  • YARDAGE - 6 Tees - 6,595 / 3,761 yds Par 72
  • SLOPE/RATING - 72.3/133 - 59.4/102 (M) 78.1/141 - 62.3/108 (W)
  • MAXIMUM GREEN FEES - $72 M-F, $81 SA-SU (W/CART - 2025)
  • Glencoe Website
A public golf oasis on the north shore of Chicagoland? That’s Glencoe Golf Club. Surrounded by 8 private clubs within a 5 mile radius of its location off Green Bay and Lake-Cook Roads, just east of the Chicago Botanic Gardens, the course has been available to all for over 100 years.

Established in 1921 and opened for play with 9 holes the following year, Glencoe was a public access trailblazer by also allowing women to buy a membership, this at a time when ladies had just obtained the right to vote. An additional 9 was built a few years later, and the routing has remained the same since 1930.

At 6,600 yds, Glencoe is of moderate modern length, but tree lined fairways place a premium on tee shot accuracy. Greens are undulating and well protected, with about 50 fairway and green side traps and water in play on 5 holes leading to a challenging 72.3 / 133 Rating / Slope from the back tees.

The par 72 layout shuns the typical hole configuration by having only three each par 3’s & 5’s, and after the 549 yd 2nd hole, you don’t see another par 5 until the back-to-back finish, but the holes in between provide a fine mix of interesting and strategic plays to keep you engaged. The 412 yd 13th, with the staggered fairway bunkers defining the slight dogleg right to a narrow, angled green, was the most memorable to me.

Except for the uphill 406 yd 1st hole (#1 handicap) there is little elevation change here, and combined with short green to tee distances, makes for a very walkable round (if I could do it, most anyone can!). The $51 weekday fee ($60 on weekends) is an inviting price point for a round at a well maintained, classic parkland course about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago.

LOST BALL QUOTIENT - Low. The water is most prominent on the par 3 15th, but can be played around on the other holes, and the fairways are surprisingly roomy on the holes where OB comes into play. With not a lot of prairie grasses to deal with, you should be able to finish with close to what you started.

HIT A HOUSE FACTOR - Highly unlikely. Some homes along the right side of the18th fairway is the only place I remember seeing any.

WALKER FRIENDLY RATING (0-10) - 10.  Glencoe is a prime walking layout, the only upslope of any consequence is over with early, enjoy the stroll and the wooded scenery.

FINAL VERDICT - Glencoe oozes classic parkland design and successfully balances challenge and playability, what you see is what you get.  A new prairie style clubhouse scheduled to open in 2026 will only add to the ambience and overall experience.  Reasonably priced for the north shore, Glencoe is a worthy play.

CLICK HERE to view the complete Photo Tour of Glencoe...

No comments:

Post a Comment

About This Site

I am a life long Chicagoan and an avid golfer (or as much as my wife will let me!). And I am also a closet journalist who needed an outlet, so I decided to write reviews of the golf courses that I've played over the years in Chicago. Plus I've added detailed information on each course to help my fellow public golfers find the ones that best fits their skill level and budgets. So, read the reviews and use the comments to either give me a big "thumbs up" or tell me I'm full of crap, check out the courses and other pages, and let me know what you think... Mr Z