Similar experience to Frank Cushman's. Played the Port course at 11:40 am on 7/29/10. Walked off 18 some 4h 45mins later. Pretty sad. No marshals interested in doing their jobs as far as we could tell. Group in front of us played entire front nine with hole open ahead of them, then we showed up on 10th tee as third group on the tee..Gimicky 15th hole is too tough for too many when wind is up. As we walked off 15th green there were four groups on the hole..yikes! Nice course, though..very well maintained and midweek price ($82), while not a bargain, is not bad for the quality of the maintenance...some sloppiness on condition of 17th and 18th bunkers, but that may be due to recent rains...also not impressed by morons who parked right behind us on 10th tee box and felt it was a good time to jump on their cells as we were teeing off...the price you pay for playing in Chicago..couple we were matched with are from Chicago and doubted they would be back..never say never, but while I liked the layout and conditions (wind can really play a role), I find it hard to imagine I will hurry back...tough to get in a rhythm and enjoy yourself when all you do is wait...sent note to the club outlining what went wrong..also feel there are too many unsmiling young men running around the place; I feel 95+% of golfers would prefer lower greens fees to a bloated infrastructure at too many daily fee courses (though I am all for summer employment programs)...

Similar experience to Frank Cushman's..11:40 tee time on Port on 7/29..walked off 4h 45mins later...no evidence marshals were doing anything but driving around killing time..group ahead of us played the entire front nine with an open hole in front of them..then we were third group on 10th tee...so-called signature 15th is too gimicky..too hard for too many players when wind is up..as we walked off the 15th green we were among 4 (!!) groups on the hole..tough to get rhythm or stay loose, or have fun, when it takes so long to play 18 holes...course was in great shape, well-maintained..no issues there..bunkers on 17/18 needed work; crew may still be dealing with the effects of the rains over the past week....not easy course, especially with some wind and placement of bunkers, both fairway and greenside (which are often not quite greenside)...price ($82 midweek) not too bad given layout and conditions, but still too many playing the wrong tees or acting entitled to take their time..not too impressed with morons who pulled up RIGHT BEHIND us as we were on 10th tee and felt it was fine to start using cell phones..the downside of playing in Chicago, I guess...sent note to club outlining our experience...tough to say I would hurry back, as it is a long drive for me..people we were matched up with live in Chicago and doubted they would be back...too bad...product is good; service is bad...also too many (unsmiling) young men running around the place..it's great to offer them summer jobs, but I contend 95+% of golfers would rather pay reduced greens fees than support bloated infrastructure of some of these daily fee places (sorry for the mini-rant).

My buddy and I had an 11:50 tee time on the Port Course. When we pulled up to the starter we were told that they were running 10 minutes behind and we would tee off at noon. We were also told that there were a few no-shows earlier in the morning. So, even with the no-shows, they were still running behind. What we experienced next was unbelievable. After the 1st hole, we were backed up for the remaining 17 holes. We probably waited a good 15 minutes to tee off at each hole. It was impossible to get in any sort of rhythm. Every time the ranger drove by, he told us that they were really backed up but it didn't seem like they were doing anything about it. In all, it took us over 5 hours to play 18. The speed of play reminded me of a Chicago Park District course. The course itself was very nice and in good condition. I think they have a long way to go in terms of how they manage the speed of play and for $95, I will have a very hard time coming back.

Customer Service

The started was very nice and the refreshment cart passed by at least 6 times during our round. I think the rangers should have been more proactive with the speed of play.

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Reminded me a little bit of Bolingbrook Golf Club.

Played the Starboard course on July 4th. We had a 3:30 tee time, the first of the day at the twilight rate of $55, including cart. There was no one in front of us and we saw virtually no other golfers our entire round - very nice. Course is a great value, especially considering it's proximity to downtown Chicago.

The course itself was in fantastic condition. The fairways were in good shape and the greens seemed to roll very true.

As you can see above, I typically shoot in the low 100s and am typically pleased when I knock a few good drives out there. Unfortunately for me, most of my "good" drives were rewarded by ending up in one of the countless waste or fairway bunkers. You need to be precise in both distance and direction on this course - much more so than most public courses I've played. Also, you will get virtually no roll on this course - it's amazing how many times my ball mark in the fairway was closer to the green than my ball by a few inches.

All in all, a great value, especially at the twilight rate. Aside from the views of the industrial areas in the distance, the course is quite beautiful and it's hard to believe you're a) still in the city of Chicago and b) playing on top of a landfill. Driving range and practice green were also quite nice.

Customer Service

Starter was very helpful and friendly. Yardage books were given to everyone in our foursome as well as a pack of 5 tees. A nice touch that they didn't have to do and left me feeling like I got just a little more for my money. Sometimes, it's the small things...

layout, beauty , and challenge of the course in the prevailing winds.

as stated above

Harborside is definitely a "jewel" in the city. I played twilight there yesterday. Our foursome teed it up ontime at 3:45P. Played right along. On the green at 16 a ranger came along and in a overly stern fashion told us to move it along and play ready golf. This was at 7:20P. We kept our same pace and finished the round in 3 hrs. and 50mins. Felt like a racehorse that was whipped to the finish line. Also , the course is poorly marked for distance. Our starter had no yardage books, (when we payed we werent given them either), no scorecards(they werent on the carts), and there were no pin placement cards on the carts. This is the kind of stuff that can and should be fixed at such a nice golf course that charges the type of fees that it does.

Customer Service

only saw the beverage cart once during the round as I stood on the other side of the fairway as she drive by.

When the wind is at your back, which rarely happens, expect to blast one or two over 300 yards.

High and low handicappers, bring a few extra balls, because when it gets in the rough, its very tough to find it.

Two championship courses, the port and starboard, both of which I think are in the top 10 courses in the city no questions asked. A links style layout, in which with almost every hole you can call the hadest.

Bottom Line: When it gets windy, drives usually hit 280, wont go more than 240. Windy conditions are comparable to conditions at Pebble Beach.

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None

Maintenance, staff, greens, course condition, challenge, good Nugent design. Have fun in the fescue!

Getting teetimes; wish permanent ones were available.

Beautifully maintained, friendly and helpful staff. A first class golf experience. Perhaps the best bang for your buck in Chicago.

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Good food...plenty of cart persons selling goods as well