KLEIN CREEK GOLF CLUB 630-690-0101
Chicago Golf Course Review
Klein Creek Golf Club in Winfield - in the western suburbs of Chicago, is one beautiful golf course! This Dick Nugent design features lush, private club conditioning on 230 acres
of gently rolling terrain, featuring a perfect blend of holes with strategic bunkering, fairway and greenside mounding, dense forests and aesthetically pleasing landscaping.
Golfers will have to navigate abundant water hazards that are often accentuated with spacious sand bunkers that are intricately designed and frequently supported by wood
retaining walls.
While the 137slope and 72.6 course rating from the back tees (6701 yards), will provide experienced golfers with a formidable challenge, the 3 alternate sets allow golfers of all
skill levels to play to their abilities. The blue tees measure 6266/132 slope and are adequate for the mid-handicapper, while the 5579 yard white tees are sloped at 117 - providing
a fair round for the average golfer and high handicapper. Ladies and beginners play the red tees from 4909 with a 118 slope rating. The yardage measuring system at Klein
Creek leaves nothing to be desired. A nice feature on all holes are the hole diagrams and yardages measured to the center of the green on all tee boxes. There are 100/150/200
yardage blocks on the fairways, and measurements on sprinkler heads are also provided. The cart paths on all par fives and fours have color coded indicators at 100/150/200
yards - and white stakes on each side of the fairway are also visible at 150 out. On the large, mildly undulating putting surfaces, the flags are colored red, white and blue for front,
middle and back pin placement.
Nicely appointed locker rooms with showers are available for men and women, and the clubhouse also features a good size pro shop with golf attire, accessories, and some
clubs (mostly putters, drivers and wedges) are on sale. The Creekside Restaurant and lounge offers breakfast, lunch and dinner items - with a great fish fry every Friday during
the season from 11 AM to 8 PM. The homemade clam chowder (comes with the fish fry - which features lake perch) is highly recommended! With the fine upscale clubhouse
facilities Klein Creek is an ideal place for outings and special events.
The course of course - is the main draw - and should leave a smile a big smile on the face of most golfers. Besides the aesthetically pleasing design, the layout as a rule
provides wide fairways and ample landing/bail out areas - even on the more demanding holes. Greenside, players will be able to use a wide variety of approaches - with bump
and runs, high lobs and accurate pitches and chips all called for. Dick Nugent has left openings to safely approach each green complex...miss on the wrong side, and an up and
down can be a tough proposition.
The beginning hole presents an ample fairway with water short right and another pond on that side about 100 yards from the green - the 11th handicap and a good opener.
Number two also has a couple water hazards along the right that line the right side except for a brief respite in an area from 200 to 135 yards in. The approach narrows with some
room left in the bunkers and collection areas. There is plenty of fairway on the long par five 3rd, but another pond is in play on the right from 150 in, and the approach is a tight one
with a deep bunker left and water immediately right of the putting surface. This is the course's # 1 handicap. The visible, huge sand trap that rests 20 yards in front of the green
complex on the par three 4th, hides a more treacherous pot bunker that sits short left. The fifth is a score-able four par, if you can find the landing area over a creek and between
the first left and mounding along the right. The lake that fronts the green comes into play about 70 yards out. The tee shot on six must carry water to a wide fairway, with the uphill
approach demanding some accuracy to avoid the greenside bunkers on the left. From sculpted tee areas, number seven provides a generous landing area, but the second and
third shots require some navigating around the considerable sand traps in play from 100 yards in. Eight is a beauty - a long par three fronted by a pond and huge beach-bunker.
There is room long in the mounding past the putting surface. The finishing hole on the front has a pond in play on the right from 270 yards in. The approach is a challenging one -
over water, with the hazard running all along the left side.
The back side is a bit shorter, with just 1 par four of 400 yards plus. Ten plays to a rolling fairway with water left and a well bunkered green complex. There is more water short on
11, with a large waste bunker also in play on the left side. The approach narrows with mounding and bunkers near the green. The generous fairway on 12 plays downhill,
providing some good roll off the tee. There is bail out room short left, for those wishing to avoid the intricately designed sand traps greenside. The wide landing area on 13
narrows with a marsh coming into play along the right about 130 yards away. The approach plays uphill to a raised green with water right and mounded bunkers to the left. The
14th is a gorgeous par three that is nearly all carry over a lake - with ample bail out room short left. This precedes one of the prettiest and most challenging holes of the round.
The 15th doglegs left at the 150 yard stakes, and demands a very accurate approach, with water on both sides of the green complex. The tee shot on 16 demands a carry over a
pond to an ample fairway with bunkers on the right between the 300-250 yard markers. Sand traps on both sides also forge a path to the green from 140 in. Seventeen is a
beautiful par three - perhaps the signature hole of the course. A wood retaining wall defines a snaking sand bunker that surrounds the putting surface, with a lake in play short
and to the right. Better in the beach than wet. The fairway on the closing hole is bordered by mounding with a water hazard short right off the tee, than again on that side from 160
in. This lake chokes the fairway past the 150 yard stake - inviting a tee shot placed to the left center. If you are too far left however, the approach will be hampered by a large tree
protecting entry to the green from that side.
Whew...lots of water on Klein Creek. In fact there are only three holes that are not affected by water hazards. While the land is gently rolling, the good news is that there are flat
landing areas, and not too many shots will have to be hit from uneven lies. Good shots are rewarded here, and bad ones penalized - the way it should be on a good course. Klein
Creek is highly recommended by the twoguyswhogolf. Great conditioning, aesthetically pleasing, a fair challenge - and wonderful staff and facilities. It is also reasonably priced
for a course of its stature in the Chicago area. Call for more info - or visit our informational page for Klein Creek in our course listing section - for a link to their website. Click here!
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