Pine Meadows Golf Club is located in Mundelien, IL and built on a beautiful piece of property owned by the Catholic Church (Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary) and has been leased to the Jemsek family for many years (Cog Hill, St. Andrews). I am updating my review from last year to downgrade my rating because the course has become much more unplayable due to wrangly rough grass and very slow greens. As a senior I payed $88 for 18 holes and a cart on Monday morning at 10 AM, which is a ridiculous amount to pay for this course. The course is under construction on the third hole, with abbreviated tees, but they don’t tell you that before the round. The bunkers were under water and the rough is almost unplayable, not because it’s long but because the grass is too thick and firm. The greens are so slow that my group started to get pissed after several 3-putts that were hit firmly and pure but stopped before the cup. The course maintains a “keep pace” policy that they take seriously and a ranger will follow you on the course to police your pace. We always play fast but the ranger haunted us nonetheless. It was originally 9-holes designed by Cardinal Mundelien in 1927 who played in his black frock and fedora. It went to 18-holes in 1929 and that course was designed by William Flynn of Toomey and Flynn in Philadelphia. Pine Meadows has won many accolades over the years, but nothing in the last 10 years. I’m not surprised. The course is going downhill while the price is going up. There are plenty of other really nice courses for less money and a better maintenance track record. There are some pretty holes on this course but the overall value and quality of play have suffered a lot recently.

This is a very nice course and was also challenging. The only reason I gave them 4 stars is because in my opinion it was too pricey. We didn’t not wait at all for any hole and was able to get 18 finished in under 4 hours on a Friday afternoon. The practice faculty here is top notch so I was able to get plenty of practice in before the round. Probably the nicest practice facility I have ever seen at a course.

The nerve to charge what they are changing as the front 9 is in terrible condition. Yet the back 9 is wonderful! It should be possible to replay the back 9 twice.

Excellent golf course. Played for the first time last weekend and will definitely be back. Course is in excellent condition, great variety of holes. The rough is tough but which puts a premium on good tee shots. Back 9 was fantastic. Highly recommend.

I rekindled the golf spirit in my dad after taking a 15 year break and we've been playing courses all around the Waukegan area. This course is #1 EXPENSIVE for what you get. I paid $86 during the weekday with a cart and #2 COURSE is NOT in good shape. The greens were pretty rough, lots of ball marks not repaired, and grass that was inconsistent. Reason #3 the course is NOT CHALLENGING nor is it very scenic. There are so many other courses we've played in the area that are the same price point, much nicer condition and way more scenic. Last reason, the CLUBHOUSE is lackluster if that matters to you. Here are some recommendations I have instead (not affiliated with any) #1 - Shepherd's Crook - For $65 you can play this beautiful links style course with a cart and enjoy their amazing clubhouse. Downside is they don't have a driving range #2 - Stonewall Orchard #3 - Bittersweet #4 - Thunderhawk - a bit more pricey $100+ and when I played a few years ago, the course was over-watered causing huge divots.