Maple Meadows Golf Course Review
Fall golf is incredible no matter where you play, but fall golf at Maple Meadows Golf Course? Now that’s something extra special. With wide fairways, minimal water and manageable Par 3’s, Maple Meadows is the type of course that most players can have fun at.
In this review, Bogey Buddy reviews Maple Meadows Golf Course to let you know everything you need to know before going low at the meadow.
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OVERALL 4.8/5- Outstanding
How We See It: A great golf course for any type of golfer. Well-maintained with wide fairways and few hazards, we found Maple Meadows to be challenging but fair. A really solid course in the western suburbs of Chicago.
VIBE – 4.5/5, Very Good
DIFFICULTY – 4.5/5, Easy
SCENERY – 4/5, Excellent
VALUE – 3.5/5, Very Good
What is the vibe like at Maple Meadows Golf Course?
At The Range
Checking in at Maple Meadows is a no frills kind of experience. The pro shop isn’t very big, but plenty stocked with Maple Meadows gear and anything you’d need for your day out on the course. Need a hat, tees, balls, maybe a putter? They’ve got you covered.
Unfortunately, there is no practice range for warming up at this course. They do have two practice putting greens to dial in the short game for your round, but its a little disappointing to not be able to warm up the big stick before heading out to the first tee.
Course Conditions
The conditions at Maple Meadows were exceptional for a course at this price point. The fairways and greens looked plenty luscious, we saw no standing water anywhere and the bunkers, while a little firm, were neatly raked and in great shape.
The greens were recently aerated when we played, but we found our puts to roll mostly true. They felt fast to us, but it was a chilly morning. We also like the speed so long as they roll true – its certainly better than putting on carpet.
Pace of Play
There was a frost delay the morning we started which backed things up about an hour – can’t blame the course for protecting their baby though. We had no issues with waiting around for other groups and got through our round in a respectable amount of time.
This is a walkable course with it not being terribly long, but there is an annoying trek to get to #4 which almost requires a cart. #1-#3 are on one side of the clubhouse and the balance of the front cuts across the other way making it a bit of a hike for walkers.
Overall though, the vibe at Maple Meadows is pretty great for your everyday golfer. Biggest knock is not having a practice range, but they do just about everything else very well. 4/5 stars for Vibe.
How Difficult Is Maple Meadows Golf Course?
Course Length
At 6,438 yards from the back tees and a touch over 6,057 from the whites, Maple Meadows Golf Course is not a very long track. The par 3’s are very reachable with only #16 being somewhat long at 175 yards from the whites. Only 3 par 5’s also keeps the overall dIstance of the course down, but these are some of the hardest holes on the golf course – especially #11 at the beginning of the back.
Overall, we found Maple Meadows to be a very playable round and we quite like the shorter Par 3’s. While most may fear the long par 5, we find most beginners struggle more with long Par 3’s because of the need for hitting a long iron off of the tee.
Hazards & Out of Bounds
One thing that is very noticeable about Maple Meadows is the relative small number of hazards. With a links style, most holes are pretty wide and there isn’t much trouble on either side of the fairway. The Par 5’s are a bit tighter, but there is plenty of room to miss even on the tough holes.
A lot of golfers’ kryptonite, water, is basically non-existent here. Makes sense given the style of course, but you should have no fear of getting water-logged at Maple Meadows because there are only a handful of holes that you even see water on. There certainly aren’t multiple holes where there is a need to carry water.
The Greens
As we mentioned earlier, the greens had been recently aerated when we played our round at Maple Meadows. That said, we found them to be in really great shape and they rolled pretty true our entire day. They played fast in the morning, but it was chilly keeping them a little harder than later in the day.
We did find the pin positions to be a bit tricky too. We had multiple putts that were on a sneaky part of the green – right along an undulation that made it difficult to sink. We’re blaming the handful of three putts we had during our round on this.
With it being a short course overall with limited water, we found this to be a relatively easy course and one that would be a lot more fun than frustrating for a wide majority of golfers. 3/5 stars in Difficulty.
How is the scenery at Maple Meadows Golf Course?
The Front 9
The front 9 comes out firing with a big dog par 5 to start out. Nothing like kicking things off with one of the hardest holes on the course. Luckily there is some quick relief with a short par 3 backing up hole #1 and then we’re off and running.
After settling in, we found the front 9 to be quite enjoyable scenery-wise. Classic links style means wide open fairways and plenty of room to miss on the right-hand side for the right-handed slicer. Its kind of hard to believe that this is in Wood Dale, IL a few short miles from downtown Chicago because it feels pretty serene out here on the front.
The Back 9
The back 9 starts out equally as serene and linksy as the front, but you do get a bit more of an urban file in the closing stretch of holes due to an eye-sore of an apartment complex framing up 15,16 & 17. Fortunately, that goes away with #17 and the ride up 18 is a pleasant par 4 with a gentle hill up to the clubhouse as you finish your round.
The Clubhouse
The Clubhouse at Maple Meadows Golf Course is not something that anyone is going to be writing home about, but it gets the job done. This golf courses doesn’t have a lot going on for post round food or cocktails so if you’re looking for a spot to hang out and eat, this might not be the best choice.
That said, we still found the course to be plenty scenic and we’re partial to the sightlines of a links style course. While not the most scenic course around, they do a great job with what they have. 4/5 stars for Scenery.
Is Maple Meadows Golf Course a good value?
Maple Meadows is a good value from our perspective. These days its difficult to find a solid round that doesn’t cost $70 and Maple Meadows fits that price range at prime time morning rates.
We do think that Maple Meadows Golf Course remains a solid value despite inching closer to a triple digit price point. It offers a challenge for beginner players and is still a fun 18 for better players. Without a lot going on outside of the course we lose a little juice, but the course conditions for the price keep this a solid value overall. 3.5/5 stars for Value.
What Does Maple Meadows Say About Their Golf Course?
The folks at Maple Meadow comment on their website that their facility is ”in great shape for the fall” and we wouldn’t argue with that. We found the course to be in quite good shape when we had our round.
There is quite a bit more accolades about Maple Meadow’s sister course, The Preserve at Oak Meadows and for good reason. That course has appeared on Golfweek’s best courses you can play every year since 2018.
Final Thoughts on Maple Meadows Golf Course:
Overall, we highly recommend Maple Meadows golf course. The staff was friendly and helpful and we found a challenging but fair golf course in excellent shape despite being late in the season.
In terms of scoring, the Par 5’s are what beat us up as they tend to be more narrow and difficult than the balance of holes. However, this is a course on the shorter side (especially from the white tees) and there are plenty of scoring opportunities out there. We didn’t take advantage those, but, hey, we’re rooting for you all.
Other FAQs
Where is Maple Meadows Golf Course Located?
Maple Meadows is in Wood Dale, IL which is a suburb about 20 miles west of downtown Chicago. It is easily accessible off of the 290 expressway and is relatively close to O’hare airport.
Is Maple Meadows different from Oak Meadows?
Yes it is. The courses both belong to DuPage Golf, but Oak Meadows, also known as The Preserve at Oak Meadows, is a slightly more premium experience than Maple Meadows and is better for better players.
Is Maple Meadows a good course for beginner golfers?
We think Maple Meadows is a great course for folks new to golf. It isn’t pretentious and isn’t too difficult making it a good place for new players to try out. That said, always keep pace and respect the course whether you are a beginner or not.
How Bogey Buddy Does Reviews
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