George Dunne National Golf Course

16310 Central Ave, Oak Forest, IL 60452, USA

Address:	16310 Central Ave, Oak Forest, IL 60452, USA
Phone:	+1 708-429-6886
Site:	forestpreservegolf.com
Rating:	4.2

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 11

A Private User

LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! This year weve played Bowes Creek, Prairie Landing, Kleins Creek, Aldeen, Cog Hill Ravines, and a number of other Northern Illinois courses and this course is our favorite. Another lady joined us and we played the white tees. She had never played the whites but plays GDN 4-5 times a year. So this was a new experience for her. The course is challenging but not punishing. Some fairways have generous landing areas, some are tight. Theres plenty of sand and a fair amount of strategically placed water. Many of the holes compel you to stop and take in the beauty of nature. And if you play later in the day you just may see a deer or two. We saw three on 18. The course makes you think if you want to score well, especially when it comes to reading the greens. The GPS in the carts gives you the distance to the pin, not the center of the green, which can make a big difference on the larger greens. The bunkers have been rebuilt through 14, after that you could run into ground under repair. Some of the bunkers are positioned so they make a very challenging shot to the green. The sand was well maintained but a bit heavy at times. The fairways were in great shape, as were the greens. We teed off at around 2PM and I was surprised the greens were holding up so well that late in the day. The rough could give you fits, even though it wasnt very long, but it was fairly thick. Some of the tee boxes were pretty chewed up. Finding a spot that was level and allowed you to place your feet without standing in a divot, on those tees, was difficult. Weve played courses that pride themselves on their condition. GDN was better. The pace was five hours, just as the starter had predicted. We had a 5 minute or more wait on a few holes but for the most part it wasnt bad. I think part of the problem is the tees the golfers choose. There was a group of men in front of us and three played the whites, one the blues, and their pace was good. But the group in front of them were playing the tips and sometimes had a hard time even getting off the tee. Theres a guide at the starters booth that suggests which tees to play based on your handicap. If golfers here followed that guideline I think it would help the pace of play a lot. They only give stroke and slope ratings for the ladies on the red tees. The white tee ratings for ladies calculate out to 75.9/138. Blue is 78.5/144. Mens ratings are: White - 70.3/130; Blue - 72.7/136; Gold - 75.4/142. For comparison, Dubsdread from the Gold tees is 75.8/144. We played when the Bears season opener was going on so that may have taken away some of the crowd. We ran into the starter when we were turning our cart in after the round and he asked us how our experience was. We told him it was the best course we had played in some time. He said if we wanted a quicker round to tee off around 7AM and we could get a four hour round in then. Ive been playing golf since the early 60s but avoided this course because of the old rule of no scheduled tee times (you had to get there early and wait your turn) and later the complaints of long rounds. I wish I hadnt listened. We will definitely put this on our must play courses each season. For $42 (with cart), its hard to beat. And all the people there are very friendly. Well be back.

Paul Novak

Played on 5/26/15 for the first time which is sad since I have played in Chicago my entire life and never been here. Great layout. We played the blue tees at 6600+ yards and was challenging. I play at an 8 and would not want to play from the gold..7200 + yards is out of my league. Very fair course and good test. Lots of bunkers, 2 fairway bunkers (#10 & #16) were under repair but thats good, that means they are working on things. Most bunkers were in very good shape especially after getting some rain. Big tee boxes allow for lots of angles and not to get overplayed. Greens can be very challenging and learning your line off of some of the tees may take a round or 2 to figure out. Great deals are out there for this course. Not all carts had GPS so it is a plus if you can get one of those. We played late in the day and around 7:15 pm saw a deer and a coyote. Cool wildlife not far from the city. We used the range to warm up and my purchase of range balls were in good condition. Definitely will be back. Great Course!

Howard Salazar

Very nice course design with challenging greens, generous landing areas and just the right amount of water in play to keep you on your toes. Lots of well placed bunkers around the greens as well, so bring your 60 degree wedge for some great up and down opportunities as you will hit a beach or two. A true bargain for the price as this course is well maintained! Definitely will play it again in the near future!

Joe Kelly

Very friendly staff. Played at the crack of dawn on a Wednesday, didnt wait a single minute on other players (full round in under 2 hours). They have lost quite a few ash trees that would have protected the greens and penalized errant tee shots. If you want to challenge yourself, youll have to play the blue tees.

Ian Stevenson

Loved the golf course but when you play a round in 6 hours it is not fun. This course needs to seperate tee times and enforce slow play much better. Our group sat on a par 4 for 40 minues with 6 groups on one hole at one point.... yikes! Just not that great.

Latrel Williams

Man this place is a sorry-ass golf course. They over-booked, one hole had 4 foursomes on it. My momma paid for my round otherwise Id ask for my $ back. Ranger was trippin about divots, no concern about the pace. Waitress is fiiiiiiine though!

Frank S

Great course. Challening and well laid out. Well maintained considering the level of traffic it gets. Practice facilities are lacking. Range hasnt changed in 20 years. No grass tees or short game area.

Ben Hinds

Great value in the fall ($50 for 18 with a cart). Heard its $65 in the summer which Im not sure would bring me back. Good range with both mats and grass. Best course ran by the city of Chicago.

Joseph Hederman

Most of the Forest Preserve courses in Chicago kinda suck and are beat up. George Dunne is always in great shape and doesnt cost an arm and a leg. Can not go wrong booking a tee time here.

Chris B

Played this course many times back when it opened. Never again. Its a shame what has happened to one of the top public courses in the country.

Jonathan Lewis

Good layout, not tricked up & well manicured. Greens and bunkers are fantastic. Dont be fooled by the clubhouse, this course is a must play.