earlier this month. (Photo by Eric Crump/HF Chronicle)
Last year, Ravisloe Country Club in Homewood was named the fifth best public course in the state. Now, the course is getting national recognition.
Golf Advisor, an online golf course rating publication, listed Ravisloe the 20th best course in the country in ratings posted July 6.
“I think that is a noteworthy accolade, especially being a public course, and one that was at risk of being lost for play forever six years ago,” said owner Claude Gendreau in an email.
The ratings are compiled from reviews posted by golfers who have played the course during April, May and June.
improvements have been a
focus at Ravisloe in
recent years. (Photo by Eric
Crump/HF Chronicle)
Ravisloe received 45 reviews. The course was given an average of 4.5 stars out of five for overall conditions, with 27 reviewers giving it a five-star rating. The club was given high marks for course condition, staff friendliness and food quality.
All 45 reviewers recommended the course to other golfers, according to the Golf Advisor report.
A golfer who played the course April 15 said, “The course is very well maintained, the fairways are generous and the greens are challenging!”
Another golfer, who played June 23 said, “I have had this course on my bucket list for several years and finally got around to playing it recently. It was in absolutely fantastic shape. It will not be the last time that I make the trip to play this wonderful Donald Ross (designed) course.”
Ross was a significant course designer who designed 413 golf courses during the first half of the 20th century, 11 of them in Illinois, according to the Donald Ross Society. Homewood’s Calumet Country Club course was also designed by Ross.
Gendreau, who purchased the historic club in late 2008 and opened it to the public in 2009, said improvements have been made in recent years to course maintenance and equipment.
“The improvements to the course have been mostly additions to the drainage system and to the irrigation system,” he said. “We also invested a lot in saving trees from the emerald ash borer and planted several hundred trees.”
Gendreau has also invested in improvements to the 1917 mission-style clubhouse, which is a popular site for weddings and music concerts.
Ravisloe will host the 2015 Illinois State Senior Amateur Championship Sept. 16 through 18, according to the club website. Spectators are welcome.
More information:
Ravisloe Country Club
Golf Advisor Ravisloe reviews
Golf Advisor top 20 Illinois courses for 2014