There’s Something About Northbrook: Golf

A recent re-run on cable TV of the 1998 Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz movie “There’s Something About Mary” inspired the title for this article about a north suburban community’s affinity for golf. But, in truth, the title should be plural – There Are Some Things About Northbrook: Golf.

Within the past few years, Northbrook has become an important hub for ‘all things golf’. Presently, Northbrook can be proud of being a host to quality golf courses, businesses, champions, and practice facilities.

Courses: Northbrook is home to four golf courses that are open to the public. Willow Hill Golf Course is a Scottish links style course, offering amazing views of Chicago’s skyline. Its nine holes are set upon an 87-acre facility that rises up 100 feet above normal ground level; there is no need for binoculars or a telescope to experience the great views of the Chicago skyline which are visible from the clubhouse patio and many points on the course itself. Address: Address: 1350 Willow Rd.

Kudos to the Northbrook Park District which operates two golf facilities serving the entire broad spectrum of its residents’ golfing abilities and needs. Junior golfers and beginners can enjoy the short nine holes of Anetsberger Golf Course, which range in distance from 100 to 190 yards.

Anetsberger Golf Course

The holes have short tees with their own tee markers and yardages to allow beginners, young players and seniors a chance to play an easier setup. Next to the first tee is a short game practice area, where players can warm up before their rounds. Two practice sand bunkers surround a large putting green, and a one-acre fairway is available for practicing pitch shots from up to 50 yards from the green. Address: 1750 Techny Rd.

NPD’s premier golf facility is Heritage Oaks featuring two challenging layouts, the Classic-18 and the Legacy-9. With a capital initiative plan originating in 2018 and allocating $12.5 million to include improvements on the 27-holes from both courses, the clubhouse, and the parking lot, the facility re-opened on August 16, 2021.

The new clubhouse is an ultra-modern 10,000 square-foot building containing a fully stocked pro shop with all the latest clubs, apparel, and accessories and has been honored by Chicago Golf Report as a Top-10 public course clubhouse in 2023. Address: 3535 Dundee Road.

Businesses: Bob Parson’s PXG Golf has opened its second Chicago area PXG Golf Store, located in Northbrook. The 3,630 square-foot facility is a retail showroom with the latest PXG apparel and accessories that is open to the public. There are two fitting bays with state-of-the-art golf simulators and a 250 sq.ft. practice putting green to test and order PXG clubs. Address: 1955 Techny Road Unit #2.

PXG Golf

Swag Golf is the creator and merchandiser of today’s hottest designs of putters, head covers, golf bags, and accessories. Headquartered in Northbrook, IL, Swag Golf has been producing precision milled putters, unparalleled headcovers, accessories and apparel since its inception in 2018.

With a Don’t Give A Putt™ attitude, Swag has built a reputation for high-end precision and continues to be one of the most sought-after companies in the golf scene. With a typical sell-out time of mere minutes, Swag has a loyal following and continues to expand its presence in the golf community and beyond.

The company has several high-profile partnerships with PGA star Nick Hardy, LPGA professional Anna Nordqvist, golf influencer Paige Spiranac, 3x World Series Champion Jon Lester and NHL right-winger Alex DeBrincat. Licensing agreements include MLB, McLaren Formula 1 Team, Kraft-Heinz, WWE, Capcom, Topps, Vienna Beef, and more. Address: 3342 Commercial Ave.

Wittek Golf Supply is the well respected company that sells everything needed to operate a golf course or golf range. In-stock or custom-ordered, Wittek sells what golf operators need. Address: 3865 Commercial Ave.

Champions: The Glenbrook North Girls Golf Team won the IHSA 2023 state 2A championship in October, 2023 by two strokes over the girls team from Hinsdale Central. The championship was conducted at Hickory Point Golf Course in Decatur.

Martha Kuwahara

Representing the Upper Midwest Region at the 2023 Drive-Chip-Putt Championship finals, Martha Kuwahara, then freshman at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, won the Girls Age 14-15 Group on Sunday, April 2, at Augusta National Golf Club prior to the start of the 2023 Masters Tournament. Later in the year, Martha, now a sophomore, was a team member on the state championship Glenbrook North girls team. Martha is a resident of Northbrook.

Nick Hardy

Growing up and living in Northbrook, Nick Hardy graduated from Glenbrook North HS in 2014. Nick turned professional in 2018 and twice (2021 & 2022) worked his way up from the Korn-Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour. In April 2023, Hardy won the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event, with playing partner Davis Riley. This was his first PGA Tour victory, finishing 2 strokes ahead of runners-up, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor.

Practice Facilities: Heritage Oaks offers a ‘foursome’ of practice opportunities – driving range, putting green, short-game area, indoor simulators. The renovated six-acre outdoor driving range at Heritage Oaks Golf Club features 30 hitting stations, six target greens, and TrackMan Range technology for tracking all shots during practice; three military-grade Doppler radar units track eight key data points including carry, ball speed, launch angle, side distance, total distance, height, launch direction and distance from the pin.

Heritage Oaks’ 10,000 square foot practice green is the ideal place to refine your putting; it is located adjacent to the first tee on the Classic-18 course and features any putt length with a variety of breaks. The practice short game area provides golfers the perfect venue to improve their greenside chip, pitch and bunker shots up to 20 yards.

Heritage Oaks

Inside the clubhouse, just steps away from the food and beverage service of the Acorn+ restaurant, is the indoor golf simulator room featuring two FullSwing™ simulators. Enjoyed by everyone from young golfers to Major Champions, FullSwing™ software enables the choice of over 50 iconic courses. Address: 3535 Dundee Road.

Offered to the general public via subscription membership, The Golf House is both a high level training facility for the more serious golfer and an entertainment venue to share with friends for the less serious player. Members get 24/7 secure access to the facility with convenient parking right outside the door. The facility consists of two hitting bays to work on swing mechanics or to compete with friends and a chipping and/or putting area to work on the short game. Both of the hitting bays are equipped with highly advanced Golfzon™ Vision simulator units.

The Golfzon™ simulators provide accurate swing analysis data, provide video analysis of every swing and contain more than 200 of the most popular golf courses in the world. On Friday nights and Saturday nights the facility can be rented by members to throw a party with a group of friends, and clinics are offered by our professionals throughout the year. Basically the Golf House offers something for everyone interested in the beautiful game of golf. Address: 1885 Holste Road.

LSGOLF in Northbrook is a brick-and-mortar establishment emphasizing game improvement through instruction with the use of state-of-the-art golf technology. The 3,000 square foot indoor facility includes 2 Trackman™ ball-flight analysis bays, 3 Foresight Sports™ golf simulator bays and a SAM PuttLab for putting improvement. For solitary practice and / or entertainment, the simulator bays are available to the general public through membership purchase. Address: 600 Waukegan Rd #120.

Currently open for the season, WillowHill Dome is a 103,400 square foot indoor facility in Northbrook that features 15-20 golf hitting bays available to rent during the hours of Monday-Friday 8am-3pm. (Other sports / camps / leagues take over during non-golf hours). Purchase price is $15 for a 30 minute time slot.

Willowhill Dome

The Dome is 160 yards long and 70 yards wide with a 65 foot ceiling. The floor is durable sports turf and up top premium 65-foot candlepower lighting (approx. 700 lumens) provides superb illumination. The dome is equipped with full-swing targets and short game targets. The size of the dome coupled with superior lighting makes it a premier facility in the Midwest. Address: 1350 Willow Road.

Yes, when it comes to golf, there are many things, not just one thing, about Northbrook.

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