Harborside International Golf Center Review | In the Loop Chicago Golf
The faux-links course, Haborside, presents a solid test of skill and great views for Chicago’s public. In between mowing cycles, the long fescue which lines the fairways is a picturesque backdrop reminiscent of Irish links, but also a daunting sight for golfers who struggle to stay straight off the tee. Thus summarizes the teeth of the course, miss small off the tee and on approach, you can expect to come home with a good score but missing big can create very long days searching in tall grass.
When Chicago lives up to its ‘Windy City’ nickname and are winds howling 20+ mph off the lake, Harborside can be a grueling test which requires a 2010s Memphis Grizzlies grit & grind type of round to finish with a decent score. This is amplified by the large waste areas and groups of bunkers which surround tee shot landing areas and a handful of greens on the course. To summarize its not overly challenging but is a great litmus test for the golfers who have been breaking 90 on the wide-open 6300 yard course to see if they’re actually a 15 handicap (they are not).
There are two courses on property Port and Starboard, both designed by Dick Nugent, although I wont spend to much effort deciding which is better since they both feel the same. Both courses have strong finishing stretches of challenging holes which require decision making off-the-tee and committed shots over water to finish with a good score. Deciding a competitive match play game or trying to break that personal best is always fun on this final stretch (or in my case, shitting down my leg on 18th to bottle a chance at breaking 80). The Port course has the famous “Anchor” hole which is not an architectural gem but is fun to see and also a great opportunity for closest to the pin bets.
Harborside is worth playing for all Chicago golfers as one of the upscale public courses in the area. Being the closest premium public course to the loop and surrounding neighborhoods it can also be an ideal spot to sneak-in 12 to 16 holes after work for those stuck in the rat race.
A couple other random after-thoughts: Harborside is a great place to find nice golf balls when the fescue is mowed-down, the cart paths are terribly bumpy (not that it really matters), the turn to enter the course off the highway is weird, and the carts have a great GPS system which shows green contours.