Golf in Elkhorn

Par-King Skill Golf has been churning out rounds of family-friendly fun for the Chicagoland area since the 1950s. With two separate 18-hole courses, six water challenges, twelve moving obstacles, numerous curbs, and surprising elevation changes, Par-King is a step up from the flat mini-greens of yesteryear, and 3 club-lengths more entertaining than the regulation-sized greens of normal-sized golf. Play a full 18 holes as you gape and gander at twirling clowns, roller-coaster ramps in the vein of Rube Goldberg, elaborately-painted totem poles, and recreations of famous landmarks such as Mt. Rushmore and the Sears Tower. This colorful landscape of golf-based adventure is refurbished and repainted every winter to provide a consistently-beautiful, clean, and safe experience during April to October operations. Although the park is family-oriented, they maintain a stout 48-inch height requirement to play or playact in the playing area; this is enforced purely with safety in mind, as the challenging course terrain may prove hazardous to the diminutive.

Towering oaks and spectacular willow trees frame Oak Hills Golf Club’s nine-hole course, standing guard as clubbers traverse the 1,845-yard, par 31 course. The relatively short layout features bunker-fortified greens, water hazards on four holes, and an elaborate system of sprinklers programmed to activate during golfers’ backswings. With no par 5's and only one hole longer than 300 yards, the course enables golfers to feasibly reach the green off the tee on eight different holes.

At the Club’s pro shop, players can peruse a wide selection of clubs with which to upgrade their old set of modified crowbars, and the 250-yard driving range offers a venue for players to test out new equipment or improve imbalanced swings. After a long day of tracing drives into the ether, golfers can retreat to The Back Nine Restaurant to enjoy a cool beverage, tuck into a meal of traditional grill fare, and watch the sun slide slowly beneath the earth's flat surface.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 31 course

• Length of 1,845 yards

• Course rating of 29.1

• Link to scorecard

Old Orchard Country Club is tucked behind a wall of thick, mature trees that ensconce guests in a serene golfscape highlighted by a well-manicured driving range and scenic 18-hole course. Golfers can warm-up drivers and stretch-out irons while pelting practice balls down a range bound to the rear by a small creek that doubles as a practice water hazard and stage for tadpoles to rehearse future roles as eventual princes. The range is maintained by a diligent ball collector and hugged to the right by a rolling fairway that prompts range balls to dream of one day being promoted to a tournament ball, and one day retiring on a mini golf course.

With few trees to knock down errant drives, the wide-open course at Kestrel Ridge rewards control and course-management skills for players negotiating its more than 6,000 yards. Players point their tee shots down the center of the fairway from one of four different sets of tees, taking care to avoid numerous lurking fairway bunkers and the water hazards that run alongside the fairways of holes 1, 8, 9, and 10. When they're not engaging in physical altercations with swirling crosswinds, visitors should take time to appreciate the open expanse of rolling Wisconsin countryside through which the course winds. The track saves its crown jewel for last, with an 18th hole that forces players to nail a small, sloping landing area from the tee and then carry their approach over a rock ravine that runs alongside the right of the hole and contains fossils of Neanderthal golfers.

After a round, tired golfers can head to the clubhouse bar for traditional pub fare or re-create dramatic putts on the two large putting greens. A driving range hosts hitters on both grass and rubber mats and challenges them to assail greens located strategically between 125 and 230 yards away.

Whisper Creek’s visionary architects, Greg Nash and Billy Casper, and Orchard Valley’s architect, Ken Kavanaugh, present two championship-style courses of verdant, undulating terrain, flecked with challenging features. Golfers traverse Whisper Creek's 240 acres of protected wildlife sanctuary in GPS-enabled golf carts that provide yardage measurements, record scores, and eliminate the need to ask tiger-head club covers for directions. During an 18-hole round (up to a $68 value with cart), clubs send dimpled orbs hurtling past imported white-sand bunkers, pristine waters, and more than 5,000 character hardwoods. Over on Orchard Valley’s 6,800-yard, par 72 grounds, manicured practice facilities conduct dress rehearsals for the course’s 18 holes (up to a $76 value with cart), which span sand traps and wetlands, including the expansive water hazard on the aptly named "All or Nothing at All" second hole.

Broadlands Golf Club's 18-hole course spans 6,884 yards of open terrain organized in a majestic, links-style layout. Glassy waters, mounded terrain, and tall native grasses flank fairways and greens throughout the course, letting golfers experience the charms of golf's old Scotch-Irish courses without having to swap their golf ball out for a potato. Throughout the course, dimpled orbs speed across bentgrass fairways and greens, which provide a smooth and fast surface for flush drives and testy breaking putts. The course punishes slow starters and jet-lagged drivers with the par 5 second hole, a relatively straight, 534-yard tract that demands precision to avoid a green heavily fortified by six sand traps. To prepare golfers for their rounds, Broadlands offers lessons, an onsite driving range, and a satellite tour of their course.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,884 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.1 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 125 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Download scorecard