I love Robert Jan Golf and this guy is the most effective professional development and golf…read moreinstruction coach in Illinois!!

As far as the actual lessons and instruction are concerned, Robert Jan seems to be very…read moreknowledgeable and can easily spot things to correct or tweak to better your golf game. In 3 lessons, he has helped to improve my grip, stance, and swing (backswing and follow through). HOWEVER, my experience was completely soured by his attitude and demeanor. The very first lesson was scheduled for a Thursday at 5pm. I left work early at 4 and according to the GPS I would arrive at 4:41pm with plenty of time to spare. However, I have not been out to Deerfield before and there was heavy traffic on the freeway and the roads leading to the club. I parked my car at 5:05 and quickly walked over to the range. At exactly 5:08 I passed a gentleman in a blue shirt driving away from the range in a golf cart. Not knowing where to meet (there were no signs or previous instructions) I asked the lady at the range office and she told me that Mr. Jan is usually at the end of the range teaching, but she had not seen him, so she told me to wait at the entrance with her and another staff member. We waited until about 5:25 and still did not see him, and were becoming concerned. The staff commented that "he's usually only 5-10 min late, so this is strange". I then saw the same gentleman from before come up from the opposite side this time and parked at the end of the range. I asked if that was Mr. Jan and at first the staff said no, but then a minute later said they thought it was. So I walked over and introduced myself, apologized for being late, and tried to quickly explain the mix-up - but I barely got through my first sentence. When I mentioned that I actually passed right by him at 5:08 not knowing it was him (no name tag or clothing to indicate anyone working there), to my surprise, Mr. Jan immediately cut me off and told me "no you didn't, no way" and that I was wrong and was much later that that. He said he waited until 5:15 before leaving (absolutely untrue), and that I was lucky he even came back, implying he would normally take off in case a student was late. I again apologized for being late but he continued to berate me for being tardy, saying that other professionals charge $160/lesson and that students wouldn't dare to be late. He questioned why I did not call or text or e-mail - I tried to explain that I was driving and trying to find the place, but he did not want to hear it. At this point it was 5:30 and he told me I have until 6pm so "do you want to hit some balls or what?". I just shut my mouth and went through the half hour lesson instead of the full hour I paid for. After the lesson I apologized again and promised that I would not be late again, now that I know where the club was and the traffic conditions. My 2nd lesson was the following Tuesday at 3pm. I left extra early this time and arrived at the range (where we met last time) at 2:41pm exactly. I waited until 3:05 but no one showed up. I walked to the pro shop and they told me no one had seen Mr. Jan that day and to just wait at the range. I waited at the range until 3:20 and went back to the pro shop again to ask for Mr. Jan's phone number. I called (no answer) and left a voicemail saying I would be heading back to work shortly. A few minutes later I received a text message from a different number saying he was with a client and would be there in 2 minutes. After confirming that was in fact Mr. Jan I went back to the range. Around 3:25 Mr. Jan showed up the range and acted as if nothing happened - no apology at all. I was shocked that the previous week he was so upset I was 8 minutes late, yet he was almost a half hour late this time (and since I was early, I waited almost 50 minutes total). He did say he tried to call me but it must have been my father's number since he bought the Groupon for me. I later asked my father and he confirmed he did not receive any phone calls. Although we started at almost 3:30, the lesson ended before 4:20 (again less than the full 1 hour), and Mr. Jan was frequently checking his cell phone while I hit the practice balls by myself. My 3rd lesson was the following Tuesday, again at 3pm. I arrived even earlier this time at 2:38pm. I thought to myself there is no way this guy will be late again this time. But sure enough, ​Mr. Jan did not show up until 3:07pm - again, no apology and no explanation! I was bewildered. I really should have said something, but I am not the confrontational type and went through the lesson and thanked him for his time. When I was scolded for being late the first lesson, I thought to myself "boy, this guy is a true professional, and will not tolerate tardiness" and I can definitely respect that - after all, his time must be very valuable. So I made it a point to be on time - in fact, VERY early from then on. Unfortunately, it turns out that Mr. Jan is consistently late to his lessons (if the staffs' comments are any indication) and he is an obvious hypocrite. For that reason alone, I will not be back.

Nice layout. Not too long from the women's tees. Can be slow pace as 4 young men who were walking…read moreplayed extremely slow. Skipped the 7th hole to finish v Sand traps are UNPLAYABLE!! All mud. Staff is very friendly and we teed off on time.

This review is mostly for the staff and course amenities and is from encounters with them over the…read moresummer of 2022- both on the course and in the restaurant and halfway house. The golf staff is a mixed bag of folks - some pleasant and others downright rude. In this business you need employees who are good at customer service and don't have an attitude. The office/clubhouse folks were all fine. Nice enough however some a tad slow and often bunches of them are in the clubhouse and no one is outside at the bag drop. One starter - an older, blond haired guy with a German accent - was downright rude. Makes a person not want to play there! He was muttering under his breath checking us in, complaining about where the carts were placed on the narrow path by his check in stand (not his fault-just bad design of the paths) and scowling all the time. The woman at the halfway house was beyond rude and should not be allowed to work in customer service. Maybe she was bored because no one stops there due to her attitude and the crazy high prices such as the fact that they won't give you ice water in a cup "I sell water" she nastily commented. "You have to fill your own container in back at the fountain." So if I don't want to buy a sugary drink or beer and I didn't bring a water bottle I have to buy bottled $5 water after paying $60+ to pay a round? Now that's really bad policy - penny wise and pound foolish. The restaurant servers as everywhere are overworked and lack training. The menu is okay (food was covered in a separate post) but the draft beers are way, way overpriced. This is not a destination bar people go to in order to have a good time, this is a golf clubhouse restaurant that serves beer and drinks for golfers to enjoy and spend MORE money after their round. If they want us to stay, they need to be reasonably priced or we will go somewhere else. The golf course after reopening certainly has better drainage than before in most former trouble areas however numerous changes to the course make it maddening to play there. Perhaps they are trying to weed out occasional golfers and only want their clientele who always ride the $20 per person rental carts. First they no longer have colored flags nor do they use the 1,2,3 system to identify front, middle and back for the pin. Why? Well we asked and they said it it's because they expect the golfers to use the updated green visualization on the golf carts...but what if you are walking? Too bad - you'll have no idea where the pin is unless you have a range finder. Great job planning that feature. Not. Second they no longer have distance markers at the side of the fairways as they had in the past. You must walk to the middle of the fairway and find them to see where those markers are and then pace back to your ball. That's fine if you are always right in the middle AND always hitting your shots within 10 yards of those markers otherwise they are hard to find or see. Third is the ongoing lack of ball mark repairing on the greens and of the divots on tee boxes. This is partially an indication of the greens keepers lack of detail AND the lack of etiquette of the players who play here. If they are not fixed overnight by the greens keepers then the first players will find the greens and tee boxes in horrible shape and they won't repair their ballmarks and divots either and it just keeps getting worse. Fourth is the drink cart that if you are lucky to see has no ice or cups. What? Is this part of the "force them to buy water" policy? Now I realize that decent help is hard to find these days however some of these issues are problems of bad management and lack of training as well as poorly designed course course features. It almost seems like non golfers designed some of these policies and changes because they make no good sense in a normal golf world. Am hoping the 2023 season will bring better trained, more customer focused and friendly staff, a return to better on course golf amenities and more reasonable restaurant pricing - especially on draft beer.

This location replaced the Crossroads Shopping Center store in Highland Park. Ben Tinti is now…read moremanager. Bays have improved with virtual driving range as well as video for practice sessions. Do not be lulled into attempting to clobber the ball instead of practicing better form.

Cool course, and nicely maintained. BE AWARE of beginners! I was almost struck by a ball twice in…read moreone 9 hole round. When another group is golfing your direction on the adjacent side of the course, STAY ALERT!

This is a short par 3 course in Northbrook. it is great for teaching new golfers the game. There is…read moreplenty of parking close to the starting hole and the practice area (free of charge) is really good with lots of chipping space, bunkers and putting greens. The fees are very reasonable and the course is in quite good shape considering it is a duffers spot! The only reason I cannot give it a 5 star rating is the lack of drinking water on the course. We've complained before and they still haven't added any. Can't explain that - poor judgement!

Pricy for golf, but being on top of that former garbage dump on a clear day, the views are…read morepriceless. The outdoor patio is the best in the area. The day we were there the kitchen only had hot dogs and brats and a limited bar menu. The bar and grill is under a renovation. This year they brought back the Christmas drive thru light show. Supposedly its a mile and a half long. There is a fee per car.

Good 9 hole course. All holes are different, good challenge. The course has great views of Chicago…read more There is a good driving range, chipping and putting greens. Reasonable prices.

Over promise and under delivery. Vanished without finishing lessons. Trying to keep this to the…read morepoint

From the owner: Joe Bosco, nominated to the top 100 teachers in country - specializes in serious results attainment…read morecoaching for competitive golfers. Specifically: Putting, Chipping, Pitching, Sand - and Mental Coaching for scoring realization in competitive play. Putter Fittings and use of the PGATour's most advanced learning technologies. Simply put, if you want improvement results on the golf course - experience Joe Bosco.

Wouldn't let me play solo and had to wait to be paired in a foursome! Couldn't even start on hole…read more2. Expect to be put in a foursome regardless if you're playing alone, with a partner, or two others. "Course rules", apparently. Nice course, other than back to back greens designed to save space.

This place is ridiculous. They charged me 48$ to WATCH my daughters high school golf match…read more Last year the same course would not allow my 10 year old nephew to watch a match. I will never play here again. Just ridiculous.

Long time member of this "hidden gem" (one of its marketing taglines) tucked away in Glenview…read more Think of Valley Lo as a low/no-pretense country club that is SUPER family friendly and even family ORIENTED. Wonderful dining -- casual attire but a nice menu; phenomenal service, and plenty of TVs and an activity room available to keep kids occupied. Tennis. Paddle tennis (one of the biggest programs in the US apparently, with a relatively recently rebuilt paddle hut that is spacious, well appointed, and has a regular bartender). A well appointed and maintained fitness center with personal training, classes, massage, and all of what you'd expect at a fitness club. A four lane 25-yard swimming pool that is surprisingly underutilized much of the time...and also features a kids' swim team that has become competitive among the North Shore programs. 18 holes of par 3 golf -- fun, family friendly, and again, without the pretense or expense of a "big time" golf club...and still with leagues, lessons, and events. The real showpieces of the Club, though, are the beach and lake open from Memorial Day through Labor Day (sometimes a little earlier and a little later depending upon weather). Sailing. Kayaks. Pedal boats. Paddle boarding. Swimming (some triathletes train by swimming around the lake -- it's about a mile around). Catch and release fishing (mostly for the kids). An adults-only area. A super casual beach cafe. Unsurprisingly, servers who'll deliver soft and adult beverages to your chair. A recently launched outdoor bar that complements the outdoor dining, weather permitting, in the warm weather, with lovely views of the lake and surrounding areas. Along with that, there are myriad family oriented and adults-only events, from bingo nights (really -- and they're a riot) to a "turn back the clock" New Year's Eve party where "midnight" is nine pm to the expected holiday events (gingerbread houses, caroling dinners, St. Pat's, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.). Breathtakingly good and popular 4th of July fireworks (usually on the 3rd) on the back nine of the golf course -- this typically draws over 1000 people and, along with many of the other events, features kids' activities like games, small rides, face paining, etc. Among the biggest draws is the youth sports camp which is as brilliant as it is well executed. Drop the kids in the morning; pick up in the afternoon. They get exposure to a variety of activities and sports and get fed. Counselors tend to be teenagers who are well trained and lead the events; the camp is run by a seasoned professional whose approach is to sneak in ideas of character and sportsmanship along the way. The clubhouse and grounds (golf course, beachfront) are great spots for a wide variety of events including corporate outings, family parties, prom dinners/photos, and weddings. Through the years, Valley Lo has maintained itself well and made significant investments to keep up and improve its clubhouse, athletic center, paddle and pickleball facilities, and now golf course. It's welcoming and inclusive -- while it is a private club that requires sponsors, it's not a draconian and super selective process like some country clubs, and tends to welcome all comers. Economics are considerably more attractive than big time golf clubs as well. We've been members for more than 15 years, raised our kids here, and have come to know and love the team ("staff" always seems demeaning to this reviewer) and the membership. If you're not a swanky golf club person but prefer something less stuffy and more fun and family oriented, Valley Lo should seriously be on your list to check out.

I never knew this place existed until the summer when there was an event being held here…read more It is quite a tranquil retreat, and secret place hidden in the midst of all the busyness around it from the suburbs and the traffic It was great to find parking and walk right into the building and to our event space as well. The grounds are impeccable. The restaurants in the food are delicious, and the catering for our event was on point. The floral arrangements throughout. The property were very cute and fitting for the summer. I am not a member here however, I can see why there are members with the grounds and the offerings for boating, fishing, tennis, etc. If I have an opportunity to host an event, I would definitely consider this place for sure for personal as well as even professional events. To note the staff who were the waiters and the bartender, and the manager, for the event, or very attentive, and very good.