Bob O'Link Golf Club
Highland Park, IL, United States • Private
Overview
Bob O’Link was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1916 on a tight 125-acre site. In 1923, the club acquired an extra 36 acres and hired C.H. Allison to redesign a layout that opened in 1925. The course long suffered issues with drainage as it was located on the floodplain of the Skokie River. In 2014 when all 18 greens were damaged in a cold winter, some up to 80 percent turf loss, the club hired Jim Urbina, who co-designed Old Macdonald with Tom Doak and had recently renovated both Pasatiempo and Yeamans Hall. Urbina removed 700 trees and transplanted 40, improved drainage and irrigation, and replaced the Poa grass with bent. What remains is a golf course more inline with Allison’s original intent and more strategic and enjoyable than ever before.
About
Awards
![100 Greatest](/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/awards/100Greatest_FINAL.png)
![Best Courses in Every State](/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/awards/BestCoursesInEveryState_FINAL.png)
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked for 23 years from 1966-'88.
Highest ranking: No. 78, 1985-'86.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 1977-'83. Ranked inside the top 10, 1985-'89, 1995-'97. Ranked inside the top 15, 1993. Ranked 16th, 2013-'14. Ranked 19th, 2011-'12, 2015-'16. Ranked inside the top 20, 1999-2003, 2009-'10. Ranked 21st, 2019-'20. Ranked 23rd, 2017-'18. Ranked inside the top 25, 2005-'07.
2023-'24 ranking: 17th.
Previous ranking: 27th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“A great place to spend an afternoon. Not overly challenging for the better player but the greens are some of the best you will ever putt. Fast and true bent."
Read More2023
Review
“Great course recently restored/renovated by a team under Jim Urbina's leadership. Wonderful green complexes, impeccably maintained. Firm, fast, and lots of fun! A day on the course followed by an afternoon on their back patio is a golfer's dream."
Read More2021
Review
“Another great club in Chicagoland and one worth playing. Try the transfusion as it will rival other clubs as being the best."
Read More2019
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