Public Play · Fox Valley & McHenry
Blackstone Golf ClubMarengo
Bob Lohmann's wetland-and-woodland public course in Marengo, with 54 bold bunkers.
Par
72
Yardage
6,734
Rating · Slope
73.1 · 139
Holes
18
Green Fee
Contact for pricing
The Course
About Blackstone Golf Club
Wetlands and woods define Blackstone, an upscale daily-fee course in Marengo that the public can book through its online tee sheet. The club says wetlands come into play on 13 holes and that nine holes run through dense hickory and oak. Bob Lohmann's 54 sand bunkers press the good player, while wide fairway corridors let higher handicaps play away from trouble. Four sets of tees run from 4,893 yards up to 6,734 from the Black tees.
History
Blackstone Golf Club — History
Construction started in 2005 on 172 acres, and the course opened in 2006, according to a June 2012 profile in On Course, the magazine of the Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents. Bob Lohmann is the architect. The club says the property includes more than 26 acres of environmentally protected wetlands, with bentgrass greens and fairways.
Design
Blackstone Golf Club — Design
Lohmann calls his bunkers "pretty bold" with irregular edges, and strategically placed. His stated aim was plenty to challenge the good player, with fairway corridors made extremely wide so mid- and high-handicaps can play away from the trouble. The greens add a second layer: the 6th has three tiers sloping back to front, the 11th rewards being on the right level, and the club describes the 18th green as three different putting surfaces.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Blackstone Golf Club
Blackstone puts wetland golf and woodland golf on one public property: protected wetlands in play on 13 holes and nine holes cut through hickory and oak, with Lohmann's 54 bunkers on top.
The Round
The Journey at Blackstone Golf Club
I.
The Opening
The 352-yard 1st rewards a drive down the right; drift left and the hazard joins in. The 170-yard 2nd hides its green from the tee. At the 405-yard 3rd the drive must clear three trees on the left without running into the hazard through the fairway. The 564-yard 4th, the No. 1 handicap, is a three-shot par 5 bent around a big oak, the 237-yard 5th has a deep dip through its green, and the 505-yard 6th is reachable in two for long hitters.
II.
The Middle
The 310-yard 7th is drivable for some, though the club suggests laying up short and right of the fairway bunker; the green falls away on all sides. The downhill 178-yard 8th punishes a miss left. Fairway bunkers frame the drive at the 539-yard 9th, whose green has a deep bunker left and a hazard right. Two par 5s bracket a short par 4 to open the back: the 540-yard 10th, the drivable 333-yard 11th and the 543-yard 12th, which ends at a somewhat blind green.
III.
The Finish
The 159-yard 13th, the shortest hole on the card, leaves little room right. The 418-yard 14th, the No. 2 handicap, wants a drive close to the hazard crossing the fairway, then an approach to an elevated, well-guarded green. Stay below the hole at the 404-yard 15th. The 367-yard 16th is the breather before the 234-yard 17th and its wide green. The 476-yard 18th, the longest par 4, needs a long, straight drive between fairway bunkers.
How to Play It
Blackstone Golf Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Use the width Lohmann built in: most fairway corridors leave room to aim away from bunkers and wetlands. Treat the 4th and 12th as three-shot holes, take extra club at the 237-yard 5th and 234-yard 17th, and on the 7th and 11th lay up short of the fairway bunkers rather than chase the green. The forward tees play 4,893 yards.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Position beats distance. Favor the right side off the 1st and 10th, and keep the drive at the 3rd short of the hazard through the fairway. Approaches must find the right tier at the 6th, 11th and 18th, so club for the pin's level. At the 14th, the No. 2 handicap, par is a good score; the club says to take it and run.
Advanced / Low Handicap
From the Black tees (73.1/139) the birdie holes are the drivable 7th and 11th and the reachable 6th, where a drive left of center can find a hazard hidden from the tee. The 237-yard 5th, the 234-yard 17th and the 476-yard 18th decide the card. Ignore a back pin on the 8th, and on the 15th keep every approach below the hole.
Signature Holes
Blackstone Golf Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Blackstone Golf Club Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 352 | 170 | 405 | 564 | 237 | 505 | 310 | 178 | 539 | 3,260 | 540 | 333 | 543 | 159 | 418 | 404 | 367 | 234 | 476 | 3,474 | 6,734 |
| Handicap | 13 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 5 | — | 8 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 4 | — | — |
Good to Know
Blackstone Golf Club — questions answered
- How do I book a tee time at Blackstone Golf Club?
- Blackstone Golf Club takes tee-time bookings directly on its own website. Golf in CHI links the course's booking page on this listing.
- Who designed Blackstone Golf Club?
- Blackstone Golf Club was designed by Bob Lohmann and opened in 2006.
- What is the par and yardage at Blackstone Golf Club?
- Blackstone Golf Club plays to a par of 72 over 6,734 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 73.1 and a slope of 139.
- Is Blackstone Golf Club public or private?
- Blackstone Golf Club is open to public play. Tee times can be reserved in advance.
- Where is Blackstone Golf Club located?
- Blackstone Golf Club is located at 9700 Saint Andrews Drive, Marengo, IL 60152, in the Fox Valley & McHenry area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
Book a Tee Time at Blackstone Golf Club.
Blackstone Golf Club takes its tee sheet directly — book your round on the club's own site.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.
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