Invitation & Access · Fox Valley & McHenry
Bull Valley Golf ClubWoodstock
A private Dick Nugent course in Woodstock, routed over moraine hills, wetlands and prairie.
Par
72
Yardage
7,325
Rating · Slope
77.1 · 148
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Bull Valley Golf Club
Bull Valley is a private club in Woodstock, in McHenry County northwest of Chicago, for members and their guests. The 18 holes cross glacial moraine hills, oak and hickory woods, wetlands and remnant prairie, and from the Black tees the card reaches 7,325 yards with a 77.1 rating and 148 slope. Carts are provided, the club runs a caddie program, and play runs from spring through fall.
History
Bull Valley Golf Club — History
The club credits three founders, landscape architect Harry Vignocchi, developer Russell Ray and golf professional Steve Sidari, with overlaying fairways on some 500 acres largely undisturbed since the last glaciers. Club + Resort Business, which credits the design to Dick Nugent, reported in 2013 that the course was built in 1988 and had hosted the 2010 Chicago District Golf Association Amateur and a 2010 U.S. Open qualifier.
Design
Bull Valley Golf Club — Design
The club calls its watchword preservation, and says the holes sit among moraine hills, wet prairie, a rare perched fen and oak-hickory woods. That ground sets the questions. The 1st begins on a moraine hilltop and the 12th tee sits on the second-highest point in McHenry County, doglegs at the 4th and 6th call for less than driver, and water or wetland guards the greens at the 1st, 5th, 6th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 16th and 18th.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Bull Valley Golf Club
Its 12th tee sits on a 1,010-foot terminal moraine that the club calls the second-highest point in McHenry County, and Golf Digest's Ron Whitten has rated the back nine as good and varied, hole for hole, as anything in greater Chicago.
The Round
The Journey at Bull Valley Golf Club
I.
The Opening
The 435-yard 1st starts high on a moraine hill and drops for the approach to a green with a pond left and two bunkers right. The 461-yard 2nd climbs most of the way. Steep hillsides flank the landing area on the 557-yard 3rd, the 4th doglegs right from an elevated tee to a long, rolling green, and the 164-yard 5th plays over water and wetland. The 389-yard 6th, the No. 2 handicap, carries water to a green with a big swale front left.
II.
The Middle
The 550-yard 7th plays uphill into the prevailing wind, and the second shot must find a landing area framed by oak and hickory. The 185-yard 8th carries a pot bunker with deep bunkers right and long. The 448-yard 9th, a dogleg right, finishes uphill. At the 10th, water wraps the green front, left and back; the 11th threads two moraine hills to a green fronted by pot bunkers; the 12th drops from the high tee to an approach across a lake.
III.
The Finish
The 220-yard 13th needs a long iron over a pond. The 418-yard 14th is cut through mature forest, uphill off the tee and downhill for the approach. The 585-yard 15th, the No. 1 handicap, has two ponds left, woods right and a creek short of the green. The 217-yard 16th crosses a lake to a two-level green, the 603-yard 17th skirts wetlands on the right, and the 444-yard 18th runs downhill toward the Tudor-style clubhouse, with water short and left.
How to Play It
Bull Valley Golf Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
A 77.1 rating and 148 slope from the Black tees make the Gold or Greenhorn tees the sensible start. Treat the 13th and 16th as carries to play safely, lay up well short of the creek on the 15th, and accept bogey at the 4th and 6th, where even the club recommends less than driver off the tee.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Club selection off the tee matters more than length. A long iron or fairway wood is the club's advice off the tee at the 4th, 6th and 12th: two tight doglegs and a downhill drive from the highest tee. Keep the drive left at the 10th, favor the right at the 2nd and 11th, and on the 14th leave the approach below the hole.
Advanced / Low Handicap
The four par 5s, from 550 to 603 yards, are where the card gives back: the club rates the 3rd and 17th as birdie holes, while the 15th rewards a bold line off the tee but still forces a layup short of the creek. The 7th and 10th play into the wind and longer than their yardage, and the two-level 16th green punishes the wrong tier.
Signature Holes
Bull Valley Golf Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Bull Valley 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 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 435 | 461 | 557 | 385 | 164 | 389 | 550 | 185 | 448 | 3,574 | 425 | 437 | 402 | 220 | 418 | 585 | 217 | 603 | 444 | 3,751 | 7,325 |
| Handicap | 6 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 14 | — | 3 | 11 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 7 | — | — |
Good to Know
Bull Valley Golf Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Bull Valley Golf Club?
- Bull Valley Golf Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Who designed Bull Valley Golf Club?
- Bull Valley Golf Club was designed by Dick Nugent.
- What is the par and yardage at Bull Valley Golf Club?
- Bull Valley Golf Club plays to a par of 72 over 7,325 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 77.1 and a slope of 148.
- Is Bull Valley Golf Club public or private?
- Bull Valley Golf Club is a private member club — not open to public play. Access is by membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Where is Bull Valley Golf Club located?
- Bull Valley Golf Club is located at 1311 Club Road, Woodstock, IL 60098, in the Fox Valley & McHenry area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Bull Valley Golf Club.
Bull Valley Golf Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests, with no public tee sheet. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation.
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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