Shepherd'S Crook Golf Course

Few public courses in the Chicago area can claim a name as evocative as this one — and Shepherd's Crook delivers on that promise. Designed by Rick Jacobson and opened in 1997, the course was built on land that once served as a Zion city landfill, a transformation that gives the property its rolling, tumbling terrain. Those man-made contours translate into a layout that feels far more dynamic than the flat suburban surroundings might suggest, with elevation changes that influence shot shape and club selection on nearly every hole.

Zion sits hard against Lake County's northern edge, just a few miles from the Wisconsin border and close enough to Lake Michigan that the wind off the water is a genuine factor, not a footnote. The broader Chicagoland public golf scene is competitive and well-developed, and Shepherd's Crook has built a strong local reputation as a course that rewards repeat play and local knowledge.

At par 71, it plays slightly shorter than a traditional championship layout, but the routing and terrain keep things honest throughout.