“O Romeoville, Romeoville, where the hell art thou Romeoville?”

That’s how I tried to identify a route to Mistwood Golf Club on my phone. Siri, however, just got confused. “Artificial intelligence,” my ass.

Anyway, once I got the directions sorted, I headed north to an area I perhaps unfairly associate with over-crowded, expensive courses with a pace of play best described as glacial: Chicago.

I soon discovered that none of my prejudices against Chicago golf are applicable to Mistwood Golf Club. The Raymond Hearn design opened in 1999 and in 2012-2013, all 18 holes were reimagined and redesigned by Hearn in a multi-million dollar upgrade of the entire facility. Owner Jim McWethy sought to turn Mistwood into the premier public golf course in the Chicago-land area, and when GOLF Magazine named Mistwood as the “Best U.S. Renovation You Can Play” in 2013, McWethy was well on the way to this goal.

Mistwood’s stone bridge and Performance Center add some romance to the golf experience.

Mistwood’s motto is “Public course, private experience,” and it could not be more apt. The club has about 150 members, but is open to the public at all times, and most play is public daily-fee. Greens fees range during peek season from $65 weekdays after 2pm to $110 weekend mornings, with generous junior and senior discounts. All rates include cart and range balls at the Performance Center, but walking is allowed at all times and is $15 cheaper.

Let’s talk about the Performance Center. Mistwood GC boasts the only indoor/outdoor golf practice and clubfitting facility among the Top 100 courses in the Midwest. There are two heated hitting bays and both mats and grass hitting areas with tables behind and a stocked bar and full pub menu inside with service outside. The fitting center includes a putter fitting studio, which is, again, one of the only such facilities in any public course in the Midwest.

Mistwood’s Performance Center is second to none in the Midwest.

Lest you think the Performance Center houses Mistwood’s only source of libations and victuals, note that the clubhouse itself houses McWethy’s Tavern and the Great Hall. The former is the epitome of a clubhouse sports pub, and the latter hosts events for up to 260 guests, and both feature panoramic views of the course. It is a facility ideally designed for indoor and outdoor weddings.

The Great Hall in the Mistwood Clubhouse is ideal for wedding receptions and other events.

Although the course is gorgeous from the vantage of the clubhouse, it is truly something to behold as you play it. Nearly every hole challenges players with shots along or over water of some sort. From the par-5 8th hole onward – with its crazy sight lines off the tee, water all down the right, and wild, snaking, two-tiered green – there is no let-up in difficulty or beauty.

The 8th green at Mistwood GC is both beautiful and devilish.Off the tee, the split fairway of the 8th hole offers a lot of options.

The 183-yard par-3 9th hole, which plays up to the clubhouse to a large, relatively flat green, is a quirky joy. It’s a great birdie opportunity before you head out to the watery back nine, as long as you don’t push your short iron into the wetlands right of the green (like a certain hapless golf writer did…sigh…).

The par-3 9th hole at Mistwood GC is a welcome birdie opp.

From the 369-yard 13th hole through the 166-yard par-3 17th, the holes ring Loch St. James (where I’m told the fishing is excellent). Nicole Jeray, LPGA Tour player and senior instructor at Mistwood describes the string of holes from 13 through 18 as, “the best.” Says Jeray, “In the Illinois Open, this is where everyone’s score goes to heck.”

The par-3 14th plays 233 yards from the tips. So choose your tees (or combination tees) carefully!

“Heck” – or heaven, depending on your game, I suppose – culminates on the 527-yard par-5 18th, where the fairway slithers between water right and bunkers left up to a rushing stream in front of the green (where I spotted a den of what I believe were mink on the opposite bank).

Conditioning at Mistwood is impeccable, and the greens are fast and true. Not only does the course offer a discount for walking, but the modest elevation changes and reasonable placement of tees and greens make the layout quite walkable. Course length reaches from 5,332 yards from the forward tees up to 7,005 yards from the back tees. There are five sets of tees and seven combination tees, all with handicap ratings, making Mistwood both enjoyable and challenging for players of all skill levels.

For Chicago-area golfers who want to keep swinging year-round, Mistwood also operates the Mistwood Golf Dome in nearby Bolingbrook, where you can order food and drinks and hit balls while every shot is tracked to within a foot using TopTracer technology. Groups have been known to stay for up to nine hours here.

TopTracer Technology–the same tech that tracks shots during coverage of the PGA Tour–powers the Mistwood Golf Dome.

There’s plenty of space at the Mistwood Golf Dome to keep your game in shape during the Chicago winter.

Mistwood Golf Club is a storybook golf escape that feels a thousand miles from the city, even though it is just a short drive from Chicago’s Miracle Mile. The staff are among the best, friendliest I’ve ever encountered anywhere. They make visitors feel like they’re a part of one big happy family, which is precisely the way Jim McWethy wants it to be.

If you need to fall in love with Chicagoland golf again, Mistwood Golf Club is the place to do it.

Water, water everywhere at Mistwood Golf Club.