Blackberry Oaks Golf Course Overview
Established in 1993, Blackberry Oaks Golf Course in Bristol, Illinois, features an 18-hole layout designed by architect David Gill, known for his work on TPC Wisconsin, Glen Oak Country Club, Park Ridge Country Club, and the
Village Links of Glen Ellyn. The golf course hosts the annual
Blackberry Amateur tournament, a 36-hole stroke play championship for golfers with a handicap of 8 or better. In 2023, the tournament's winner received a prize of $1,000.
The par-72 course runs 6,404 yards, with a course rating of 71.3 and a slope of 132. Its difficulty level is comparable to
Glencoe Golf Club,
Old Oak, and
Ravisloe.
The course is well-maintained, showcasing a landscape with slightly fewer trees compared to typical Chicagoland courses. However, it more than makes up for that with numerous water features, including five ponds and Blackberry Creek cutting through the eastern and southern parts of the property. The holes are well-spaced, providing a sense of individual challenges, and the overall terrain is predominantly flat. A nice touch is the two sets of family tee boxes, which shorten the course considerably to 4,000 and 3,000 yards for folks getting started with golf.
Blackberry Oaks has a solid practice facility, including a grass tee driving range with a trap for fairway bunker practice -- a feature you don’t see too often -- and two greens for short game improvement. The clubhouse accommodates the large pro shop and the Oaks Grille restaurant. The pro shop offers a good selection of merch, with a particularly large number of shirts for sale when I was there last. The Oaks Grille features a large menu, encompassing bar food classics, flatbreads, tacos, and more.