Annbriar Golf Course

I am lucky enough that I live a couple miles from this golf course and it is where I play league. The owners and staff are the best in the business! Do yourself a favor and try this course out, only problem is you won’t want to play anywhere else.
I am an avid golfer, but mostly a foodie and this place has awesome food! Waterloo is known to have great chicken at a restaurant called Gallagher’s, but Annbriar’s chicken is the absolute best around and fried chicken is my favorite food! Fried chicken is the Sunday special, so stop by and give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. They also have best soups!
Also, Friday evenings during lent they have the best seafood buffet around and even includes dessert!

Layout: Annbriar has an exceptional layout that changes in character over the course of the round. The front 9 begins with relatively flat holes lined by tall grass. Some might call this «links style» but it is not true links style but rather holes that do not feature large trees as obstacles. The second 9 routes through the woods. The holes have true character with many standouts. Some of my favorites are the par 5 5^th (reachable in 2, risk vs. reward with tee shot over the water), the downhill par 4 8^th (narrows to large sloped green), the par 4 13^th (tricky tee shot to elevated fairway then short approach in), the par 3 17^th (downhill, huge bunker on left, difficult club choice), and of course the par 4 11^th (beautiful hole with elevated tricky tee shot). One design criticism that I have is that the first hole seems misplaced. Its an awkward tee shot on a short hole. Generally, my preference is to not have either a huge risk/​reward first hole or a hole with an awkward tee shot. The 1^st at Annbriar is a bit risk/​reward but a lot awkward. The second hole would make a better first hole. Swapping those two (impossible of course), would be excellent. Overall, the design is excellent with memorable holes throughout.
Conditioning: Always well above average. Annbriar gets a lot of play, but they always keep it in great shape, with fast well conditioned greens and well maintained fairways.
Difficulty: Annbriar offers many sets of tees, including a very close set for women. A beginner would be significantly challenged here, it’s not that I don’t recommend it (you would certainly enjoy your round), but there are several holes that may be overwhelming. Intermediate and advanced golfers will be signifcantly and appropriately challenged.
Value: Considering its the same as Pevely, Tapawingo, Gateway, and the Bluffs, its well worth the cost. You put this course in California or even Chicago and you are looking at double the greens fee, possibly close to 200. They also have good twilight rates as well as frequent deals on golfnow.
Walkability: Would be very difficult to walk, it isn’t encouraged, and no one does it. So essentially, not walkable.
Scenery: It’s in a cornfield in Waterloo, Ill, but seems like you are removed from everything, which is excellent. There are no houses and nice views throughout the course. Atmosphere is excellent.
Practice Facility: Decent range, two practice greens with some short game practice available near the first tee. Acceptable.
Annbriar is the best public course in the St. Louis area, and it’s not even close. It blends a great layout with exceptional conditioning in a quiet and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. The only real negative for the course is that weekend rounds can be long, stretching up to and over 5 hours, which is unacceptable. This is mainly due to golfers playing the wrong tees (the first hole gives some people the idea they should be playing the tips) and going on excessive ball hunts. Almost without fail, out of towners are seriously impressed by the quality of this course. If it weren’t tucked away in Waterloo, IL and a relatively new course, it would be considerably more well known, but probably a lot more expensive. In fact, I rate it ahead or at least equal to essentially all of the Golf Digest or Golf Top 100 courses that I have played. Annbriar gets a sterling 9 out of 10 rating.

Great course. The front and back nine are like two different courses. The front nine is a links style course while the back nine is amore traditional midwest course. The course length is perfect for the average golfer.
Bring a few extra balls, the rough is long and if you hit into the tall grass you will have little chance of finding it.
We have had a few events here and they do a great job with tournaments. Very difficult to walk this course with some lengthy walks between several holes.
One of my favorite courses in St. Louis. If you have never tried it you need to go at least once. I think this is the best public course in St. Louis.

How did nobody get the scoop on this place yet.
A hidden gem in the cornfields of Illinois, defiantly worth playing, no matter how far the drive. Annbriar’s is known for making golf memories.
The course favorites to nearly all who play. It offers superb conditions, super fast greens, beautiful scenery, and a tough competitive atmosphere. When you come here you always want to bring your A game. Always a fun, enjoyable, and memorable experience.
The clubhouse is nicer than, most, and the service is a lot better than you would expect at a public golf course. The service rivals that of most restaurants.
I could just continue to write great things about Annbriar, but it would be better if you just went to check it out yourself