This is the definition of a love/hate relationship. I am a huge golfer, since I work from home I'm able to play in the summer months 3 to 4 times a week in the early morning. I tend to stay away from courses on the weekends because of the crowds. That leaves the driving range for Saturday's and Sunday's. This range is super convenient and is in a great location. It's just on the westside of LSD at Diversey. They share the parking lot with Diversey Harbor, so parking can be really difficult during the summer, to the point where you're stalking people as they walk to their cars. It's not pretty. Once you park, you enter the tiny little "clubhouse" to buy a small or large bucket. This year a large is $16 and a small is $10. Now, if you're familiar with suburban driving ranges, this is a total ripoff. Similar sized buckets in the suburbs go for about $8 and $4, or so. Granted, we're not in the suburbs and the demand is off the charts, so they can get away with their prices. The range itself is 100% matts, which drives me nuts. But again, it's a city range, so that's what you get. It's a two tiered range, so there's an upstairs and down, and I'd guess there's about 40 or so stalls on each level. The lower level is open (and heated) in the winter, so if you're hardcore you can fine tune your skills year round. However, in the summer, it's very common to find both levels 100% full. At that point, you've already parking lot stalked people, so why not driving range stalk people? Find someone who's just about done, sit/stand behind them and stare at them until either they finish or they're so weirded out that they leave. Once you finally get a bay, the view is beautiful and there are plenty of greens to shoot at. This year they added distances on the flags, so that's a major upgrade. Overall, I love that there's a driving range smack dab in the middle of Lincoln Park, but apparently I'm not the only one. Parking is not easy with the Harbor being right there and the prices are steep (compared to other driving ranges). Also, there's a mini golf course. I haven't played, but it's pretty weak looking. I'm sure it's great for kids. read more

I was glad to find a driving range in the middle of the city so I could take a break while visiting family and work on my swing. It was also a pleasant surprise to find staff that were nice and gave you service with a smile. Convenience and good service, that's where the positives end for me. The biggest negative is cost. You're going to spend a lot of money to hit a bucket of balls at this place. Starting with parking... it's $3 for one hour, or $7 for up to 4 hours. Well, if you're hitting a large bucket (and who would through the trouble of driving thru city traffic to hit a small bucket) you don't want to rush through 100 balls. So, at least for me, the 1 hour option was out right off the bat. So, that's $7 for parking. Then there's the actual bucket. Again, I didn't go thru all that traffic to hit a small bucket. So, it was $16 for a large... yes, I said $16! If you happen to not be traveling with your clubs, you're going to have to rent them. It's $1 for an iron, $2 for a wood, and $3 for a driver. The good thing is that you can exchange a club for another of the same kind at no charge. The bad thing is that the clubs themselves are pretty crappy. I actually saw a 4 iron break its head off after hitting the mat. Also, the balls you get from the machine look just downright awful. I don't expect to find brand new balls at a driving range. But, I do expect them to be reasonably clean and in decent shape. Most of these balls looked like they've there for the last five or six years. I know it's a mental thing, but it's just not the same hitting an old dirty ball than one that at least looks clean. As for the range itself, it's okay but not great. I read some of the reviews mention what a great view you get from the upper deck. Personally, I wasn't all that impressed. You're hitting from mats onto artificial turf. So, don't expect realistic feel when hitting. Also, the turf is not flat, but rather curved. I imagine it's designed like that for drainage purposes. But, it makes the balls roll to the left or the right and not straight forward like you would get on a flat surface. So, in the end, is this place worth the $25 I spent ($7 for parking; $16 for the bucket; and $2 for a couple of irons)? No, it's not. However, if you're in the city and you're desperate for a golf fix you really don't have many other choices. read more

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I give this place a higher score for the convenience of the location being right in Lincoln Park. Plus, there is parking available. I also like that they are open late until 11pm in the summer and are open year round (they have heaters for the winter). You can rent buckets of 50 ($8) or 100 ($11.75) balls. I plan to check out their golf lessons someday. read more

WHAT RENOVATION? Grass? You closed this place down and all you managed to do was put in fake grass? Well done CPD. To top it all off you're still way too expensive, way too crowded and, you haven't managed to master automatic ball-teeing technology. Hell, golf courses in Compton have auto-feeders. I'll stick with Skokie. read more

(disclaimer: this review only applies to the mini golf course) The main thing this joint has going for it is its location. A quick Internet search reveals that Chicago has a dearth of mini golf courses within 5 miles of downtown. For those of us without access to a car, options are limited primarily to Diversey and Millennium Park (totally overpriced and tiny BUT you can bring drinks onto the green, but I digress). The course is moderately challenging. This is a course that focuses more on testing your geometry skills as opposed to wowing you with crazy plastic windmills etc. Never crowded, open late; it's a good time. read more

You might not know it, but you are paying about 20% more per bucket this year compared to last. Small bucket used to be about 50 balls and the large about 100. Now they are about 40 and 80. One of the most expensive costs per bucket around. Apparently, they bought new ball dispensers and can't adjust them to provide the correct amount. So instead of solving the problem, you pay more. read more

Living in the city, and without a car, there's not many places you can work on your game, but fortunately, the Diversey Range is a short walk from my Lincoln Park apartment. Now that the weather is finally decent, I'm making it a point to get out here weekly. The range is double-decked, enabling more people to hit, and even when it's packed, the waits aren't that long. Just find someone with not many balls left in their bucket and wait along the rail. There's mini golf too, though I'd recommend going with a group like a double date, otherwise, you'll blow through the course in about 20 minutes. If I have any complaints, they're relatively minor. There's no yardage markers on the driving range, making your crushing power or lack thereof a matter of interpretation. The greens on the mini-golf course could use some work, and led to some spirited discussion on the rules of golf with my partner-in-crime. At the range, it's about $14 for a bucket of 100 balls. That's a little pricier than the suburbs, but far more convenient, and if I go weekly after a long week at the office, cheaper than therapy. read more

The Diversey driving range requires the handling and sharing of thousands of golf balls, each touched by the current user, then touched by the next user. There is almost no wilder dream for a virus. It should not be operating. read more

My boyfriend and I come here about twice a month. The staff is always really nice! I'm a short, left handed woman so if I need to rent clubs it's slim pickins. But I take what I can get! They usually have a decent variety for me to choose from. It's a little pricey but I can't complain because it's convenient. Also, I've seen rabbits here every single time I've visited! read more

I really love coming to the Diversey driving range. There's nothing more therapeutic than hitting golf balls. My fiance & I signed up for the annual Players Advantage Card for $20, which gives you 1 free bucket of large balls initally (worth $11.25), and $1 off each time thereafter - which means if you go 10 times after that you at least break even. The membership also offers advanced tee times, 10-30% off golf equipment, etc. The crowd here is really nice - and it's a good place to start swinging for beginners as well. They also have a mini-golf course in the back and offer golf lessons. I do like the bi-level stalls, the top level for the summer, and the bottom one for the winter (it's heated). They're open all year long and close at 11pm. In the summer time, they also open up the Diversey Grill shack outside that serves your typical fast food - cheese fries, burgers, hot dogs, etc. Oh, and they do have a parking lot which nets out to about $3 for 2 hours of play time. read more

OK, secret's out... I have lots of curmudgeonly qualities. Scotch, bocce ball, and yes, golf. I'll be the coolest girl in the retirement community in about 40 years. But, for all of you who are looking for a cheaper form of therapy, or if you are looking for a better way to pick up dates than a bar or some shady online meat-market service why not try the driving range. Grab your clubs (if you don't have any, you can rent a set of 4), buy a bucket o' balls and hack away. They have double-decker stalls that are lighted and heated and they are open until 10 pm. Plenty of time to alleviate some of those post-work aggressions. Gets pretty crowded on a nice weekend day, but the good thing is that the crowd abides by the honor system and you won't have to muscle your way in for a stall. It is pretty well maintained except for a few yard marker key signs that have disappeared and I think the grass will come back (it is still March, ya know), but otherwise not a bad experience. Extra points for having a place to put your clubs at EVERY stall. read more

Come to hit some balls, stay for the fish tacos. This driving range is busy, busy busy! I've been here for semi-private lessons as well as to hit some balls at just about every time of day, on every day of the week. I wouldn't complain too much about the price of a bucket of balls - split a bucket for a fun date night, or if you're a serious golfer you know how much greens fees are so you can afford it. There's plenty of parking and at off peak times I don't think they write tickets so you can get away with free parking if you're willing to live on the edge a bit. The site is well maintained and there are plenty of balls and things to aim at. Being a lefty kind of sucks in the afternoons, and you do need to hunt around for tees sometimes. If they set up auto tees and other cushy perks like the one in Des Plaines, I think I'd stop going because I'd have to wait an hour to get a spot. I think the price and the quality of everything makes it juuuuust right. Where else can you go in the city to blow off some steam, hit some balls, and then eat some delicious fish tacos while watching the sun set over the Chicago skyline and the boats in the harbor? read more

This place is in such a great location making it easy to hit some balls in the spur of the moment. But the miniature golf course is comically terrible. If you're gonna do something, why not do it right? I give the driving range *** (almost entirely due to location - buckets are overpriced), and the miniature course gets negative-**. read more

If you are a purist who likes grass and distance markers, stay home. If Chicago's North Side, and especially this part of Lincoln Park is home to you like it is to me (I rode horses on the bridle paths through here when there were bridle paths through here), then come hit a bucket of balls and delight - even in the 45-degree, late April wind and rain. It's all about the year-round, lake front access and central locale. There are tennis courts and miniature golf over here, too. I hadn't been here in many years, and bringing my son back to a locale of my childhood made our two hours bucking the wind and rain with 400 golf balls while honoring Chicago's miserable weather even more enjoyable. read more

I'm definitely glad I tried this place out. I just bought a new driver and wanted to crush some balls before playing with my friend next week. I waited for a nice sunny day, but this place is always operating, rain or shine, hot or cold. Monday through Sunday they open at 7am and stay open until 11pm. Basically, if you're in the mood to hit some balls, then they're there for you. The location is great and has a parking lot right next to it. The buckets are $9 for 50 and $14 for 100. You can buy a $25 card that knocks off $1 off each bucket and $5 of games at public courses until the end of the year. You can also scheduling classes with an instructor so you can really learn how to grip it and rip it. read more

Diversey driving range is often over crowded and the staff doesn't tell you this until after you've bought balls, waited 30 minutes for a hitting mat and it's too dark to swing. The putting green is also badly damaged, dried out and unusable. Although the park district has sufficient funds to update the putting green, they won't. The balls at the range are often beat up and in bad shape. Nevertheless, the best and only bright spot of the driving range, it's a driving range in the City of Chicago. read more

Great location for getting some golf practice in. They have a great driving range which is apparently covered and heated in the winter. They also have a mini golf course as well as a putting green available. I didn't feel like people here had an attitude so I felt comfortable even as a beginner golfer. Prices seem reasonable and the parking is also a good deal. read more

Stopped by there today, it looks pretty nice, I had to touch the grass to see if it was real or not, it is about a 2 inch long synthetic plastic grass. Looks ready to open soon. See my phtos at the top. read more

Diversey Driving Range - June 25, 2008 photo - Golf Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Spent the afternoon here with a friend for her birthday during July holiday weekend. We chose to spend some time on the driving range and the mini golf course. It was a group (6) of us having fun. We laughed the ENTIRE time! Only draw back was that we were accosted by an older man who did not identify himself at first, questioning if were taking golf lessons? My friends step dad was just showing us how to position ourselves and hit the ball while on the range. While there were other guest giving/taking golf lessons. We asked who he was and he did not want to tell us. He later identified himself as a golf instructor and a friend of the owner who said that if we "should be careful" because he didn't want the owner to come out and see us taking golf lessons? In this current social climate, I think it best that if he had a concern of us doing anything immoral but not as a representative of the business, he should've spoken with them first before approaching us. We brushed it off and still continued to have an amazing experience. Thanks to kind actual associates who helped us and were professional! We will be back! read more

Apparently being open until 11pm on Friday night means locking the door at 9:50pm so nobody can start a new game even though there were plenty of people at the beginning stages of the course. The best part was the worker who couldn't even get out of his metal folding chair and instead just looked at us through the door shrugging and laughing. While fun for a local resident to walk to for low key evening outing, it's not like this place is anything special. Very simple mini-golf course with zero bells & whistles. Geez, a little customer service could go a long way. read more

This place makes the grade entirely on location/convenience. For those of us who live and work in the city, driving to the burbs to work on our game just isn't feasible, and although this place does get crowded, two levels tend to keep any wait times to a minimum. Also love that on a beautiful day I can work on my tan on the upper level while during winter and on rainy days the lower level is heated and covered. No more excuse for going from November to May without swinging a club. The primary downside is the price you pay for the convenience: $15 for a large bucket. Astronomical in my opinion, but I guess that's just the law of supply & demand. I'm also not in love with hitting off mats but I suppose that's a function of trying to keep this place open 365 days a year. Finally, the plastic tees tend to have a wide height variance, so if you plan to bring out the driver make sure you find one that is tall enough for your club. All in all not great but not a bad place to get in some practice. read more

Just a terrible experience, not once not twice but literally 3 times. Paid for 50 balls, got 39. Paid for 100 balls, got 84. When I brought it up, response was that's just how the ball machine works. When I tried hitting balls that were on the turf 6 inches away from my hitting booth, some woman came running frantically. Thats like doubling down on overcharging customers. Just horrible staff, and overpriced place given they don't give the number of balls customers pay for. read more

Pros: Ample Parking (we went at 2:30 pm on a Saturday and had no problems finding a spot - but you do have to pay) Friendly Staff Two tiers of individual driving range boxes (plenty open spots when we went) Cons: Similar to the other reviews, my only gripe is the price. It was $15 per large bucket. The bucket was fairly large but $15 is still kinda pricey. Then again, you are paying for the location and convenience. I think it was worth it. read more

Its a convenient range, however you got to be kidding me with their prices. $14 - 100 balls $9 - 50 balls Its pretty steep, should be $7 for 50 and $10 for 100 I would go much more often if that were the case read more

I haven't gone golfing in years. I even sold my clubs when we moved from Florida to Chicago. The thought of moving then again, just to collect dust again, depressed me. So off to a garage sale they went. A friend recently suggested we go golfing and the idea pleased me. My one knock on Chicago is that it is easy to forget that nature exists out there, somewhere beyond the city and its hipster bars. So before hitting the course for 18, I wanted to get some range time in. Now, this is a Parks' Department range, so when I heard a hefty $15 for a large bucket of balls, I was sort of appalled. However, the cost is my only knock on the place. People were friendly the stalls were well kept and parking was relatively easy. Also, there was a nice mix of bozo's and pro's. I was worried that if I shanked a couple I would stick out like a sore thumb, not the case. If golfing works it way back into my weekly or monthly rotation, I think I will be a regular here. read more

My husband and I are not excellent golfers by any means, but we really enjoy spending summer evenings at the Diversey Driving Range. There's plenty of parking, and we have never had to wait for a spot to practice our swings. The staff is always pleasant, too, and they have snacks and beverages for sale in the office. There's, also, an outdoor restaurant close by. read more

Diversey Driving Range - Summer days at Diversey Driving Range! - Golf Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First off I did the mini golf, traditional but challenging. $8 junior rate and $10 for adults. Then I went to the driving range. I am visiting from OKC so I don't have my clubs. The guy at the counter waived the charge of the rental clubs... a nine dollar value from the clubs which I chose to use. These range balls themselves were kind of expensive at $16 for 100 balls bit the range was really nice. read more

Diversey Driving Range - driving range and restaurant - Golf Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent service, and they have heated lamps on some of the levels! Lots of space between players. Overall a great experience!

Go here all the time and love it. But... Curious if others think there's an opportunity for someone in the city to develop an indoor facility that allows for chipping and putting on real grass. I have been wanting something like this for years. I agree that the facilities at Harborside are great but with traffic you can't get a practice session in there unless you have a few hours to spare. I would love an indoor facility especially in the winter and would easily pay something like $15 for an hour of access. If anyone has thoughts feel free to message me. read more

I think this is a great driving range. Can't beat the view and being a Lakeview resident this is super easy to get to when I need to work on my game. Docking a star for two things: putting greens are not good at all and you have to pay for parking. Staff is super friendly. Some people say "just go to Harborside"... yeah I don't want to drive halfway to flippin' Indiana to PRACTICE. If you're going to drive that far... just go play on an actual course, ya hoseheads. I'll be smashing smoke here at Diversey for many more damn years to come. read more

If I were better at golf and frequented driving ranges as often as one needs to for the purposes of you know...being able to hit a ball straight...then my opinion should probably matter. That said, please go find your grain of salt for this review. As previously mentioned, I am not good at golf. I don't take it as seriously as some of the folks here do, and maybe I should. I'd probably learn something. Instead, it's more fun for me to stand on the top of the double-deck, and just swing away, that eleven o'clock shank firmly entrenched regardless of how much I change my grip, foot position, etc, etc... Bucket o'balls was ten bucks. These cats with the player advantage cards get it cheaper. The walk up Diversey with a driver over my shoulder? Probably not my smartest plan as in retrospect, I may have looked like a madman. Next time maybe I'll drive. (The plaid shorts rendered me harmless, however, so the Jetta Trixies at the stoplight didn't feel the need to lock the door.) This is the North Side. No need to be alarmed. I had fun. It was cheap. I zoned out to the lake and the skyline. I'd recommend this to anybody. read more

This place is all about location and convenience. Apart from that: 1. Expensive, $10 for 50 balls, crazy. 2. Two levels which is nice. 3. No automatic / adjustable tees (the tees are too high imo). 4. Decent amount of targets to hit at. 5. Grill on the Park on site if you happen to want a snack 6. It has a paid parking lot on site if you can't find street parking. 7. Overall it's a little shoddy and not highly maintained but you come for the convenience so deal. read more

I'm not a golf person, but I am a mini-golf person. I am a Chicago native and I never knew this little course existed!! We just happened upon it on an evening stroll. Nothing too special, just a quaint outdoor course. It's also pretty cheap. There weren't too many people there on a pleasant Thursday evening, and we even got to see some, um, "wildlife" scamper through the trees. They're also open late for those nights where you just want to do something chill. read more

This place relies solely on monopoly and location. The place is not well managed or maintained. The balls are in need of upgrading as are the mats. The other issue is yardage- it's anyones best guess to the pins and there are no posted or displayed distances. Is worth driving to a public course. Did I mention over priced and price gouging? Place sucks. read more

I cant really give this place anything less than 5 stars seeing as its right in the heart of chicago. I hate the suburbs and will do anything to stay the hell away from them. So this place is great. It has mini goft and a driving range. For me, I love beating the crap out of the balls and seeing how far they can go, so the driving range is where you will find me. Over the years the prices have gone up, and the buckets seem to get smaller. Now its about 10 bucks for a small bucket, and it doesn't last, let me tell you. Although if you only go every so often, like i do, youre tired but the 5th ball, so a small bucket will do. The equiptment needs an update asap. Last time I went, I went with my boyfriend. 2 clubs broke on him. The heads of the clubs just flew right off into the range. Hmm...2? Understandable if 1 did it, but 2 of them...and its not like hes a pro like tiger woods and hits that ball really hard. (sorry honey) Otherwise this place is a hit. Good hood, right on the lake front. Cant get any better than this place. read more

Way too expensive and given the price the facilities aren't even that good. I suppose if you live close enough to walk over it's almost acceptable, but don't bother driving here. It costs $2 to park and overpay for lousy mats. Take the time to drive to Harborside. Balls are silly cheap, you hit off grass, and they have a MUCH better chipping/putting green. 203/365 read more

I just changed my rating to 4 stars. Much better now with new mats, new turf, new flags, correct yardage...very nice now and finally worth the price. Previously: The Good: Close to the city. Staff are nice. $11 for a large bucket (not bad). lots of tees, double deck. Putt putt keeps kids happy and the putt putt course is closed (fenced) so safe for a larger group of kids. Nice views from the upper deck, lake to the right, city behind you. The Bad: Everything else I don't even know why I give 2 stars, this place is about as disheveled a driving range as you can find. Think Kevin Costnder's place in Tin Cup. Typical Chicago parking rates for the lot, they take cash, credit, first born, and kidneys as payment. There is street parking close by but spots are sparse. The range is dirt, no grass to speak of. balls make a nice 'poof' of dust when they land and roll, and roll, and roll... the targets are old and the flags faded. distance markers obsolete balls always dirty or muddy, often cracked. mats only; and the mats are in disrepair. When you place your ball it rolls until it finds a nice happy place at the lowest point of the worn turf, thanks to this place I have learned to play pretty well out of a divot. read more

I have a love-hate relationship with most things, myself included, and so it is with Diversey Driving Range. I love that they are open year round from 9A-9P. I love that they have a tiered system to allow more people to practice. I love that they have good range balls...Srixon practice. I love that the tees don't get stolen, and I love that it is so close to my apartment. What do I hate? That even with the heated stalls on the ground floor, it is still sometimes too cold to hit balls here. I was the only one here on Saturday, until a couple of others showed up. Of course, it was 22 degrees. I must be a glutton....or love golf. So maybe it is me....and DIversey Driving Range is a great place. Yeah, it must be me. read more

I love this place, been coming here with my son dice he was 5! He's 22 now and we still love hitting balls together. Easy parking, late nite hours. read more

Diversey Driving Range - Golf Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Such a fun night out. Diversey is keeping everything clean and makes you feel so safe. Mary is the best! She went out of her way to make sure we had a good time. Will definitely be back! read more