Tommy O.
Yelp
Catching up on Yelp reviews as it's been a minute... Alright Frankie, fair warning this will be a pretty long review because there are multiple things to discuss (intro, play golf pitch, lessons, reserving bays, dining, closing)... Five Iron (5I) Golf is New York based and they are spreading their footprint nationwide. They have had a location in River North for a few years now, they just opened this location in Block 37 back in December, and they are opening a new location in Lincoln Park too. The place is very modern as it's brand new and all of the locations have state of the art golf technology with their SkyTrak simulators with over 100 different courses and a driving range. There are 11 bays, a putting green, full bar, and kitchen at this location. I must say the technology is one of the most accurate thing I have ever seen and the statistics/video technology is mind blowing. So kudos!
I have been playing golf since my Dad got me into it at a young age, but it never really became a passion of mine until around high school. IMO, it's the greatest sport in the world as it not only challenges you as it's one of the toughest sport in the world to master, but it teaches you about morals, life in the real world, and a whole bunch of other perks.
Not going to lie, but I suck at golf... Golf is hard folks! However, I am better than average and now I am committing time/practice to the game as I started up lessons with Kyle H. at this location. Kyle has been absolutely spectacular so far, the best coach I have ever had, and I think I am making some big progress with his help!!! I just need to commit time to practice more. I think the price of lessons are actually a good value given the great instruction of Kyle and the technology, specifically the video technology so you can watch your swing and it shows you how to improve your swing as you can see what you need to do better.
Let's dig into how 5I works and you can find everything on their website, but here are my thoughts with my experiences. You reserve bays and lessons all online and I highly recommend booking at least 3 days in advance (more like a week), especially on weekends as it fills up fast. Good luck trying to find reservations a few days in advance during prime times as there are only 11 bays and I learned with the River North location so I assume it's the same way as there are a lot of golfers in Chicago. But I have never had an issue with booking a few days in advance for weeknights before 7pm. Costs are based on peak reservations (majority of the time) and non-peak reservations (think noon on a weekday). Playing hookey from work and golfing would be the life! I believe club rentals are included in the reservation prices, but most people bring your own. Not going to lie, reserving a bay is expensive ($65/hour peak and $50/hour non-peak). So golfing with a group is the way to go. However, if you are a serious golfer, want to play 18, and keep costs down, I would highly recommend limiting it to 2-3 players with similar skill levels and pace of play. With my average high 90s scores, it takes about 2 hours to play 18 for me and my buddy of similar skill level. Obviously the better you are or faster at pace of play, you can play faster and keep costs down.
Food is solid overall, think standard bar food. Nothing spectacular, but it's above average to great. It's very comparable to a Whirlyball/TopGolf food experience. Meals are decent portions and prices are rather cheap actually. Sliders were great! Nachos were good. Flatbreads are ok, crust was a little dry. Beers, cocktails, and drinks are fair prices. Shout out to Joey, the bartender as he is great and always fun to talk to!
Overall, I think 5I is a great addition to Chicago! I think their entire staff is good and their company mission is to help grow the game. That is definitely a good thing! Costs are expensive, but the game of golf is expensive in general. Hopefully for this review, you don't get the wrong impression of me being cheap. IMO I am not cheap, I am just a frugal guy (very) and I am very passionate at where my hard earned money goes. But in the end, if you want to play golf or are a beginner and want to learn how to play then definitely check out 5I golf!