Youth Golf Development Center

The Center is located on an approximately one-acre plot of land adjacent to the new Sunset Valley Golf Club. It is intended to carry on the club’s tradition of being the primary community center for future generations to learn and love the game.  This unique facility, typically only seen at private clubs and learning centers, is Highland Park’s and the surrounding communities’ primary Center for youth golf instruction and skill development in the fundamentals of the short game –the most critical golf skills.

Young golfers can practice shots up to 50 yards from fairways, rough areas and bunkers with the feel and aesthetic of a real golf course. Hitting bases for long shot practice is also featured at the Center. When not used for its primary purpose: youth golf instruction, the Center also serves as a practice facility for all Sunset Valley’s golfers.  Group and private lessons, as well as summer camps, can take place at the Center. The Highland Park High School Girls and Boys Golf Teams, IJGA tournament players, PGA Junior Leagues, and Sunset Valley players also have access to the Center when not used for instruction.

For 100 years, Sunset Valley Golf Club has been a valued part of the Highland Park community. Generations of residents learned to play golf at Sunset, including Illinois Amateur Hall of Famer Joel Hirsch and newcomer to the PGA tour Patrick Flavin. The course is also home to the high school golf teams. In August 2018, the Park District of Highland Park reopened Sunset, following an extensive $7 million renovation that took 18 months. The new Sunset Valley accommodates every level of golfer. It is an open British Heathlands course design that reflects the character and aesthetics of a 1920’s era golf course. The project included the renovation of all tees, fairways, greens, bunkers, and infrastructure, drainage, and storm water management.