WeaverRidge Golf Club — Local services in Peoria

Our reservations for 7 people to celebrate our 50th anniversary was for 5:30 on Sunday evening November 19th. The restaurant was not busy. My wife and I arrived a few minutes early, were greeted and seated and served our beverages promptly. The rest of our party arrived and were seated. Their drink orders were taken and served promptly. We requested a few more minutes to order. When our waitress returned we ordered. 15 minutes later she returned to inform two of the ladies that the kabobs that had been ordered were not available. The ladies reordered. When our salads were served my wife did not receive hers. When I mentioned that to the waitress she said she thought my wife had ordered a shrimp salad as her entree. She had in fact ordered the shrimp dinner with a baked potato and a salad with Ranch dressing and had pointed to the menu when ordering to clarify. Our waitress apologized and went to the kitchen to make the correction. Our meals were served but my second drink order sat at the bar for so long that I almost got up and got it myself. The glass of wine I had ordered to be served with my meal also sat at the bar for several minutes after we had our meals. My entree was very good but my side of vegetables was cold. Another of our party had ordered the ribeye and mentioned that it didn't have much flavor and was somewhat tough. The atmosphere was very pleasant and the food, for the most part, was good. The service was mediocre at best and the wait staff should have been made aware of any items on the menu that were not available. Our bill was a little bit over $200, not a king's ransom, but enough that we would have expected better service on a night that...

I had been wanting to get down to Central Illinois to play one of the best public courses in the state for some time; Weaver Ridge did not disappoint!

The staff is both welcoming and professional. A greens-keeper both out on the course and in the shop interacting with patrons--that's something you don't find too often. And he is doing a great job.

Despite quite a bit of rain, the golf courses was amazingly firm. Fairways are cut short, firm and fairly generous. Don't get too careless; the rough is very thick, and requires some significant guesswork and brilliant shot-making.

The bunkers at Weaver Ridge are plentiful. (Unfortunately, they were washed out, but given how much rain they had received, that is completely understandable.) These hazards are also very, very deep. Get the ball up high and fast.

Greens were not overly difficult; very true, with subtle breaks. Nice and firm, they allow golfers to get creative around the green.

The course design is fabulous. Just enough water, combined with some fabulous doglegs, elevation changes and beautiful surrounding homes. The course will leave you breathless--physically, if you decide to walk it.

At $49 on a Wednesday morning, Weaver Ridge is an absolute steal. Similar Chicago-area courses charge twice as much and offer half the experience. Without a doubt, this is one of the top public golf courses...

I STARTED CALLING WEAVER RIDGE A WEEK AGO TO MAKE A RESERVATION FOR SIX PEOPLE FOR DECEMBER 11 FOR LUNCH. THIS GROUP OF WOMEN HAVE HAD A CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON THERE FOR MANY YEARS BECAUSE THE FOOD IS GOOD AND THE STAFF IS NICE. MANY OF US PATRONIZE THE RESTAURANT SEVERAL TIMES EACH YEAR. NO ONE EVER ANSWERED THE PHONE IN THE RESTAURANT, AND I WAS SENT TO VOICE MAIL. SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS I LEFT VOICE MAILS FOR SOMEONE TO CALL ME BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE A RESERVATION. NEVER GOT A CALL. THEN I DECIDED TO TRY THE OTHER NUMBERS ON THEIR PHONE MENU AND LEFT MESSAGES FOR THOSE WHO HAD SET UP THEIR VOICE MAILS TO CALL ME: #1 GOLF SHOP, #2 RESTAURANT, #3 EVENTS, #4 MARKETING, #5 ACCOUNTING, #6 CLUB HOUSE, #7 MAINTENANCE, #8 GENERAL MANAGER, AND #9 ALL OTHER CALLS. FOR #8 & #9 I RECEIVED, "THE VOICE MAIL BOX HAS NOT BEEN SET UP YET!" BECAUSE I HEARD METAMORA FIELDS' OWNERS HAD PURCHASED WEAVER RIDGE, I CALLED THEM TO COMPLAIN. I GOT THE SAME NUMBERS' MENU AND GOT THE SAME RESPONSE FOR #8 & 9. CONSEQUENTLY, I GAVE UP. YESTERDAY, DECEMBER 9, I CALLED THE LARIAT STEAKHOUSE IN PEORIA, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE US. THANKS...