Your own private golf course? This luxury resort offers it (and more)
At Bunker Hill Farms, your all-inclusive stay means your group is the only one on the property, and the adventure is entirely up to you.
Courtesy photos (3)/Bottom left: Josh Berhow
It was a horror ride of shame. Presence; we all have it. You reach the green with a wedge and putter – your penalty for missing a putt from the fairway – and return to the cart a few minutes later only to realize you forgot that wedge on the rink.
Annoyed, I talked to myself, then I went back to the green area, making it look like I was rushing but walking at a fast pace. I collected my 54 and looked back down the road, hoping I wouldn’t forget the next group. But I remembered: No group was behind us. In any hole. The lesson was ours for the day.
Come to think of it, we ran all the equipment – houses, ATVs, pool, fishing, jacuzzi, skeet shooting, fitness center and bar cart. Wow, even the chef was here only for us.
Sure, you’ve probably heard of luxury resorts with golf and a long list of activities to keep you busy, but have you ever been to one that’s all-inclusive and where your group is? only one on site? Yes, your own private resort.
Welcome to Bunker Hill Farms, where luxury resorts meet a relaxing retreat – and the adventure is entirely up to you.
A day before we were due, we pulled into the driveway of Bunker Hill Farms in Woodstock, Ill., about 60 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. An hour later, we were cruising the remote ATV trails, kicking up leaves and wondering if this was one of the most fun golf trips we’ve ever been on (other than golfing yet).
ATV riding is how most stays here begin. It’s a great way to see the 450-acre property and learn about its architecture and history. Also, have you driven new ATVs before? See. Is it. A. The explosion.
Our first stop on this route was at the top of a man-made hill. We went down and climbed the stairs to reach the highest point. Here, we learned more about Bunker Hill Farms and how owner Mike Domek and his wife, Amy, bought the land in 2005 to make it their family vacation spot. It continues to evolve ever since.
Domek found a nursery – about 40,000 trees – to replant in the land and dig the ponds, which are now stocked with perch, walleye, trout and bass. The golf course was built and opened in 2010, and the 7,300-square-foot lodge was completed in 2012. Three years later, the owners purchased an additional 250 acres and established the non-profit Bunker Hill Charities. In 2017, they expanded across the street and built a warehouse, spa garden and event space with guest accommodations. In 2018 they added a shooting range and a year later a six-room kitchen. What started as 150 acres has now tripled in size.
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For many years, Bunker Hill Farms was unheralded, accessible by invitation only and used mostly by celebrities or the well-connected. Even people from neighboring small towns don’t know it exists. But when the Covid 19 pandemic hit, the organizers decided to go around and open the place to the public. Business has improved. It is now used for friend trips, corporate tours, couples retreats, family retreats and weddings. For anything, really – the group just rented it out to play Dungeons & Dragons.
All proceeds go to Bunker Hill Charities, which has given more than $2 million to 70 agencies in the local community. Most of that money is generated by their two annual fundraisers, their Rockin’ the Hill concert and the songwriters’ concert. Steven Tyler, Tyler Hubbard and Styx are some of the musical acts that have stayed and played here. The walls of both homes are lined with signed guitars and photos of other musicians who also spent time shopping.
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It’s a minimum of eight people to stay, and the property has 13 guest rooms. Damage is around $1,150 per person per day, and that gets you everything – unlimited food and drinks, a personal chef, your own golf course, ATVs, skeet shooting, luxury accommodations and whatever else you want to do. The best part? Your only company is a handful of staff who are there during the day and are dedicated to making your stay as easy and memorable as possible, doing everything from running out to buy something you may have forgotten or to prepare a drink. That makes it a truly unique, customized, all-inclusive luxury.
The cottage has six bedrooms, a fitness center, an entertainment area, a spacious outdoor living area (with fireplace) and a screened-in porch larger than most New York City apartments. The lodge across the street has four bedrooms, a jacuzzi, pools, beaches and a golf course. No home skips the fine details.
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On our first day we rode ATVs and had appetizers and drinks at the old open air Binz Dairy Farm near the cottage. That space has been transformed into a cool outdoor space, with running water, plants, flowers and your choice of music (we went with Chris Stapleton) pumping out hidden speakers.
The barn was the setting for our first dinner, which was a heavenly four-course meal prepared by the resort’s chef, Mario Scordato.
Scordato started his own pasta company and teaches cooking classes, but his main gig is at Bunker Hill Farms, where he makes lunch and dinner for guests. She’s a local, organic and seasonal connoisseur and will make you go crazy with her delicious corn and fruit-infused risotto.
The next morning (our only full day on site) we started with a light breakfast before walking a few hundred yards to the shooting range, where their expert took turns shooting clay pigeons and guns spread across the range. Of course, you don’t have to do this. There’s also yoga and a spa and pontoon and paddleboards and kayaks and hiking and horseback riding and, for a little extra boost, even helicopter tours and hot air balloon rides.
Josh Behow
After a quick lunch – pork! (When is that ever served for lunch?!) — we walked to the other side of the property for our tee time. Armed with a forecaddie, we stocked our carts with snacks and drinks and fishing poles because, well, you never know when you might want to throw in a few, just to say you did.
The course, designed by Harry Vignocchi, is an 18-hole par-72 that tips at 6,700 yards. It is almost hidden in the middle of the structure, and the reversible structure – they call it “unusual” – uses eight greens, one of the same paths and several boxes to create 18 different holes. One green – which you will play as the 5th, 8th and 14th holes – is guarded by water with a stone facade and is played from an island tee box. Another hole (the 7th) calls for a blind second shot to the green where the target is near a waterfall.
Josh Behow
The green is one of the purest things you will ever play. They receive less than 250 rounds per year, which is the amount of traffic that a popular public course receives per day. There is a superintendent with about half a staff who takes care of all the equipment, including the course.
Freedom is intoxicating. No starter or striker can tell you to pick up the pace or stop playing as an eight player. You can play as few or as many holes as you want. Take a mulligan. Re-tee. Jump over the hole. You are the master of the course to do what you love.
After golf, we stayed on the other side of the property and rode the ATVs again (it was such a blast we didn’t get enough the first time). Then we ate flatbreads, fished and swam on the big inflatable in the middle of the lake like we were young again. After a soak in the jacuzzi, our last meal Scordato served us his homemade Bucatini and shrimp.
That night we drank cigarettes that were available from the guests. We rookies didn’t know if there was any good in them – spoilers: they were – but at Bunker Hill Farms, it feels right to indulge.
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