Best golf courses: Around Chicago

Chicago's architectural experimentation and innovation is regarded the world over. How do the designs of golf courses here compare to the awe-inspiring skyscrapers dotting the city's skyline? An instant recommendation would be Cog Hill Golf & Country Club featuring four championship golf courses, with excellent tree-lined fairways, several ferocious bunkers and a number of water hazards. Others include the two British links style courses at Harborside International and Olympia Fields Country Club, a private club and one of Illinois' finest championship layouts. To make the most of your golfing trip, and to help in your planning, you can look up the location of the best courses in Chicago on our customised maps.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Hills & Forrest

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Arthur Hills & Steve Forrest

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Fazio, George & Tom

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Uncle/nephew team of George & Tom Fazio.

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Packard, Roger

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Original design by Roger Packard (1989), updated by Jacobson Design (2003).
Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Macdonald, Charles B.

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Original design by "the father of American golf course architecture" Charles Blair Macdonald (1893); improved by Seth Raynor (1923).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
McIntosh, Coghill, Lee & Roquemore

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

No.2 Ravines: David McIntosh & Bert Coghill (1929), later redesigned by Joe Lee & Rocky Roquemore / Also at Cog Hill: No.1 Blue: David McIntosh (1927) / No.3 Red: Dick Wilson (1963) / No.4 Dubsdread: Dick Wilson & Joe Lee (1964), later redesigned by Rees Jones (2008).

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Wilson, Lee & Jones.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

No.4 Dubsdread: Dick Wilson & Joe Lee (1964), later redesigned by Rees Jones (2008) / Also at Cog Hill: No.1 Blue: David McIntosh (1927) / No.2 Ravines: David McIntosh & Bert Coghill (1929), later redesigned by Joe Lee & Rocky Roquemore / No.3 Red: Dick Wilson (1963).

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Fazio, Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Tom Fazio

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Nugent, Dick

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Dick Nugent

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Nugent, Dick

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Dick Nugent

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Bendelow & Jones

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

No.1 course: designed by Tom Bendelow (1924).
No.2 course: original design by Tom Bendelow (1927); renovation by Rees Jones (2017).
No.3 course: original design by Tom Bendelow (1928); redesign by Rees Jones (2003, 2009).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Bendelow & Park Jr.

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

North course designed by Willie Park Jr (1923); modifications by Mark Mungeam (2014). South course designed by Tom Bendelow (1915) and renovated by Steve Smyers (2007).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Kavanaugh, Ken

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Ken Kavanaugh

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Flynn, Lee, Roquemore & Jemsek

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Original 9-hole course laid out by Cardinal Mundelein and extended to 18-holes in 1929 by William S. Flynn. Course significantly redesigned and remodelled by Joe Lee, Rocky Roquemore and Joe Jemsek (1985).

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Jones II, Robert Trent

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Robert Trent Jones II (lead designer Bruce Charlton).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Rich & Martin

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Jerry Rich (RHF's owner) & Greg Martin

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Dye, Pete & P.B.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Father/son team of Pete & P.B. Dye
Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Raynor, Seth

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Seth Raynor

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Hills, Arthur

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Arthur Hills

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Chicago
Jones II, Robert Trent

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Robert Trent Jones II (lead designer Bruce Charlton).

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Tournaments

Tournament of Champions: the PGA Tour’s calendar-year starts, as it has done since 1999, with this iconic event in Hawaii. The field is drawn from players who won a PGA Tour event in 2022, or were amongst the top 30 in last year’s FedEx Cup final standings (Jan 6-9).

Desert Swing: the European (DP World) Tour launches into 2023 with three events in its UAE “Desert Swing”. Up first is the Abu Dhabi Championship (Jan 19-22), followed by the Dubai Desert Classic (Jan 26-29) and the Ras Al Kaimah Championship (Feb 2-5).

Who's Who

Kathy Whitworth: the end of 2022 saw the passing of LPGA Tour legend Kathy Whitworth. Her 88 LPGA Tour victories is more than achieved by any other golfer on either the LPGA or PGA Tours. Amongst her victories were six major championship titles.

Barry Lane: the golfing world was also saddened by the passing of Barry Lane, one of the European Tour and European Senior Tours most popular players. Enjoying success on both Tours, Lane was know for his excellent ball-striking and amiable personality.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Costa Cruise & Golf

Costa’s "Cruise & Golf" allows golfers and their families to combine a unique golfing experience with the relaxation and fun of a cruise on board Costa Smeralda. Golf enthusiasts are offered a choice from 23 top-quality golf clubs; their chosen courses are played during the ship’s port calls in Italy, France and Spain. While the golfers are driving the fairways, accompanying non-golfers are able to enjoy the amenities and activities on-board, or explore wonderful places on day excursions organised by Costa. Read more ...

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