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.

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.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Chicago
Raynor, Seth

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Seth Raynor

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).

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

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
Hills & Forrest

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Arthur Hills & Steve Forrest

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

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Ken Kavanaugh

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
Jones II, Robert Trent

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Robert Trent Jones II (lead designer Bruce Charlton).

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).

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).

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).

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
Dye, Pete & P.B.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

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

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Chicago

Designer

Tom Fazio

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).

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Tournaments

The Masters: The 88th Masters Tournament at Augusta National sees LIV golfer Jon Rahm defend his title against the world’s best. Pressing hard will be world No.1 and 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler and world No.2 Rory McIlroy (April 11-14).

Chevron Championship: the women’s major championship season gets underway for the second year at its new Carlton Woods home outside Houston, Texas. World No.2 Lilia Vu defends (April 18-21).

Who's Who

Nelly Korda: records a perfect start to 2024 with five wins out of her last five starts on the LPGA Tour. Winning the Chevron Championship also brought the second major championship win of her career.

Scottie Scheffler: narrowly missed out on matching Nelly Korda's five wins in five starts, when he placed second at the Houston Open. Either side of that, he won The Arnold Palmer, The Players, and then The Masters and The Heritage.

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.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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