Best golf courses in Illinois.

Lemont, IL

Dubsdread is the championship course at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. Dick Wilson and Joe Lee designed it, and it opened in 1964 as Cog Hill's No. 4 course. Rees Jones carried out a major renovation in 2008. It is the longest and hardest of the four courses on the property, running to about 7,554 yards with deep, steep-faced bunkering, tree-lined corridors and firmly contoured greens. The name has stuck because the course asks for full shots from the first hole to the last. Dubsdread hosted the Western Open and later the BMW Championship on the PGA Tour, along with a 1997 U.S. Amateur. It remains fully open to public play.

Waterloo, IL

Annbriar Golf Course is an 18-hole public course in Waterloo, Illinois, on land that was once a family farm just outside the St. Louis metro area. The course was designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and opened for play in 1993, covering 226 acres with 115 bunkers and precision-placed tee boxes across rolling fairways and lush greens. An old farmhouse site now holds the clubhouse, and a century-old smokehouse still stands on the property. Annbriar is open to the public with memberships also available, and hosts leagues, tournaments, and collegiate events. The on-site Smokehouse Restaurant serves golfers and outing groups, with the course playable through the regular Midwest golf season.

Elgin, IL

Municipal gem along the Fox River in Elgin

Highland Park, IL

Sunset Valley is a municipal course in Highland Park, Illinois, owned and operated by the Park District of Highland Park. Golf has been played on this ground north of Chicago since 1920, and the club still runs as a fully public facility with an 18-hole regulation layout at par 72 measuring about 6,726 yards from the back tees. The course golfers play today came out of a $7 million renovation by Rick Jacobson of Jacobson Golf Course Design, which rebuilt every tee, fairway, green and bunker along with the drainage and stormwater infrastructure. The rebuilt course reopened to the public on August 18, 2018. Jacobson's design leans on a British heathland look, with wide openness, strategic landforms, flowing masses of native grasses and groves of trees meant to recall the character of the original 1920s-era architecture. The clubhouse was remodeled as part of the same project. Because the property is park district land inside a residential North Shore town, walking is straightforward and tee times are sold to the general public rather than reserved for members.

Silvis, IL

Host of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic

Mount Prospect, IL

Mt. Prospect Golf Club is a municipal course in Mount Prospect, Illinois, owned and operated by the Mount Prospect Park District. It opened in 1926 as a nine-hole course and expanded to 18 holes by 1929. In 2015, architect David Esler led a renovation that restored Golden Age design elements drawing on Seth Raynor, Charles Macdonald, and Donald Ross. The course plays to a par of 70 across 6,305 yards and includes template holes such as a Redan, an Eden, a Punchbowl, and a Biarritz green with a swale on the par-3 16th. The course is public, with a driving range, large practice putting greens, and a short game area. Tee times can be booked up to seven days ahead through the park district's booking system.

Romeoville, IL

Mistwood Golf Club is an 18-hole public course in Romeoville, Illinois, owned by the late Jim McWethy. The course underwent an extensive multi-year renovation led by architect Ray Hearn that updated bunkers, tees, fairways, greens and drainage, introducing revetted pot bunkers uncommon on American courses. Mistwood has long served as home to the Illinois Women's Open and remains a prominent public course in the Chicago area.

Glenview, IL

Tom Fazio design on the former Glenview Naval Air Station

Homewood, IL

Ravisloe Country Club is an 18-hole, par-70 course in Homewood, Illinois, founded in 1901 on the former Briggs farm. The original nine holes were laid out by James Foulis and Theodore Moreau; William Watson expanded the course to 18 holes from 1910-13, and Donald Ross renovated it from 1917-19. Its Spanish Mission-style clubhouse was designed by George Nimmons, and the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. Ravisloe closed in 2008 and reopened as a public course in 2009. A restoration of Ross-era features was carried out by David Esler beginning in 2001.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Chicago, IL

Harborside International Golf Center's Port Course is an 18-hole public links-style course in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Dick Nugent and opened in 1995. Built in the tradition of windswept Scottish, Irish and English seaside courses, it plays about 7,123 yards with sweeping views of the Chicago skyline. The course quickly drew national attention and has been regarded as one of the city's premier public tests. It is managed by KemperSports at the Harborside complex on the city's South Side.

Evanston, IL

A rebuilt 1919 community course on the North Shore Channel

Last verified 2026-09-14

Grayslake, IL

Arthur Hills design through Illinois orchard country

Bloomington, IL

The Den at Fox Creek is a public course in Bloomington, Illinois, built as the city's third municipal course and designed as an Arnold Palmer Signature course. It opened on August 1, 1997, laid out in a Scottish links style with wild prairie grasses filling the rough around bentgrass tees, fairways and greens. Palmer played in the course's grand opening round and later returned for its formal opening event in 1998. The layout runs to roughly 6,900 yards from the back tees with wide fairways offset by 131 bunkers, and water comes into play on about half the holes. It has hosted the Illinois high school boys' state championship and is operated by the City of Bloomington's parks department, with a full practice area including a large range, chipping green and putting green.

Beach Park, IL

ThunderHawk Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 public course operated by the Lake County Forest Preserves, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 1999. Its fairways were carved through 241 acres of forest, marsh and prairie between the Zion and Beach Park area of northeastern Illinois, near the Wisconsin border. It was the first public course in the United States to achieve Audubon Signature certification. Generous fairways are guarded by numerous bunkers and tall fescue rough.

Addison, IL

Restored DuPage County forest preserve course

Aurora, IL

Orchard Valley Golf Course is a public course owned by the Fox Valley Park District in Aurora, Illinois, on the city's west side. It opened in 1993 and became known for bringing a private-club style layout to public golf in the Chicago area, highlighted by a two-tiered green fronted by a pond and waterfall near its opening holes. The course was designed by Ken Kavanaugh and has hosted the Illinois Open Championship. Large, undulating greens and ample fairways create risk-reward options on several of the shorter par fours, with a closing hole that requires a tee shot over water. Orchard Valley is open to public play and is undergoing a multi-year renovation of its bunkers, irrigation, greens and cart paths, funded through a park district capital project, with completion anticipated in 2026.

Chicago, IL

Step onto a links-style layout that transports you from the urban sprawl of Chicago to a windswept, open expanse. This course, designed by Dick Nugent, offers a refreshing challenge with its undulating fairways and strategic bunkering, reminiscent of classic Scottish courses. You'll find yourself navigating a terrain shaped by the elements, demanding thoughtful shot-making and a keen understanding of wind conditions. It's a fantastic local escape, providing a genuine golf experience without the need for extensive travel. The course is particularly well-suited for golfers who appreciate a strategic test and enjoy the raw beauty of a links-inspired design. If you're looking to hone your game on a challenging yet fair track, or simply seeking a unique round close to the city, this course delivers. Its distinct character and excellent conditioning make it a standout option for a memorable day on the greens, offering a refreshing departure from typical parkland layouts. You'll leave feeling like you've truly played a round of golf.

Wilmington, IL

Cinder Ridge Golf Course is in Wilmington, Illinois, about an hour southwest of Chicago. Owner George Kappos designed the course, which opened in 1995 on about 350 acres of former coal-mining land. It takes its name from the ridges of cinders the mines left behind. Holes wind through ravines, flat ground and old mine spoil, and most are separated from each other, so you rarely see another group. There are 56 bunkers and medium to large greens. It plays 6,968 yards at par 72 from the back tees with a 139 slope, and the forward tees start at 4,840 yards. Cinder Ridge is open to the public.

Chicago, IL

Jackson Park Golf Course opened on May 11, 1899, on the South Side lakefront grounds that had hosted the World's Columbian Exposition six years earlier. Designed by Tom Bendelow, it was the first public golf course in Chicago and one of the first municipal courses in the country. The course returned in 2026 as a fully renovated 18-hole layout, the only 18-holer in the Chicago Park District's golf portfolio. Mature trees and large greens carry the bones of the old design across the 500-acre park. Generations of Chicago golfers learned the game here, and the course remains a regular home for the Chicago City Amateur. For public golf in America, this is one of the places where it started.

Bolingbrook, IL

Bolingbrook Golf Club is an 18-hole municipal course in Bolingbrook, roughly an hour southwest of Chicago, designed by Arthur Hills with Steve Forrest. The course was built on former open farmland and now features elevated tees, rolling fairways, and seven lakes across five sets of tees ranging from about 4,931 to 7,104 yards. Notable holes include an island-green par 3 and a 600-yard par 5. An onsite clubhouse houses a restaurant, pro shop, and golf academy with a driving range.

Mundelein, IL

Pine Meadow Golf Club is an 18-hole public course in Mundelein, Illinois, originally designed by William Flynn in 1927 and substantially reworked in the mid-1980s by Joe Lee and Rocky Roquemore. The course offers seven sets of tees ranging from about 5,272 to 7,238 yards, framed by towering blue spruce and pine trees. Its layout blends Flynn's original routing with the later redesign into a modern daily-fee test. Pine Meadow is a member of the Illinois PGA course network in Lake County.

Marengo, IL

Blackstone Golf Club is a daily-fee course in Marengo, Illinois, in the far northwest Chicago suburbs. The layout was designed by architect Bob Lohmann and routes through wetlands, forested sections of hickory and oak, and open meadow, with more than 26 acres of protected wetland areas crossing 13 holes. The par-72 course measures 6,727 yards from its longest tees and offers four sets of tees, playing as short as roughly 4,893 yards, with 54 bunkers positioned around the fairways and greens. Blackstone operates as a public facility with a clubhouse, pro shop and driving range, and also offers seasonal membership packages alongside daily green fees.

Glen Ellyn, IL

The Village Links of Glen Ellyn sits on land in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, that the village originally set aside in the 1960s to combine a public golf course with stormwater detention for the area. Architect David Gill of St. Charles, Illinois designed the original course, which opened for play in 1967. Gill's design incorporated bentgrass tees, irrigated fairways and a mix of sand and water hazards that were ahead of their time for a public course. A third nine, the Link-Up Nine, opened in 1975 and was later combined with the back nine to form an 18-hole course, leaving the original front nine as a separate 9-hole layout, giving the facility 27 total holes today. The Village Links is publicly owned and open to daily fee play. It has hosted PGA Tour qualifying and U.S. Open sectional qualifying rounds over the years.

Madison, IL

Gateway National Golf Links is a links-style public golf course in Madison, Illinois, within view of the Gateway Arch across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. Rolling fairways separated by mounding move through former pastureland, with tall grasses, lakes, wood-tie bunkers, and stone bridges. The course was designed by architect Keith Foster and opened in 1999. It is noted for having bentgrass fairways, a rarity among public courses in the St. Louis region. Gateway National is open to the public with cart fees included in green fees, and walking is permitted at any time. The clubhouse offers dining with views of the course, and the facility hosts corporate and charity golf outings.