Chicagoland · Golf Guide
Chicago’s finest fairways.
Chicagoland’s best golf courses — mapped, rated, routed to the booking.
The House Style
A golf guide, done properly.
Curated
Chicagoland’s best courses — the North Shore to Northwest Indiana, Medinah to Kohler — written up with the same editorial eye. No filler, no fluff.
Independent
No upsells, no fabricated rankings. Honest write-ups of how each course actually plays and what it really costs.
Actionable
We don't sell tee times — we map them. Every page shows exactly how you get on: GolfNow for public play, direct booking for the resort courses, and the members-only clubs — including how to become a member.
The Directory
The best golf courses in
Chicagoland.
91 courses — across Chicago, the North Shore, the western and southern suburbs, Northwest Indiana and the Wisconsin trips. A few favorites below; the full directory is one click away.
Tom Bendelow; redesigned by OCM Golf · Medinah
Medinah Country Club — Course No. 3
Medinah's championship course, redesigned by OCM Golf in 2024 and host of the 2026 Presidents Cup.
Dick Wilson and Joe Lee; redesigned by Rees Jones · Lemont
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club — Dubsdread (No. 4)
Wilson and Lee's public Lemont course, host of 16 Western Opens and five BMW Championships.
Pete Dye · Kohler
Whistling Straits — The Straits
Pete Dye's walking-only links on two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline near Kohler, Wisconsin.
The Terrain
Parkland, prairie and lakeshore fairways.
Chicago golf is geography — Golden Age parkland along the North Shore, championship golf in the western suburbs at Medinah and Butler National, and the Lake Michigan bluffs at Whistling Straits a drive north. Every course is written for the round and the landscape around it.
Explore the Courses →How to Book
We don't sell tee times. We map them.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide. Most courses you book yourself on GolfNow; the marquee resorts book direct through the property; the private clubs are members-only. Each page tells you which — and the exact way on.
01
Public courses
Cog Hill's Dubsdread, Harborside, Cantigny and The Glen Club all take public tee times, most through the course's own tee sheet. Each listing links the way to book, GolfNow included where it sells the course.
02
Members-only clubs
Chicago Golf Club, Medinah, Butler National, Shoreacres and the rest are private — play is members-and-guests only. We lay out each club's access so you know where you stand.
03
Golf trips
Whistling Straits, Erin Hills and Sand Valley in Wisconsin are trips, not day trips: a long drive and usually a night away. Each listing spells out how the course books, including any priority for overnight guests.
Making a day of it in Chicago? Pair the round with the city's best dining and nightlife through our sister guide, MyRSVP.