Invitation & Access · West Suburbs
Butler National Golf ClubOak Brook
George Fazio's championship course in Oak Brook, home of the Western Open from 1974 to 1990.
Par
71
Yardage
7,550
Rating · Slope
78.4 · 155
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Butler National Golf Club
Butler National is a private golf club in Oak Brook, open to members and their guests, with a course its founder intended to test the world's best professionals. From the Butler tees it measures 7,550 yards at par 71 with a 78.4 rating and 155 slope. A creek, a series of water hazards the Fazios built, tree-lined fairways and small, angled greens set the tone from the opening holes onward.
History
Butler National Golf Club — History
Founder Paul Butler gave George Fazio free rein and prized land; Fazio spent two years shaping the course and another year building it, with his nephew Tom Fazio on hand for much of construction. It was the Western Open's home from 1974 until the event moved to Cog Hill in 1991. Tom Fazio's firm remodeled it in 2004-05, turning the 12th into a par 4 and adding 150 yards.
Design
Butler National Golf Club — Design
Planet Golf says Butler wanted a course hard enough for the world's best, and the Fazios obliged on wooded ground with moderate elevation change by building a series of water hazards. The real defense is the greens: undersized, generally angled across the fairway, contoured and kept slick, with pins tucked behind bunkers. The 2004-05 remodel moved fairway bunkers longer and tighter to the landing zones and rebuilt every greenside bunker.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Butler National Golf Club
Planet Golf counts it among America's hardest courses; it hosted 17 straight Western Opens, and its 78.4 rating and 155 slope from 7,550 yards bear that reputation out.
The Round
The Journey at Butler National Golf Club
I.
The Opening
The round begins with a 375-yard par 4, the shortest on the card, then the 563-yard par-5 2nd. Par 4s of 433 and 411 yards follow before the 5th starts what Planet Golf calls a nasty run: a 227-yard par 3 played over a lake to a peninsula green. The 474-yard 6th that follows is long and narrow.
II.
The Middle
The 623-yard 7th, the No. 1 handicap, bends so sharply around a creek and trees that it discourages an aggressive drive. The 214-yard par-3 8th runs along the creek's rim, and the 461-yard 9th has a slender, tree-pinched fairway and a small green. The 450-yard 10th, the No. 2 handicap, ends with a rising approach across a pond; the 193-yard 11th has an angled green, and the 492-yard 12th, once a par 5, is the longest par 4.
III.
The Finish
The 199-yard 13th is another par 3 with a cleverly angled green, and the 457-yard 14th asks for a drive along a lake. The 638-yard 15th is the longest hole on the card, and the 390-yard 16th is the shortest par 4 on the back nine. Long par 4s of 466 and 484 yards finish the round; on the 18th a large oak guards the right of the fairway, so players drive left and carry more water or bend the second around its limbs.
How to Play It
Butler National Golf Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
At a 155 slope from the back tees, Butler National is a severe test, so play the most forward tees available and count bogeys as good scores. On the 5th the carry over the lake is the whole hole, so take enough club. Lay up sensibly on the 7th rather than cutting the corner, and on the 9th and 12th favor accuracy over distance off the tee.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Butler's greens are small, angled and quick, so approaches to the middle beat flag hunting. On the 7th, keep the drive conservative as the dogleg around the creek and trees demands. The 12th plays as a long par 4 to a tiny, crowned front entrance, so treat it as a bogey hole if the drive misses. The 9th's narrow, tree-lined fairway rewards a controlled club off the tee.
Advanced / Low Handicap
From 7,550 yards and a 78.4 rating, seven par 4s measure 450 yards or more, so long-iron approaches decide the score. Pins can sit behind bunkers on small wings of angled greens; choose the side of the fairway that opens the angle. At the 18th, decide early between the left-side drive that leaves a longer water carry and bending the second around the oak.
Signature Holes
Butler National Golf Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Butler National Golf Club Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
| Yards | 375 | 563 | 433 | 411 | 227 | 474 | 623 | 214 | 461 | 3,781 | 450 | 193 | 492 | 199 | 457 | 638 | 390 | 466 | 484 | 3,769 | 7,550 |
| Handicap | 13 | 7 | 15 | 9 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 3 | — | 2 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 4 | — | — |
Good to Know
Butler National Golf Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Butler National Golf Club?
- Butler National Golf Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Who designed Butler National Golf Club?
- Butler National Golf Club was designed by George Fazio.
- What is the par and yardage at Butler National Golf Club?
- Butler National Golf Club plays to a par of 71 over 7,550 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 78.4 and a slope of 155.
- Is Butler National Golf Club public or private?
- Butler National Golf Club is a private member club — not open to public play. Access is by membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Where is Butler National Golf Club located?
- Butler National Golf Club is located at 2616 S York Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523, in the West Suburbs area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Butler National Golf Club.
Butler National Golf Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests, with no public tee sheet. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.
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