Invitation & Access · South Suburbs
Olympia Fields Country Club — South CourseOlympia Fields
Tom Bendelow's hilly South Course at Olympia Fields, crossed by Butterfield Creek and restored in 2023.
Par
72
Yardage
7,267
Rating · Slope
75.3 · 146
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course
The South Course is one of Olympia Fields Country Club's two 18s, for members and their guests, and the one in play while the North undergoes a restoration that began in 2026. The club highlights its dramatic elevation changes and Butterfield Creek, and Golf Club Atlas notes that hilly ground like this is rare for Chicago. From the back tees it plays 7,267 yards at par 72, with a 75.3 rating and 146 slope.
History
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course — History
Formerly the club's No. 1 Course, the South was designed by Tom Bendelow; the club dates the design to 1915 and Golf Club Atlas dates its opening to 1916. Holes were reworked through the 1920s, and two holes from the club's lost Course 2 were absorbed after a 1945 land sale. Steve Smyers renovated it in 2007-08, and Andy Staples restored it in 2023. It hosted the 2011 U.S. Girls' Junior and the 2012 Junior Ryder Cup.
Design
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course — Design
Golf Club Atlas describes hills used as sites for tees, greens and fairway crests, producing semi-blind drives and uphill, downhill and sidehill approaches. Staples' restoration, drawn from the club's archive, aimed for firmer ground suited to running shots, with expanded fairways, reconfigured tees and more short grass around the greens. The club's caddie notes return to the same themes: blind shots, false fronts, and tiered, hard-to-read greens.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course
Rare for Chicago, the South plays over genuinely hilly ground, and it shares a club with the North Course, host of two U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships.
The Round
The Journey at Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course
I.
The Opening
On the 410-yard 1st, the drive lays up short of the creek, leaving a second shot up the hill to a hard-to-read green. The 450-yard 2nd ends in a blind approach to a triple-tiered green, and the 460-yard 3rd doglegs left past fairway bunkers to a false front. The 495-yard 4th, the longest par 4, needs a drive to the hilltop and a second over the creek. The 185-yard 5th plays uphill, and the 550-yard 6th ends at a narrow, deep green.
II.
The Middle
The 249-yard 7th is the longest par 3, with a wide green that falls hard from right to left. The 387-yard 8th is a second-shot hole to a green perched on a hill, and the 571-yard 9th, the No. 1 handicap, has a blind second over a hill. On the 530-yard 10th a creek runs left, then crosses 145 yards out; the 350-yard 11th has a creek crossing short of the green and a bunker splitting its fairway, and the 212-yard 12th plays uphill.
III.
The Finish
The 419-yard 13th usually plays into the wind, with a creek left and a shallow green behind a false front. The 161-yard 14th is the respite, though the wind swirls there. The 442-yard 15th threads trees to a multi-tiered green, and the 370-yard 16th has a blind drive over a hill. The 484-yard 17th, the No. 2 handicap, doglegs right through trees, and the 542-yard 18th climbs blind to a multi-tiered green on the march toward the clock tower.
How to Play It
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
From 7,267 yards and a 146 slope, the South is demanding, so play a forward set and take a caddie, whose reads the club calls a must on its hard-to-read greens. Lay up short of the creek where it crosses the 10th and 11th, and play the 9th and 18th as three-shot holes. Expect blind shots on the 2nd, 9th, 16th and 18th, and ask for the line.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Much of the trouble is at the greens: false fronts on the 3rd, 13th and 16th, and tiered surfaces on the 2nd, 15th and 18th. Take enough club wherever a false front guards the green, and on the 17th, which the club calls a three-club green front to back, check the pin before choosing. On the 11th, pick a side of the split fairway before teeing off.
Advanced / Low Handicap
The 75.3 rating is earned on the par 4s: the 4th at 495 yards, the 17th at 484, and the 2nd and 3rd at 450 and 460. On the 3rd, a right-to-left drive that carries the bunkers leaves a mid-length approach. Use the front-right entry on the 7th to feed the ball toward the hole, and keep tee shots below the hole on the back-to-front 12th.
Signature Holes
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course — Signature Holes
The Card
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course 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 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 410 | 450 | 460 | 495 | 185 | 550 | 249 | 387 | 571 | 3,757 | 530 | 350 | 212 | 419 | 161 | 442 | 370 | 484 | 542 | 3,510 | 7,267 |
| Handicap | 11 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 1 | — | 4 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 6 | — | — |
Good to Know
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course — questions answered
- How do I get on Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course?
- Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course 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 Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course?
- Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course was designed by Tom Bendelow and opened in 1916.
- What is the par and yardage at Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course?
- Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course plays to a par of 72 over 7,267 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.3 and a slope of 146.
- Is Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course public or private?
- Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course 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 Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course located?
- Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course is located at 2800 Country Club Drive, Olympia Fields, IL 60461, in the South Suburbs area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course.
Olympia Fields Country Club — South Course 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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