The Guide
How to play golf in Chicago.
Evergreen, independent answers to the questions that actually matter — how to book, where to play by budget and access, when to go, and how to build the trip around the round in Chicagoland.
More Guides
How to Book
How to Play Golf in Chicago: Tee Times & Access
Who can play where around Chicago: park-district and daily-fee golf, semi-private and resort access, booking windows, walking rules and the season.
Best Courses
Chicago's Courses on Golf Digest's 100 Greatest
Chicago Golf Club, Shoreacres, Medinah No. 3 and Butler National lead Golf Digest's 2025-26 lists. The Illinois top 35 and the ranked courses you can play.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses on Chicago's North Shore
North Shore golf guide: The Glen Club, the semi-private Fazio course visitors can book, plus the private clubs behind a century of championships.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses in Chicago's Western Suburbs
Where to play in Chicago's western suburbs: the Preserve at Oak Meadows, Cantigny and Prairie Landing first, then Medinah and the private clubs.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses in Chicago's South & Southwest Suburbs
Where to play south of Chicago: Cog Hill's Dubsdread, Mistwood, Ruffled Feathers, Ravisloe and Harborside, plus the old private clubs of the south suburbs.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses in Lake County, Illinois
Lake County golf: Stonewall Orchard, ThunderHawk and Shepherd's Crook for public tee times, plus Kemper Lakes, The Merit Club, Wynstone and Ivanhoe.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses in the Fox Valley & McHenry County
Where to play in the Fox Valley and McHenry County: Highlands of Elgin, Blackstone and RedTail first, then Rich Harvest Farms and the private clubs.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses in Northwest Indiana
Northwest Indiana golf on Chicago time: Aberdeen, Sandy Pines, Lost Marsh, Beechwood, Legacy Hills and White Hawk, plus three members-only clubs.
Where to Play
Kohler Golf: Whistling Straits & Blackwolf Run
Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run compared: Kohler's four Pete Dye courses, walking rules, rankings, Erin Hills as the add-on and how to book.
Where to Play
Sand Valley Golf: A Trip Guide from Chicago
Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, Sedge Valley and the Lido compared: the drive from Chicago, walking rules, Lido access and which course to build around.
Where to Play
Best Golf Courses in Lake Geneva & Kenosha
Grand Geneva's Brute and Highlands, Geneva National's three courses and Kenosha County's Brighton Dale: who can play, what to expect, how to book.
Plan Your Trip
Wisconsin Golf Trips from Chicago: Kohler or Sand Valley?
Kohler, Sand Valley, Erin Hills or Lake Geneva? Drive times, walking rules and who each trip suits, plus TPC Deere Run as the Illinois alternative.
Plan Your Trip
When to Golf in Chicago: A Season-by-Season Guide
Chicago golf runs from about April to early November. A month-by-month guide with NOAA normals, Wisconsin resort seasons and the tournament calendar.
Where to Play
Best Public Golf Courses in Chicago
Chicago's best public golf by region: Cog Hill No. 4, The Glen Club, Mistwood, Harborside and more, with Golfweek 2026 and Golf Digest 2025-26 ranks.
Plan Your Trip
Planning a Chicago Golf Trip
Plan a Chicago golf trip: public courses by region, adding Kohler, Erin Hills, Sand Valley or Lake Geneva, when to come and published drive times.