Chicagoland Signature Golf Courses

The Chicagoland area boasts some of the top-rated golf courses in America. Designers have carved out dozens of championship layouts surrounded by lakes and ponds to produce a few of the most natural settings in the game. Below is a list of golfer’s guide’s signature courses where you’ll be able to find affordable and challenging places to play with a few four-star courses sprinkled in.

Chicagoland Signature Golf Course List

Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club
Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club

Come see for yourself why Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club ranked as a five-star course in Chicagoland Golf Magazine. Situated on 166 rolling, wooded acres, Heritage Bluffs hosts an incredible 18 holes of championship golf on a setting seldom seen in the Chicagoland area. The cou... more

Hilldale Golf Club
Hilldale Golf Club

Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Hilldale Golf Club is a good test for any skill level. While Hilldale might come across as a scaled down version of the super long courses touring pros play today, don't let the yardage fool you, this par-71 course has a rating of 71.6 and a s... more

Orchard Valley Golf Club
Orchard Valley Golf Club

Rated as one of Chicagoland's top five public courses, Orchard Valley is an 18-hole, 6,745-yard, par-72 championship layout. Designed by Ken Kavanaugh and opened in 1993, this impeccably conditioned course features bentgrass tees, greens and fairways. Having hosted numerous PGA s... more

Bloomington-Normal Area Golf Courses
Bloomington-Normal Area Golf Courses

Bloomington-Normal was named the "5th Best American City for Golf" by Golf Digest in both their 2005 and 2006 Metro Rankings. Golf enthusiasts will love the Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington, a 6,926-yard par-72, four-star Arnold Palmer Signature-Designed Course that features be... more

Turkey Creek Golf Club
Turkey Creek Golf Club

Founded in 1928 Turkey Creek Golf Club, a Lake County Parks facility, continues to provide great golf to Northwest Indiana. The course offers hilly, tree-lined fairways with slightly sloping greens that provide the golfer with a feeling of a classic golf course. Turkey Creek also... more

The Den at Fox Creek
The Den at Fox Creek

The Den at Fox Creek is the city of Bloomington's third golf course.Bentgrass tees, greens and fairways compliment the Wild Prairie Grasses which grow in the rough to make a picturesque Scottish Links Style golf course. The course features 131 strategically placed sand traps,mak... more

Nettle Creek Country Club
Nettle Creek Country Club

Nettle Creek Country Club is links-style golf in a beautiful prairie environment rich with wildlife. Renowned for its fabulous greens, this upscale, 18-hole championship course is an easy 30-minute interstate drive from the populous Naperville-Bolingbrook-Plainfield area and just... more

Buffalo Grove Golf Club
Buffalo Grove Golf Club

This is one of the finest municipal facilities in the area, with bluegrass fairways and tees, and bentgrass greens. There is plenty of sand and water to provide hazards, with mature trees sprinkled throughout. The course is playable from three different sets of tees and features ... more

Oak Grove Golf Course
Oak Grove Golf Course

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2008, Oak Grove Golf Course is among only 12 Illinois golf courses ranked 4-1/2 stars by Golf Digest. This championship 18-hole course in McHenry County’s gorgeous, rural countryside features the best public greens in Chicagoland. Teeming... more

WeaverRidge Golf Club
WeaverRidge Golf Club

WeaverRidge Golf Club, in Peoria, Ill.,the second-place course on the Upscale Public list, is a visually stunning, strategically superior design by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. The front nine features some holes edged by housing, but the lots are hardly noticeable. A highlight i... more

Shepherd’s Crook Golf Course
Shepherd’s Crook Golf Course

Return to the roots of golf at Shepherd's Crook, a Zion Park District owned and operated layout that offers a passage back to golf's heritage. Designed by Keith Foster and opened in August 1999, Shepherd's Crook has earned rave reviews as a course that is both challenging and e... more

Plum Tree National Golf Club
Plum Tree National Golf Club

Nestled in the rolling hills of Northern Illinois lies Plum Tree National Golf Club, one of the most picturesque golf courses in the Chicagoland area. Rated consistently among the top courses on the Chicago golf scene, Plum Tree offers players a test of strategy, skill and patien... more

Woodruff Golf Course
Woodruff Golf Course

Due to its hilly terrain, this course can be both very demanding and remarkably scenic. Water hazards (creeks and ponds) come into play on a number of holes, and numerous large trees will frequently threaten to affect your shots. Larry Packard redesigned this course in 1966. ... more

Blue Needles Golf Course
Blue Needles Golf Course

Blue Needles Golf Course is today's state-of-the-art 18 hole course with excellent club house facilities, driving range, eight lakes, elevated greens, cart paths from tee to green, and plent of sand. This course is the "Hidden Jewel" of Central Illinois and puts a premium on... more

The Sanctuary Golf Course

The Sanctuary has matured into one of the better 18 golf courses in the Chicago Southland area and one of the best golf values anywhere. Golf Chicago magazine rates The Sanctuary a "Best Buy" and says, "The Sanctuary is a beautiful spot to spend your golf dollar."... more

The Arboretum Club
The Arboretum Club

T his is a spectacular Dick Nugent design with country club-style bentgrass fairways, tees and greens. The entire course is as picturesque as it is tightly bunkered, with plenty of water to keep you honest and provide a supreme test of shot-making ability. A new clubhouse and b... more

Fox Run Golf Links
Fox Run Golf Links

Located in Elk Grove Village, Fox Run Golf Links is a true hidden gem. Built in 1984 by William Newcomb, the course features Bentgrass greens, bluegrass fairways and a design that brings water into play on 12 of its 18 holes. A unique golf course in the northwest suburbs, Fox Run... more

Village Greens Golf Club
Village Greens Golf Club

Under new management since January 1st, Village Green Golf Course is experiencing a renaissance. This sporty, parkland-style course has always had a loyal following thanks to its fun layout and convenient central Lake County location, but it was in dire need of refurbishment. New... more

Cardinal Creek Golf Course
Cardinal Creek Golf Course

Cardinal Creek Golf Course is a 27-hole public course, conveniently located 35 minutes from Chicago on Route 1, in Beecher, Illinois. The course sits on 200 acres of gently rolling land and offers numerous ponds and thousands of mature trees to test the skill level of every golfe... more

White Pines Golf Club
White Pines Golf Club

Year-round, golf experience! White Pines Golf Club has been a favorite and best value among Chicagoland golfers since 1928. Situated on over 240 beautiful acres, White Pines is 10 minutes from O'Hare Airport and 30 minutes of downtown Chicago. White Pines offers players a choice ... more

Prairie Vista Golf Course
Prairie Vista Golf Course

The city of Bloomington opened Prairie Vista Golf Course in 1991. The course, which is an American Contemporary Style, has Bentgrass tees,greens and fairways and is a treat to play with water hazards located on 16 of the 18 holes.... more

Fox Bend Golf Course
Fox Bend Golf Course

Fox Bend Golf Course is recognized as one of the top 25 public courses in the Chicago area by Chicagoland Golf Magazine. This premiere facility has hosted the Illinois Open in 1979, 1997 and 1999, the Illinois PGA Championship in 1978 and the Western Open Qualifying in 1982. A ... more

Settler’s Hill Golf Course
Settler’s Hill Golf Course

Nestled in the heart of Kane County, Settler’s Hill Golf Course lives up to its name with dramatic elevation changes across a layout that traverses mature woodlands, vibrant wetlands and windswept highlands. The course’s distinctive look underscores its unique history... more

Foxford Hills Golf Club
Foxford Hills Golf Club

Heralded as a must-play by many Chicagoland golf publications, Foxford Hills offers 18 distinctly spectacular holes and an atmosphere evocative of Carolina resort golf for a fraction of the resort-golf price tag. At 7,023 yards from the tips, Foxford Hills tests golfers’ st... more

Glendale Lakes Golf Club
Glendale Lakes Golf Club

Glendale Lakes Golf Club is an 18-hole public golf course located in the western suburb of Glendale Heights. Golfers can enjoy bentgrass tees, fairways and greens at this Dick Nugent-designed golf course that will challenge golfers of all skill levels. Glendale Lakes has the adde... more

Klein Creek Golf Club
Klein Creek Golf Club

Klein Creek Golf Club is an 18-hole "must-play"- the more you play it, the lower you'll score! Conveniently located in suburban DuPage County, just south of Route 64 and County Farm Road, Klein Creek features contrasting gentle doglegs bounded by forest contrast with strategicall... more

Aldeen Golf Club
Aldeen Golf Club

Exceptional Golf. Incredibly Close. Unbelievable Price! Exceptional Golf. - The "must play" golf experience in the Midwest, Rockford's premiere public golf experience is found at Aldeen Golf Club. Eighteen championship holes with expertly manicured Penncross bentgrass gre... more

The Links at Carillon
The Links at Carillon

The Links at Carillon is a privately-owned and operated, semi-private daily fee golf course. It features 27 holes of championship golf, a full featured Links Learning Center, a golf shop carrying the latest in golf equipment and fashion and the Links Grille for daily menu dining ... more

Stonewall Orchard Golf Club
Stonewall Orchard Golf Club

Renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills brings his award-winning design talent to Illinois for the first time with the classic layout of Stonewall Orchard Golf Club. Hailed as the world's No. 2 designer by Golf World Magazine in 1998, Hills allowed the natural rolling land... more

Hughes Creek Golf Club
Hughes Creek Golf Club

Built on beautiful rolling hills, Hughes Creek Golf Club is a great Illinois golf destination. This 18-hole layout contains tee boxes that overlook parts of the entire course. But don't be hypnotized by the beauty, because you will need every club in your bag. Hughes Creek requir... more

Bolingbrook Golf Club
Bolingbrook Golf Club

Come play the course critics are still raving about as it matures into its 6th season. The Village of Bolingbrook has turned some former farmland into one of the top municipal golf courses in the country and one of the best places in all of Chicagoland to golf, dine, entertain an... more

Orchard Valley Golf Course
Orchard Valley Golf Course

Ranked as one of Chicagoland's top five courses, Orchard Valley Golf Course has been honored with 4-1/2 stars from Golf Digest's Places-to-Play for its diverse blend of natural challenges including wetlands, a waterfall and other intriguing water hazards.... more

Poplar Creek Country Club
Poplar Creek Country Club

From formidable fairways to exacting greens, Poplar Creek Country Club provides golfers with an 18-hole championship golf course that will challenge even the most adept pro. This par-70 course was designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent and features a winding creek and other chal... more

Brickyard Crossing Golf Course

Chicagoland Golf News

Golf’s leadership converges on Capitol Hill for First National Golf Day
Tuesday, 22 April 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some of golf’s most influential leaders and members of the game’s most prominent associations converged on the nation’s capitol to celebrate a bipartisan...
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The Trophy Club
Thursday, 03 April 2008

 The Trophy Club has handed out its fair share of hardware in the past. Now it's time for the majestic Lebanon, In. offering to be on the receiving end of a deserving award.Since opening in...
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Northern Illinois returns to athletic competition at Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate
Wednesday, 05 March 2008

HILTON HEAD ISLAND – Northern Illinois University’s men’s golf team shot a 325 on a blustery day at Wexford Plantation and finished in a three-way tie for last place at the...
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