Illinois Golf Courses

The latest information on golf courses in Illinois, focusing on those in the Chicagoland area.

Dawson Armstrong Holes Bunker Shot to Win 2015 Western Amateur

Western Amateur Olympia Fields Find more photos from the Western Amateur in our Flickr album here. From Barry Cronin On the second hole of a sudden death playoff, Dawson Armstrong holed a 20-yard bunker shot for eagle to win the 113th Western Amateur in the most dramatic fashion in memory. Armstrong's stunning shot from the sand fronting the par 5 second hole at Rich Harvest Farms meant that his opponent, Aaron Wise, needed to hole his 25-foot putt to match Armstrong's 3 to continue the playoff. But Wise's putt slid by, and when it did Armstrong fell into the arms of his father, Dale Armstrong, a former mini-tour player who caddied for his son during the two-day match play segment of the championship. (more…)

No “Gimme’s” Here…Windy City Amateur Tours Offer Competitive Golf for All Skill Levels

By Jim Zuccarelli GWAT, WCGT, NIMAGA, GCAM, and NAGT is an alphabet soup of acronyms that may not be recognizable to the average Windy City golfer, unless they are a member of one of the amateur golf tours that operate in the metro Chicago area. Some are affiliated with nationwide organizations that feed into national championships, while others are locally independent, but all exist to provide an outlet for local golfers to compete in tournaments guided by the USGA rule book. “I played competitive 12-inch softball into my early 50’s, and when I couldn’t play anymore due to injuries, the amateur golf tournaments provided an outlet for me to fill the competitive void,” shared Bill Stuhr of Carpentersville at the Golf Week Amateur Tour event at Harborside in May. Round Lake Beach resident Rob Davis drove 70 miles to the south side of Chicago and offered a different spin. “My friends like to stay close to home and don’t like to play the more expensive courses, so this is a chance for me to play the better courses in the area.” GolfWeek Amateur Tour Chicago (more…)

Let’s Play Two! 36 Holes of Great, Budget Friendly Windy City Golf

By Jim Zuccarelli One of my favorite golfing pastimes is taking a day off from work in the height of the summer and playing 36 holes at two of the fine courses that populate the Windy City Golf landscape. Following are some of the best combinations of courses that won't break your budget (under $90 total green fees, including cart) and within a 30 minute drive of one another (as per Google Maps calculation). You may have to do a little advanced planning to secure the right tee times to get all the holes in before dark, but the courses listed start their discounted pm rates no later than 3 o'clock, which should allow you to finish during the majority of the summer. All the rates are as published or as online tee times on the course websites, so additional savings may be scored with coupons, internet hot deals, senior/junior discounts, etc. So leave your cares and the weekend crowds behind and tee it up at one of the following combo’s that include some of the best layouts the Windy City has to offer: (more…)

Medinah will restore – not renovate – this Bendelow course

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm For reasons that have long escaped me, Tom Bendelow is still not in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was the course architect that, perhaps more than any other, got golf started in the United States. That’s especially evident in the Chicago area. Bendelow’s name has been on about 800 courses that were built from, roughly, 1895 to 1930. Most that have survived have been radically altered, among them Medinah’s famous No. 3 course that has hosted three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup matches. [caption id="attachment_1018" align="alignright" width="300"]Superintendent Curtis Tyrrell is tackling another big project at Medinah. Superintendent Curtis Tyrrell is tackling another big project at Medinah.[/caption] Bendelow was the original designer of all three courses on the Medinah property in the 1920s. The No. 1 layout was renovated last year by Michigan architect Tom Doak. More extensive work has been done on No. 3 over the years to prepare that layout for its big tournaments, and Rees Jones was the latest architect to do the work there. (more…)

Public golfers can experience a Donald Ross creation at Ravisloe

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm I guess you can learn something every day. I thought I knew a bit about Donald Ross, the famed golf designer, but I didn’t realize he had designed only one public course in Illinois. That course is Ravisloe in Homewood, which went public when Claude Gendreau purchased the club in 2009. Cheryl Justak, publisher of Golf Now! Chicago, and I had played Ravisloe during its 107 years as a private club (my lone round there was about 20 years ago). We were duly impressed by our long-planned return visit this week. The course was in great shape, the rough was so thick it was frequently difficult to find your ball and the greens and bunkers were both challenging and fun. The clubhouse was nice, too. All in all, a good experience. (more…)

Is This Really Illinois? Eagle Ridge Soars in Scenic Galena

By Jim Zuccarelli [caption id="attachment_1009" align="alignleft" width="300"]Eagle Ridge 4th Hole - South Course Eagle Ridge 4th Hole - South Course[/caption] The drive west on Route 20 offers occasional glimpses of the increasingly majestic views as the topography gradually changes from farmland flat to the rolling hills of the Galena Territory in the northwest corner of Illinois. Upon arriving at the vast Eagle Ridge resort property, the thick woods, rock outcroppings and steep elevation changes made me wonder if I had somehow took a wrong turn and left Illinois, as what I found is unlike 99.9% of the state I’ve called home my entire life. (more…)

Golf Course at Marquette Park a Vintage City Option

By Jim Zuccarelli Marquette Park 3rd HoleThe golfing options within the city of Chicago are surprisingly limited, with only 144 holes of public access golf available to the 2.7 million citizens. By contrast, my current hometown of Lemont (population 16,000) has 126 holes inside its borders. I grew up just 2 blocks beyond the west edge of the city in Oak Lawn, and one of the courses I frequented as a teenager was the 9 holes at Marquette Park. This layout at 67th & Kedzie is the southwest side outpost of the 63 holes currently operated by the Chicago Park District. (more…)

Winds of Change in West Chicago

Prairie LandingPrairie Landing’s $1.6M Makeover

Conveniently located less than an hour from downtown Chicago, West Chicago’s Prairie Landing Golf Club is a championship 18-hole golf course designed by world renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Prairie Landing was recently rated 4.5 stars by Golf Digest and features expansive grounds, an unmatched practice facility and first class banquet and meeting facilities. With recent upgrades to the course, dining, wedding and catering program, come see why Prairie Landing is recognized throughout Chicagoland as a premier destination for golf, dining, and events of all kinds. (more…)

Ross Inspired Ravisloe a Windy City Treasure

By Jim Zucarelli Windy City Public Golfer’s Guide Ravisloe - 1st HoleAnyone who watched the Men’s or Women’s 2014 U.S. Opens at Pinehurst #2 were treated to the golf course architectural genius of Donald Ross, arguably the most revered and accomplished designer to have worked on American soil. According to the Donald Ross Society, 13 courses in the Chicago area from 1913 to 1921 were either new creations or redesigns by Ross. All were private clubs until 2008, when Ravisloe Country Club in south suburban Homewood was sold to veterinary surgeon Dr. Claude Gendreau and became a public fee facility. (more…)