Illinois
Chicago Golf Courses & Tee Times
Chicago's public golf goes back to the 1890s. Jackson Park opened as nine holes on May 11, 1899, and is called the first municipal course west of the Alleghenies. It reopened on June 26, 2026, all 18 holes renovated. Cog Hill was bought in 1951 by Joe Jemsek, who became known for making golf accessible to the masses. Its Dubsdread layout, a 1964 Dick Wilson and Joe Lee design, hosted the Western Open for 16 straight years through 2006 and then the BMW Championship from 2009 to 2011. The CDGA, formed in 1914, now counts more than 119,000 members.
Can't get a tee time in Chicago? Yoink watches 173 public courses, from Hoffman Estates, Cary, Frankfort, Orland Park and Wheaton. Pick your courses, set the day and time you want, and get a notification when a tee time opens, cancellations included.
The longest layout here is Cog Hill G&CC at 7,554 yards; there are 33 nine-hole courses; there are 6 executive or par-3 courses for a quicker round.
Who runs public golf in Chicago
Two big public systems cover the city and inner suburbs. The Chicago Park District runs Jackson Park, the only 18, plus five nines: Columbus Park, Marquette Park, Robert A. Black, South Shore and Sydney R. Marovitz on the lakefront. Chicago residents pay less at all of them, and kids 17 and under play free with a paying adult. The Forest Preserves of Cook County run eleven courses under the Forest Preserve Golf name, including George W. Dunne National in Oak Forest, Highland Woods, Chick Evans and Joe Louis. Their FPG Card costs $41 for Cook County residents and $51 for everyone else. Indigo manages both systems, according to the official sites. Beyond Cook County, suburban park districts and privately owned daily-fee courses such as Cog Hill and Harborside fill in the rest.
Public courses worth knowing in Chicago
- Cog Hill G&CC: Joe Jemsek bought it in 1951. Dubsdread (Course No. 4), by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee in 1964 and redone by Rees Jones in 2007-08, hosted the Western Open 1991-2006 and the BMW Championship 2009-2011. Golf Digest lists it among America's 100 Greatest Public courses.
- Jackson Park Golf Course: Opened in 1899, the first municipal course west of the Alleghenies, laid out by Tom Bendelow. Par 70, about 5,500 yards. Fully renovated and reopened June 26, 2026.
- Harborside International - Starboard: Dick Nugent links-style course on the Far South Side, open since 1995 with Lake Calumet views. Tied 9th on Golfweek's Best 2025 list of Illinois public-access courses.
- Harborside International - Port: The second Nugent links course at Harborside. A $1.7 million bunker renovation was finished in 2017.
- Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course: Park District nine on the lakefront by Lincoln Park: 3,265 yards, par 36, tight greens, lots of sand and lake views on several holes.
- George W. Dunne National Golf Course: The Forest Preserves' 18-hole flagship in Oak Forest, one of two courses with the FPG Season Pass and 7-day booking.
Booking tee times in Chicago: the local rules
Park District tee times book online at cpdgolf.com with no booking fee when you book direct. Teens 13 to 17 without an adult can walk on free weekdays 11am to 3pm and after 4pm on weekends; they cannot reserve. Forest Preserve Golf posts its lowest rates online, and walk-up or phone bookings cost more. Its 2026 Season Pass, $79.99 a month at Highland Woods and George Dunne, adds 7-day advance booking from April 1 to October 31.
Yoink
The window opens once. Cancellations happen all week.
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 173 courses in Chicago and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
173 courses in Chicago
Arlington Heights
Aurora
Bartlett
Bartlett Hills Golf Course
One hole moves 34 feet from tee to green, and water borders eight of the eighteen.
The Villa Olivia Golf Course
The Villa Olivia Golf Course, an 18-hole regulation course in Bartlett, Illinois. There's real elevation change: some holes rise or fall about 60 feet from tee to green.
Bensenville
White Pines Golf Club - East
White Pines Golf Club - East, a shorter 18-hole course in Bensenville, Illinois. You'll carry water off the tee or into the green on 6 holes.
White Pines Golf Club - West Course
Par 72 and 6,624 yards from the back tees: White Pines Golf Club - West Course is an 18-hole regulation course in Bensenville, Illinois.
Bolingbrook
Buffalo Grove
Calumet City
Carpentersville
Cary
Cary Country Club
One hole moves 97 feet from tee to green. The longest forced water carry asks 166 yards.
Chalet Hills Golf Club
Chalet Hills Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Cary, Illinois, playing to par 73 across 6,877 yards.
Foxford Hills Golf Club
Par 72 and 6,988 yards from the back tees: Foxford Hills Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Cary, Illinois.
Chicago Heights
Crete
Deerfield
Dekalb
Elburn
Hughes Creek Golf Club
One hole moves 65 feet from tee to green — water borders seven of the eighteen.
Hughes Creek Golf Course - Hughes Creek Golf Cou
Hughes Creek Golf Course - Hughes Creek Golf Cou in Elburn, Illinois. There's real elevation change: some holes rise or fall about 72 feet from tee to green.
Frankfort
Green Garden Country Club - Blue Course
Green Garden Country Club - Blue Course is an 18-hole regulation course in Frankfort, Illinois, playing to par 72 across 6,670 yards.
Green Garden Country Club - Gold Course
Par 72 and 6,713 yards from the back tees: Green Garden Country Club - Gold Course is an 18-hole regulation course in Frankfort, Illinois.
Square Links | Executive | 10 Holes
Geneva
Glenview
Grayslake
Gurnee
Hickory Hills
Highland Park
Hoffman Estates
Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club
Water borders fifteen of the eighteen, and 61 bunkers are in play.
Highland Woods Golf Course
The Forest Preserve's northwest course, long and open.
Hilldale Golf Club
Hilldale Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, playing to par 71 across 6,432 yards.
Homer Glen
Huntley
Lemont
Lockport
Marengo
Marseilles
Mchenry
Morton Grove
Mundelein
Naperville
Norridge
North Chicago
Northbrook
Oak Brook
Orland Park
Palos Heights
Prospect Heights
Sandwich
Shabbona
Sugar Grove
Sycamore
Tinley Park
University Park
Vernon Hills
Village of Lakewood
West Chicago
West Dundee
Westmont
Wheaton
Wilmette
Wilmington
Woodridge
Woodstock
Craig Woods Golf Course
Craig Woods Golf Course, a nine-hole course in Woodstock, Illinois. Water comes into play on 8 of 9 holes, and you carry it on 4 of them. Keep the ball in front of you.
Crystal Woods Golf Course
Crystal Woods Golf Course, an 18-hole regulation course in Woodstock, Illinois. Water comes into play on 8 of 9 holes, and you carry it on 4 of them. Keep the ball in front of you.
Yorkville
Zion
Other
Billy Caldwell Golf Course
A Forest Preserve nine along the North Branch, quick and walkable.
Columbus Park Golf Course
Bendelow's links-style nine from 1910, wide and open. Home of the Cook County Amateur.
Deerpath Golf Course
Water borders six of the eighteen — the front nine plays 385 yards longer than the back.
Edgebrook Golf Course
Forest Preserve golf along the North Branch. Short irons all day.
Fairways Golf Course
Par 66 and 4,677 yards from the back tees: Fairways Golf Course is an 18-hole executive course in Illinois.
Fox Run Golf Links
The long par three plays 218 yards, and 59 bunkers are in play.
Harborside International - Port
Dick Nugent's links on an old landfill by Lake Calumet, skyline in view. The Anchor 15th has a 100-yard green; it hosted the 2002 SBC Senior Open.
Harborside International - Starboard
Dick Nugent's treeless links on a capped landfill beside Lake Calumet. The 17th, Buccaneers Cove, is a mid-iron over the lake with deep bunkers left.
Heritage Oaks Golf Club (IL) - Classic 18
Twenty-seven holes the park district rebuilt and renamed. Old-timers still say Sportsman's.
Indian Boundary Golf Course
Forest Preserve parkland along the Des Plaines River, short and well-treed.
Jackson Park Golf Course
Tom Bendelow laid it out in 1899 on the old World's Fair grounds, the first muni west of the Alleghenies. Flat, tree-lined, and renovated in 2026.
Marquette Park Golf Course
Olmsted's lagoons run through it and water touches seven of the nine. Was eighteen holes when it opened in 1913.
Old Orchard Country Club
Water borders ten of the eighteen, and eight of the eighteen bend.
River Heights Golf Course
Par 72 and 6,428 yards from the back tees: River Heights Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course near Dekalb, Illinois.
Robert A. Black Golf Course
The newest of the Park District's courses, a Nugent nine on the far North Side.
Silver Lake - North Course
Water borders eight of the eighteen. 61 bunkers are in play.
Silver Lake - South Course
Water borders eleven of the eighteen. 61 bunkers are in play.
South Shore Golf Course
Bendelow's lakefront nine from 1906, once a private club's. The Park District made it everyone's.
Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course
Lakefront nine on land reclaimed from Lake Michigan, opened in 1932. Every hole runs along the water, with the skyline in view and sand all over.
The Links at Carillon
Par 72 and 6,899 yards from the back tees: The Links at Carillon is a 27-hole golf facility near Plainfield, Illinois.
The Village Links of Glen Ellyn
Built in 1967 as a stormwater basin, so the water is the point. The first public course named an Audubon sanctuary.
Timber Pointe Golf Club
The long par three plays 229 yards, and one hole moves 30 feet from tee to green.
Why tee times in Chicago are hard to get
The season in Chicago runs roughly from spring to late fall. The first warm weekends in spring and the cool, dry weekends of fall are the hardest to book.
Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.
When tee time cancellations happen
Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.
How to get a tee time in Chicago
Yoink
Watch all 173 courses in Chicago. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink watches all 173 courses in Chicago for you. The open tee times sit in one place instead of a dozen booking pages, and your phone buzzes the moment one fits your day, time window and group, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Billy Caldwell Golf Course, Boughton Ridge Golf Course and Cardinal Creek Golf Course.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Chicago: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Chicago?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Chicago?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Chicago?
Demand is highest on spring and fall weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Which courses in Chicago are quickest to play?
Nine-hole and executive courses such as Billy Caldwell Golf Course, Boughton Ridge Golf Course and Cardinal Creek Golf Course take less time and are usually easier to book.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Illinois
- St. Louis · 33 courses
- Springfield & Champaign · 23 courses
- Peoria & Central Illinois · 22 courses
- Rockford & Northern Illinois · 21 courses
- Milwaukee · 11 courses
- Southern Illinois · 10 courses
- Quad Cities · 7 courses
- Lafayette & West Central Indiana · 2 courses
- Southern Indiana · 1 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Chicago, IN · 10 courses
- Milwaukee, WI · 55 courses
- Chicago, WI · 5 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- chicagoparkdistrict.com · official
- cpdgolf.com · official
- chicagogolfreport.com · media
- sydneymarovitz.cpdgolf.com · official
- columbuspark.cpdgolf.com · official
- chicagoparkdistrict.com · official
- southshore.cpdgolf.com · official
- forestpreservegolf.com · official
- cookcountyil.gov · government
- forestpreservegolf.com · official
- forestpreservegolf.com · official
- georgedunne.forestpreservegolf.com · official
- chicagogolfreport.com · media
- jacksonpark.cpdgolf.com · official
- coghillgolf.com · official
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- harborsidegolf.com · official
- harborsidegolf.com · official
- new.cdga.org · association
- cdga.org · association
Tee times in Chicago, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.