Illinois
Southern Illinois Golf Courses & Tee Times
Golf in far southern Illinois runs along the I-57 corridor between Rend Lake and Carbondale, and the season stretches longer than it does up north. A 2022 Midwestern Golf piece on Kokopelli notes that Marion is far enough south that most winters let you get out now and then all year. The best-known public options are Rend Lake, a 27-hole E. Lawrence Packard design from 1976 under the golf-ball water tower off I-57, and Kokopelli in Marion, a Steve Smyers course that opened in 1996 on an old coal strip mine. Crab Orchard in Carterville goes back further, opening in 1959.
Can't get a tee time in Southern Illinois? Yoink watches 10 public courses, from Marion, Benton, Carterville, Murphysboro and Whittington. 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 Union County Country Club at 6,604 yards; there is one nine-hole course.
Who runs public golf in Southern Illinois
No city or county golf division turned up for the region, and several courses here are country clubs by name. The main exception is Rend Lake Golf Course in Whittington, which the Rend Lake Conservancy District lists as open to the public. Per its pro, the course is owned by that district, a water utility serving more than 80 southern Illinois communities. Crab Orchard calls itself semi-private, as does Kokopelli's architect, Steve Smyers. Crab Orchard also sells several membership plans.
Public courses worth knowing in Southern Illinois
- Rend Lake Golf Resort: 27 holes designed by E. Lawrence Packard, opened 1976, with bentgrass greens known for their size and lodging on site. Owned by the Rend Lake Conservancy District and a Gateway PGA Southern Illinois Open host.
- Kokopelli Golf Club: Steve Smyers design opened in 1996 on a former coal strip mine; Golfweek had it No. 10 in Illinois on its 2002 America's Best list. The par-3 5th drops 40 feet to a green framed by the old quarry lake.
- Crab Orchard Golf Club: Founded by touring pro Roy Glenn on the old Ferrell Farm and opened in 1959; a par-70 semi-private 18 with water on nine holes, under new owners since 2020.
Booking tee times in Southern Illinois: the local rules
Rend Lake takes tee times by phone at (618) 629-2353 or online through its resort site. No advance-booking windows or resident programs turned up for any course in the region.
Yoink
Book on release day, then let Yoink watch the rest
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 10 courses in Southern Illinois and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
10 courses in Southern Illinois
Benton
Marion
Murphysboro
Salem
Other
Franklin County Country Club
Par 71 and 6,600 yards from the back tees: Franklin County Country Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Illinois.
Greenview Golf Club
One hole moves 38 feet from tee to green — water borders seven of the eighteen.
Union County Country Club
One hole moves 79 feet from tee to green, and water borders eight of the eighteen.
Why tee times in Southern Illinois are hard to get
Golf in Southern Illinois follows the seasons: spring openers and fall weekends are the busiest stretches, and summer mornings fill before afternoons.
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
A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.
How to get a tee time in Southern Illinois
Yoink
Every course in Southern Illinois on one watchlist: all 10 of them
Pick the courses you'd play and Yoink keeps an eye on all 10 courses in Southern Illinois. You see what's open in one place, and you hear about it the moment a time that fits your day, window and group turns up, 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 Lake of Egypt Golf & Social Club.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Southern Illinois: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Southern Illinois?
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 Southern Illinois?
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 Southern Illinois?
Demand is highest on spring and fall weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Which courses in Southern Illinois are quickest to play?
Nine-hole and executive courses such as Lake of Egypt Golf & Social Club 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
- Chicago · 173 courses
- St. Louis · 33 courses
- Springfield & Champaign · 23 courses
- Peoria & Central Illinois · 22 courses
- Rockford & Northern Illinois · 21 courses
- Milwaukee · 11 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.
- More Missouri, MO · 7 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- rendlake.org · official
- enjoyillinois.com · government
- illinoisgolf.com · media
- illinoisgolf.com · directory
- craborchardgolf.com · official
- craborchardgolf.com · official
- midwesterngolf.com · media
- stevesmyers.com · official
- kokopelligolf.com · official
- kokopelligolf.com · official
Tee times in Southern Illinois, 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.