Chicago Golf Courses & Tee Times in Indiana

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.

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

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 Chicago

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. 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.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. 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 Creekside Golf Course and River Pointe Country Club.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked