
Lakeside/Hillside Course
Cantigny Golf


About this course
Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, Illinois, operates two distinct 18-hole courses designed by Roger Packard and opened in 1989. The facility sits on the former estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, and the property's history as a private estate influences the courses' parkland character. The land was donated to create a public golf facility alongside the Cantigny Park museums and gardens, making it one of the more accessible daily-fee options in the western Chicago suburbs. The Lakeside course plays as the shorter and more forgiving of the two layouts, featuring water hazards on several holes and a routing that moves through mature trees and relatively gentle terrain. The Hillside course offers more elevation change and strategic challenge, with Packard incorporating the property's natural contours into a design that demands more precise shot-making. Both courses share the manicured parkland aesthetic common to upscale Chicagoland golf, with tree-lined fairways and well-bunkered greens. Cantigny's dual-course setup allows the facility to accommodate high rounds volume while maintaining solid conditioning standards. The courses host various regional amateur events and remain popular with suburban Chicago golfers seeking a step up from municipal facilities without private club membership. The setting within Cantigny Park, which includes military history museums and formal gardens, distinguishes the golf experience from typical daily-fee venues in the region.
Quick facts
- Location
- Wheaton, IL, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1989
- Designer
- Roger Packard
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,831 yards
- Difficulty
- 78/142
Getting there
Cantigny Golf sits just thirty miles west of Chicago's downtown core, accessible via Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) or Midway International (MDW) with a straightforward forty-five-minute drive through the western suburbs. For those arriving by private aircraft, Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in nearby Wheaton offers a seamless alternative, positioning you mere minutes from the club's entrance. The final leg traces quiet residential roads through the affluent communities of DuPage County before arriving at Cantigny's stately gates, where the transition from suburban sprawl to the manicured grounds of this storied private club feels like stepping into a different era entirely - a sanctuary of championship golf anchored by the Lakeside and Hillside courses, both legacies of the estate's transformation into one of the Midwest's most respected private institutions.

FAQ
Common questions about Lakeside/Hillside at Cantigny Golf
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Lakeside/Hillside was designed by Roger Packard.
Yes. Lakeside/Hillside at Cantigny Golf is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Lakeside/Hillside is 72.
Lakeside/Hillside plays 6,831 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Lakeside/Hillside is 142.
Lakeside/Hillside is a 18-hole course.





