
Palos Course
Palos Country Club

About this course
Palos Country Club sits in Palos Park, a wooded suburb southwest of Chicago, and occupies rolling terrain characteristic of the region's glacial moraine landscape. The course was designed by Chick Evans, the celebrated amateur golfer and 1916 U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur champion, with later work by Ken Killian, a respected Chicago-area architect known for his renovations and restorations throughout the Midwest. Evans, who spent most of his competitive career in the Chicago area, brought a player's perspective to the routing, emphasizing strategic variety and shot values suited to the region's playing conditions. The layout moves through mature hardwood forests and across moderate elevation changes, creating natural separation between holes and a parkland character distinct from the flatter prairie courses found elsewhere in the Chicago suburbs. The design reflects Evans's understanding of championship golf while remaining accessible to a range of abilities, with greens that reward precision and fairways that demand thoughtful positioning. Killian's contributions helped preserve the original design intent while adapting the course to modern equipment and maintenance standards. Palos Country Club functions as a private facility serving the southwest Chicago suburbs, maintaining a traditional membership structure typical of established Midwestern clubs. The course provides a year-round home for members when weather permits, with a season shaped by the region's continental climate. The setting offers a quiet, wooded retreat within reasonable distance of the city, a quality that has sustained the club's appeal across generations.
Quick facts
- Location
- Palos Park, IL, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1917
- Designer(s)
- Chick Evans, Ken Killian
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 70
- Length
- 6,273 yards
- Difficulty
- 70.4/128
Getting there
Most arrivals to Palos Country Club route through Chicago's Midway International Airport, a straightforward twenty-minute drive southwest into the wooded suburbs of Cook County. O'Hare offers an alternative gateway, though the approach from the northwest adds another fifteen minutes through the city's western corridor. The final miles peel away from commercial sprawl into the surprisingly tranquil landscape of Palos Park, where the club's tree-lined entrance emerges along McCarthy Road - a quiet transition from urban pulse to the secluded, rolling terrain that has defined this storied enclave since 1922.

FAQ
Common questions about Palos
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Palos was designed by Chick Evans and Ken Killian.
Yes. Palos is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Palos is 70.
Palos plays 6,273 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Palos is 128.
Palos is a 18-hole course.



