The hardest golf courses in Chicago, Illinois
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Chicago, Illinois, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 74 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Lemont, Aurora, Wheaton, Olympia Fields, La Grange and 37 more nearby towns.
Butler National Golf Club
Oak Brook, IL, USASlope rating 155, 78.4 course rating, Butler tees, 7,550 yds
PrivateGeorge Fazio & Tom Fazio
- 4.7Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 3.7Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
One of the most difficult courses in the U.S., will absolutely beat you up. Mend only club as there’s only a few left in the country, must play for sure. Green complex and speed is hard to describe. Great finishing holes.
Written by
@Mister_Nobody
- Pristine
- Fast greens
- Challenging
#4 Dubsdread
Cog Hill Golf and Country Club
Lemont, IL, USASlope rating 153, 78.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,554 yds
PublicDick Wilson & Joe Lee
- 4.2Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.4Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
Dubsdread is about as classic as Chicago public golf gets. A true championship test with a rich PGA Tour history, this Dick Wilson and Joe Lee design still lives up to its “hard but fair” reputation.
Written by
@TGUN312
- Challenging
- Pristine
- Driving range
#3
Medinah Country Club
Medinah, IL, USASlope rating 152, 78.3 course rating, Gold tees, 7,657 yds
PrivateRees Jones & Tom Bendelow
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.2Layout
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
Played pre-renovation. Course was tough parkland course. Tight, trees, rough, length, water etc. Par 3s were a bit repetitive which has since been changed. Holes 7-11 all felt the same.
Written by
@bdunc418
- Driving range
- Must play
- Pristine
Red/Blue
Butterfield Country Club
Oak Brook, IL, USASlope rating 147, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,918 yds
PrivateWilliam Langford & Theodore J. Moreau
- 1.5Conditions
- 1.0Layout
- NRScenery
- 1.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Pristine
- Fast greens
Blue/White
Butterfield Country Club
Oak Brook, IL, USASlope rating 146, 75.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,109 yds
PrivateWilliam Langford & Theodore J. Moreau
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 3.8Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
- Fast greens
- Restaurant
- Bar
Chicago Highlands Golf Club
Westchester, IL, USA
Slope rating 145, 77.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,528 yds
Flossmoor Golf Club
Flossmoor, IL, USA
Slope rating 144, 75.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,136 yds
Crystal Tree Golf & Country Club
Orland Park, IL, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.0 course rating, Gold tees, 6,850 yds
George W. Dunne National
Oak Forest, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 75.4 course rating, Gold tees, 7,262 yds
(North) Olympia Fields Country Club
Olympia Fields, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,937 yds
Big Run Golf Club
Lockport, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.6 course rating, Championship tees, 7,008 yds
The Preserve at Oak Meadows
Addison, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.1 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,015 yds
Bob O'Link Golf Club
Highland Park, IL, USA
Slope rating 140, 75.6 course rating, Green tees, 7,247 yds
North Shore Country Club
Glenview, IL, USA
Slope rating 140, 75.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,137 yds
Klein Creek Golf Club
Winfield, IL, USA
Slope rating 140, 72.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,701 yds
Beverly Country Club
Chicago, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 74.4 course rating, Championship tees, 7,063 yds
Lake Shore Country Club
Glencoe, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 74.0 course rating, Yellow tees, 7,000 yds
Itasca Country Club
Itasca, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 73.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,815 yds
(South/East) Arrowhead Golf Club
Wheaton, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 73.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,707 yds
Idlewild Country Club
Flossmoor, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 72.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,741 yds
The Glen Club
Glenview, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,149 yds
(Port) Harborside International Golf Center
Chicago, IL, USA
Slope rating 137, 74.6 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,123 yds
Chicago Golf Club
Wheaton, IL, USA
Slope rating 137, 73.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,877 yds
(18 Hole) Village Links of Glen Ellyn
Glen Ellyn, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,208 yds
Edgewood Valley Country Club
La Grange, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,969 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Chicago, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Butler National Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Chicago, Illinois at Slope 155 (78.4 course rating · Butler tees · 7,550 yds). 74 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Chicago, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Chicago, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:49 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
