The hardest golf courses in Illinois
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in Illinois, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 174 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Gold 9/Silver 9
Rich Harvest Farms
Sugar Grove, IL, USASlope rating 155, 79.1 course rating, Professional tees, 7,699 yds
PrivateJerry Rich
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
Brute of a golf course. Notably 6-8 gold being a harsh stretch of holes. 4 and 5 silver can also cause big numbers, but can finish with some birdies on 6-9 Silver. However, I would take a bulldozer to a few greens (5 silver and 7-8 Gold)
Written by
@bdunc418
- Pristine
- Locker rooms
- Bar
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
Bull Valley Golf Club
Woodstock, IL, USASlope rating 151, 77.2 course rating, Tip of the Horn tees, 7,325 yds
PrivateDick Nugent
- 5.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.3Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
Canyata Golf Club
Marshall, IL, USA
Slope rating 149, 76.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,166 yds
Kemper Lakes Golf Club
Kildeer, IL, USA
Slope rating 148, 76.9 course rating, Green - Long tees, 7,345 yds
(Red/Blue) Butterfield Country Club
Oak Brook, IL, USA
Slope rating 147, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,918 yds
(Blue/White) Butterfield Country Club
Oak Brook, IL, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,109 yds
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
Mistwood Golf Course
Romeoville, IL, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.7 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,005 yds
(Woodside/Lakesise) Cantigny Golf
Wheaton, IL, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.3 course rating, Championship tees, 7,055 yds
Conway Farms Golf Club
Lake Forest, IL, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,233 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
Foxford Hills Golf Club
Cary, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,047 yds
Big Run Golf Club
Lockport, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.6 course rating, Championship tees, 7,008 yds
(Woodside/Hillside) Cantigny Golf
Wheaton, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.1 course rating, Championship tees, 7,012 yds
The Preserve at Oak Meadows
Addison, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.1 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,015 yds
Bowes Creek Country Club
Elgin, IL, USA
Slope rating 142, 73.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,917 yds
Stonewolf Golf Club
Fairview Heights, IL, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,943 yds
(The General) Eagle Ridge Golf Club
Galena, IL, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.8 course rating, 4 Stars tees, 6,820 yds
Bob O'Link Golf Club
Highland Park, IL, USA
Slope rating 140, 75.6 course rating, Green tees, 7,247 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. State pages include courses across Illinois. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Gold 9/Silver 9 at Rich Harvest Farms is #1 on Course Vaults in Illinois at Slope 155 (79.1 course rating · Professional tees · 7,699 yds). 174 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. State pages include courses across Illinois. 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.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:41 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
