The hardest golf courses in Lake Forest, Illinois
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Lake Forest, Illinois, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 72 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Glenview, Winnetka, Glencoe and 28 more nearby towns.
#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
Kemper Lakes Golf Club
Kildeer, IL, USASlope rating 148, 76.9 course rating, Green - Long tees, 7,345 yds
PrivateKen Killian & Dick Nugent
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.3Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Restaurant
Conway Farms Golf Club
Lake Forest, IL, USASlope rating 143, 74.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,233 yds
PrivateTom Fazio & Andy Banfield
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.2Scenery
- 4.7Facilities
Conway Farms definitely gives off that big time feel the second you pull up to bag drop. The staff was awesome — super friendly and welcoming right from the start.
Written by
@TGUN312
- Caddies
- Driving range
- Halfway house
Foxford Hills Golf Club
Cary, IL, USASlope rating 142, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,047 yds
PublicTim Nugent
- 3.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.5Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
The Preserve at Oak Meadows
Addison, IL, USASlope rating 142, 74.1 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,015 yds
Public
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 2.8Value
- 3.3Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
The Preserve is one of the better public courses in the Chicago area — definitely a fun spot to tee it up. The practice area is great for warming up, with a nice range and short game setup that sets the tone for the round.
Written by
@TGUN312
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Putting area
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
Stonewall Orchard Golf Club
Grays Lake, IL, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.1 course rating, Silver tees, 7,074 yds
Chalet Hills Golf Club
Cary, IL, USA
Slope rating 140, 73.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,877 yds
Exmoor Country Club
Highland Park, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 75.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,149 yds
Makray Memorial Golf Club
Barrington, IL, USA
Slope rating 139, 74.5 course rating, Black tees, 6,903 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
Merit Club
Libertyville, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 75.1 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,236 yds
Pine Meadow Golf Club
Mundelein, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,141 yds
Knollwood Club
Lake Forest, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.5 course rating, Back tees, 7,202 yds
The Glen Club
Glenview, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,149 yds
Crystal Lake Country Club
Crystal Lake, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,796 yds
Hilldale Golf Club
Hoffman Estates, IL, USA
Slope rating 138, 72.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,417 yds
White Deer Run Golf Course
Vernon Hills, IL, USA
Slope rating 137, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,101 yds
The Club at Strawberry Creek
Kenosha, WI, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,113 yds
ThunderHawk Golf Club
Beach Park, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,031 yds
Evanston Golf Club
Skokie, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,839 yds
(#1) Medinah Country Club
Medinah, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,895 yds
Steeple Chase Golf Club
Mundelein, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,827 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 Lake Forest, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
#3 at Medinah Country Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Lake Forest, Illinois at Slope 152 (78.3 course rating · Gold tees · 7,657 yds). 72 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 Lake Forest, 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 Lake Forest, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:53 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
