The hardest golf courses in Madison, Illinois
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Madison, Illinois, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 22 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Waterloo, Fairview Heights, Alton, Caseyville, O Fallon and 2 more nearby towns.
Old Warson Country Club
St. Louis, MO, USASlope rating 144, 74.5 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,946 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones Sr.
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.8Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
- Driving range
- Pristine
- Locker rooms
Bellerive Country Club
St. Louis, MO, USASlope rating 141, 76.3 course rating, Back tees, 7,460 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones Sr. & Bryce Swanson
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.3Facilities
Robert Trent Jones, Bellerive immediately comes to mind. Not my favorite architect but it's a challenging golf course in A+ condition that I probably wouldn't choose to play all the time but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone that hasn't had the pleasure.
Written by
@Urannimal
- Pristine
- Restaurant
- Challenging
Stonewolf Golf Club
Fairview Heights, IL, USASlope rating 141, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,943 yds
PublicJack Nicklaus
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 2.5Value
- 2.8Scenery
- 2.5Facilities
- Parkland
- Traditional
St. Louis Country Club
St. Louis, MO, USASlope rating 139, 71.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,469 yds
PrivateCharles Macdonald
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.6Layout
- 3.7Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
Raynor! Always fun to see his templates incorporated throughout a golf course and how each one is brought to life. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. The course was in great shape, and the thick rough made for an added challenge.
Written by
@jensencastle
- Fast greens
- Must play
- Pristine
Meadowbrook Country Club
Ballwin, MO, USASlope rating 136, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,142 yds
PrivateRobert B. Harris & Keith Foster
- 3.0Conditions
- 1.0Layout
- 1.0Scenery
- 1.3Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Grass range
(Championship) Forest Hills Golf & Country Club
Chesterfield, MO, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.2 course rating, Gold tees, 6,705 yds
Annbriar Golf Course
Waterloo, IL, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.8 course rating, Yellow tees, 6,863 yds
Gateway National Golf Links
Madison, IL, USA
Slope rating 135, 75.1 course rating, The Tips tees, 7,178 yds
Spencer T Olin Community Golf Course
Alton, IL, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.5 course rating, Green tees, 6,941 yds
(Fair Oaks) Far Oaks Golf Club
Caseyville, IL, USA
Slope rating 131, 72.6 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,847 yds
The Golf Club of Florissant
Florissant, MO, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,509 yds
St Clair Country Club
Belleville, IL, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,428 yds
(Dogwood/Redbud) The Courses at Forest Park
St. Louis, MO, USA
Slope rating 130, 70.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,314 yds
Algonquin Golf Club
Saint Louis, MO, USA
Slope rating 130, 70.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,222 yds
The Quarry at Crystal Springs
Maryland Heights, MO, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.2 course rating, Warsaw tees, 6,656 yds
Greenbriar Hills Country Club
Kirkwood, MO, USA
Slope rating 129, 71.1 course rating, Green tees, 6,401 yds
(Eighteen) Eagle Springs Golf Club
St. Louis, MO, USA
Slope rating 123, 71.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,549 yds
The Woodlands Golf Club
Alton, IL, USA
Slope rating 123, 71.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,401 yds
(Hawthorn/Dogwood) The Courses at Forest Park
St. Louis, MO, USA
Slope rating 119, 68.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,187 yds
Columbia Golf Club
Columbia, IL, USA
Slope rating 117, 68.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,062 yds
Tamarack Country Club
O Fallon, IL, USA
Slope rating 106, 68.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,282 yds
(18 Hole) Riverside Golf Club
Fenton, MO, USA
Slope rating 98, 65.5 course rating, White tees, 5,505 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 Madison, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Old Warson Country Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Madison, Illinois at Slope 144 (74.5 course rating · Tournament tees · 6,946 yds). 22 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 Madison, 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 Madison, 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.
