Golf in and around Chicago

This guide is for Chicago golfers who want a round without a country club membership: people who play a few times a summer, beginners looking for a cheap nine, and regulars trying to figure out which public course is worth the drive. It covers the Chicago Park District courses, the Cook County forest preserve courses, a handful of suburban public courses, the driving ranges and simulator bars that keep people swinging through winter, and how booking works in 2026.

The short version: inside the city, nine holes costs about $20 to $38, and an 18-hole weekday round at Jackson Park is $39. The forest preserve courses fill in the Northwest Side and the suburbs. The better-known suburban courses cost more, sometimes a lot more, and nearly all of them need a car.

City courses

The Chicago Park District runs six courses, a learning course and a lakefront driving range, all on one booking system. Kids 17 and under play free with a paying adult on any day. Teens 13 to 17 can also play free without an adult as walk-ups, weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and weekends after 4 p.m. Posted rates already include the city’s 9% amusement tax.

Sydney R. Marovitz

Sydney R. Marovitz, at 3701 N. Recreation Drive near Waveland Avenue in Lakeview, is the course people picture when they think of city golf. It opened in 1932 as Waveland Golf Course, and all nine holes run parallel to the lake, with harbors and the downtown skyline in view. A round is $33 on weekdays and $38 on weekends, and summer weekend tee times go early. The Sheridan Red Line stop is about a mile west, and the lakefront parking lots fill up on warm days.

Jackson Park and South Shore

Jackson Park Golf Course, at 6401 S. Richards Drive, is the park district’s only 18-hole course. It opened in 1899 on land that had held the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, and it reopened on June 26, 2026, after a full renovation. Weekday rounds are $39, weekends $42, and twilight is $33. There is a 36-station range, and the Metra Electric stop at 63rd Street is the closest train.

South Shore Golf Course sits on the lake at 7059 S. South Shore Drive, on the grounds of the South Shore Cultural Center. The nine holes reopened in July after a bunker project and cost $20 on weekdays and $22 on weekends, which makes this one of the cheapest lake views in the city.

Neighborhood nines

Three smaller courses cover the West, Southwest and North sides. Columbus Park, at 5701 W. Jackson Blvd. in Austin, is a par-35 layout with wide fairways, $21 on weekdays, and a few blocks from the Blue Line’s Austin stop on the Forest Park branch. Marquette Park, at 6700 S. Kedzie Ave., is a par-36 nine with water hazards and a full grass practice range, also $21 on weekdays. Robert A. Black, at 2045 W. Pratt Blvd. on the Far North Side, is a par-36 nine with raised tees and greens for $27 on weekdays and $32 on weekends.

For true beginners, Douglass (Anna and Frederick) Park at 1401 S. Sacramento Drive in North Lawndale has a three-hole learning course with artificial tees and greens.

Harborside

Harborside International Golf Center, at 11001 S. Doty Ave. near Lake Calumet, is owned by the Illinois International Port District and has two 18-hole courses, Port and Starboard, plus a 57-acre practice area. Rates move with demand and run well above park district prices. You need a car.

Forest preserve courses

The Forest Preserves of Cook County have 10 courses and one driving range run under the Forest Preserve Golf name, with one booking line at 800-460-0010. Rates show up when you book rather than on a posted list. A set of upgrades called Project Forward is under way at the courses and ranges.

Inside the city

Indian Boundary, at 8600 W. Forest Preserve Ave. near Schiller Woods on the Northwest Side, is an 18-hole course redesigned by Dick Nugent and, by the operator’s own count, its most popular. Expect a round of about four and a half hours.

Two more sit near each other on the Far Northwest Side. Edgebrook, at 6100 N. Central Ave., is a short 18 holes along the Chicago River, good when you want a full round in less time. Billy Caldwell, at 6150 N. Caldwell Ave., is a nine with a 293-yard par-4 fifth that tempts long hitters to carry the water. Metra’s Edgebrook stop on the Milwaukee District North line is the nearest train.

In the suburbs

Chick Evans, at 6145 Golf Road in Morton Grove, is a 5,691-yard, par-71 course with the Chicago River running through the middle. George W. Dunne National, at 16310 S. Central Ave. in Oak Forest, is the flagship: bent grass fairways, eight lakes that come into play on 11 holes and a lighted driving range. Joe Louis “The Champ,” at 13100 S. Halsted St. in Riverdale, is an 18-hole course with long par-5s, named for the heavyweight champion. Burnham Woods, Highland Woods in Hoffman Estates, Meadowlark in Hinsdale and River Oaks in Calumet City round out the list.

Best public courses in the suburbs

Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, at 12294 Archer Ave. in Lemont, has four 18-hole courses and a range with heated Toptracer stalls, which means four price points. Courses No. 1 and No. 3 start at $40 plus a $23 cart fee, the Ravines course starts at $60, and Dubsdread, the championship course, runs $149 to $225 with cart included. Full days have an online waitlist.

Cantigny Golf, at 27W270 Mack Road in Wheaton, is 27 holes in three nines (Woodside, Lakeside and Hillside), plus a short course for kids called Youth Links. Posted 18-hole rates are $130 on weekdays and $160 Friday through Sunday, with twilight at $100 after 3 p.m. and nine holes from $65. Booking further ahead is usually cheaper, and the course is cashless.

Mistwood Golf Club, at 1700 W. Renwick Road in Romeoville, is an 18-hole Ray Hearn design with 20 sod-wall bunkers in the St. Andrews style and five sets of tees that stretch the course past 7,000 yards. The range has Toptracer, and McWethy’s Tavern is on site.

Closer in, The Evans at Canal Shores, at 1030 Central St. in Evanston, is a 3,600-yard, par-60 course that winds along the North Shore Channel through Evanston and Wilmette, past L and Metra tracks and several road crossings. Tom Bendelow designed the nonprofit course in 1919, and all 18 holes are open again after a renovation that began in 2022. The course is short and walkable, the Purple Line’s Central stop is close by, and carts cost an extra $30 per player.

Driving ranges and simulators

Diversey Driving Range, at 141 W. Diversey Parkway in Lincoln Park, has two tiers, covered and heated stalls, synthetic turf, two putting greens and an 18-hole mini golf course, and the upper deck looks out on Diversey Harbor and the skyline. A small bucket is $12 and a large one $18. The range is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the 76 Diversey bus runs along Diversey Parkway.

In the northwest suburbs, the forest preserves’ Harry Semrow Driving Range, at 1150 E. Golf Road in Des Plaines, has 73 stalls, a grass tee and an 18-hole garden-style mini golf course called Nature Putt. The range is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Back in the city, a large bucket at Marquette Park is $11.

For winter practice, Mistwood Golf Dome, at 730 N. Bolingbrook Drive in Bolingbrook, is a heated 60,000-square-foot dome with 30 Toptracer bays, a 900-square-foot putting green, a short game area and three simulator suites. Food and drinks come to the bays from the on-site sports bar.

Topgolf Schaumburg, at 2050 Progress Parkway, has three floors and more than 100 bays, heated in winter. Topgolf works better for groups than for serious practice. Prices change by day and time, and new players pay a $6 account fee.

Downtown, Five Iron Golf at 609 N. Dearborn St. in River North has Trackman simulators that hold up to six players, lessons, Callaway club fitting, a bar and two duckpin bowling lanes. Five Iron opens at 6 a.m., and the Grand Red Line stop is a few blocks away.

Getting a tee time

Park district courses book online through cpdgolf.com, and online rates are the lowest; walk-up and phone bookings cost more. Your card isn’t charged when you book, but you have to cancel at least 24 hours out or pay. Singles have to call the golf shop. The Player’s Advantage Card saves at least $5 a round plus range discounts, and through December 31 it costs $20 instead of $30.

Forest Preserve Golf also charges no fees on its own site, and its 2026 season passes cover all 11 locations with unlimited range balls and earlier booking. Harborside opens tee times 21 days ahead and charges the full rate if you cancel within 24 hours. At The Evans at Canal Shores, the public can book 10 days out and members 21. Cantigny, Harborside and Canal Shores use dynamic pricing, so book early and aim for weekdays.

For the cheapest round in town, play a weekday nine at South Shore, Columbus Park or Marquette Park with the Advantage Card: $15 to $16.

Good to know

• Checked September 28, 2026.
• Sydney R. Marovitz, Indian Boundary, George W. Dunne National and Chick Evans say they stay open year-round when weather allows, and tee times depend on conditions.
• Edgebrook’s site was already showing a “see you in the spring” message in late September. Call before you go.
• Park district carts and rental clubs stop going out two hours before sunset, which is also when twilight rates start.
• Harborside’s range closes early one day a week for turf work, usually Tuesday, with a late opening the next morning.
• Canal Shores and Chick Evans put out riding carts only when conditions allow, which matters in a wet spring or late fall.

Know a place that belongs in this guide, or a detail that has changed? Send a correction.