Illinois Golf Courses
Illinois has 708 golf courses, making it one of the largest golf states in the country. About 450 are 18-hole layouts, with the remaining 230-plus offering nine holes. The Chicago metro area across Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will counties holds the highest density. The Cook County Forest Preserve system operates some of the most affordable public courses in the region, while suburbs like Wheaton, Lemont, Naperville, and Barrington have mid-range and upscale daily-fee options. Private clubs along the North Shore in Highland Park, Glencoe, Lake Forest, and Long Grove make up a significant share of the state’s Elite and Luxury tier courses.
South of I-80, the pricing picture changes considerably. Courses around Bloomington, Springfield, Peoria, and the Quad Cities charge well below Chicago rates, and many smaller-town nine-hole clubs operate at Economy pricing. The terrain flattens into prairie and farmland, putting a premium on wind management. The far southern tip of the state around Marion and the Shawnee National Forest area brings more topographic relief, with wooded hills and creek valleys shaping the routing.
The season runs April through late October, though mild autumns can extend play into November. The state’s 70 city pages in our directory reflect how thoroughly golf is distributed, from Rockford in the north to Belleville near St. Louis. Driving ranges are common at public courses statewide, and the park-district model means many communities maintain their own municipal layouts at accessible prices.
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At a Glance
566 coursesCourse Type
Price Range
Driving Range
Illinois has 566 golf courses listed in the FairwayDB directory. 383 are 18-hole courses and 181 are 9-hole courses. 371 courses have a driving range on site. Cost tiers range from Economy (237) to Standard (113), Premium (84), Luxury (41), and Elite (75), spread across 70 cities with three or more courses.