Top public and private courses in Illinois

Cog Hill’s No. 4 Dubsdread is the top-rated public-access golf course in Illinois with a Dick Wilson and Joe Lee design that opened in 1964 and was renovated by Rees Jones in 2008.

The past host of numerous USGA championship and PGA Tour events, No. 4 Dubsdread sits at No. 1 in the Prairie State on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access layouts in the U.S.

Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with the list of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and the impressive ranking of Illinois’ private layouts is likewise included below. Each of the top 12 private courses in the state rank among the top 200 on either Golfweek’s Best lists of modern or classic courses in the U.S.

MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort |
Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play

(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
* New to or returning to the list

Best public-access courses in Illinois in 2022

TPC Deere Run in Illinois (Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports)

1. Cog Hill GC (No. 4 – Dubsdread)
Lemont (T158m)

2. TPC Deere Run
Silvis (m)

3. Stonewall Orchard
Grayslake (m)

4. Highlands of Elgin
Elgin (m)

5. The Glen Club
Glenview (m)

6. Thunderhawk
Beach Park (m)

7. Eagle Ridge (The General)
Galena (m)

8. Preserve at Oak Meadow
Addison (m)

9. Ravisloe
Homewood (c)

10. Harborside International (Starboard)
Chicago (m)

11. Weaver Ridge
Peoria (m)

12. Mistwood
Romeoville (m)

13. Bowes Creek
Elgin (m)

14. Cantigny
Wheaton (m)

15. Prairie Landing
West Chicago (m)

Best private courses in Illinois in 2022

Chicago Golf Club in Illinois (Copyright USGA)

1. Chicago GC
Wheaton (8c)

2. Shoreacres
Lake Bluff (19c)

3. Beverly
Chicago (T50c)

4. Butler National
Oak Brook (T40m)

5. Old Elm
Highland Park (T58c)

6. Olympia Fields (North)
Olympia Fields (T65c)

7. Medinah CC (No. 3)
Medinah (T75c)

8. Black Sheep
Sugar Grove (T85m)

9….