By Valerie Hardy 

When most people think of world-class golf destinations, the Midwest probably isn’t the first location to come to mind. Instead, they likely consider courses like St. Andrews in Scotland, Pebble Beach in California, and Pinehurst in North Carolina. However, situated right here in the Second City and its surrounding suburbs are courses with deep history, bountiful beauty, and high-quality golf in equal measure.

In a 2023 Golf Digest article, Stephen Hennessey wrote, “Often overlooked in the debate about our country’s best regions for golf is the Chicago area, and that’s unfair.” We couldn’t agree more, Mr. Hennessey.

Over the years, Chicagoland has quietly become one of the greatest golf destinations, not only domestically but internationally. A main contributing factor to Chicago’s standing as a premier region for golf is that it is home to several championship courses at elite golf clubs like Medinah Country Club in northwest suburban Medinah, Olympia Fields Country Club in south suburban Olympia Fields, and Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in southwest suburban Lemont. 

Medinah Country Club has hosted multiple notable tournaments dating back to 1939, when the 40th Western Open Championship was played there.  U.S. Opens, PGA Championships, the 2012 Ryder Cup, and other historic golf tournaments have made Medinah a household name throughout the country and beyond. Later this month, Medinah will welcome the 2026 Presidents Cup, marking a milestone in the club’s history. It will become the only club in the world to have hosted a U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, and Presidents Cup, further cementing its reputation as one of the nation’s most iconic venues for championship golf.

Olympia Fields is another noteworthy course just outside of Chicago. Home to two famed 18-hole courses, the North Course and the South Course, Olympia Fields has hosted an impressive lineup of major tournaments: two U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, five Western Opens, and more. Likewise, Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, particularly its famed Dubsdread (Course No. 4), has challenged generations of the world’s best golfers during decades of PGA Tour competition.

Beyond these tournament venues, Chicagoland boasts an almost unparalleled collection of exclusive private clubs that consistently rank among America’s finest. Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook has earned worldwide respect for its immaculate conditioning, strategic design, and long history of hosting elite professional and amateur championships. Neighboring Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton also earns accolades for both its history and course quality. It is most famous for being the first 18-hole golf course (originally established on the Downers Grove site that is now Belmont Golf Club before moving to Wheaton) in North America and one of the five founding member clubs of the United States Golf Association (USGA).

What makes Chicago especially unique, however, is that outstanding golf is not reserved exclusively for private memberships. Public golfers have an equally impressive menu of courses to choose from, including Belmont Golf Club in Downers Grove, a historic nine-hole course on the site where the nation’s first 18-hole course was established in 1893; Oak Brook Golf Club, a semi-private, 18-hole course whose challenging finishing stretch includes a 214-yard par-3 over water; Sugar Creek Golf Course in Villa Park, a nine-hole, par-32 course where a three-acre pond comes into play on four holes; and Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. 

Hole No. 3 on the championship South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club
Photo by Gary Kellner Imaging

THE PRESIDENTS CUP COMES TO TOWN

One of the brightest of golf’s international spotlights, the renowned Presidents Cup, will be held September 22-27 at Medinah Country Club’s legendary Course No. 3. The famed biennial PGA Tour tournament features a team representing the top players in the United States and an international team representing the best golfers from the rest of the world except Europe. The U.S. competes against Europe in the Ryder Cup tournament during odd-numbered years, while the Presidents Cup is held in even-
numbered years.

The Presidents Cup began in 1994 in Virginia. In the years since, the world’s best players have come together to compete for their team, country, and the honor of raising the Presidents Cup trophy.

The 2026 U.S. team, led by golfers like Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young, is entering this year’s Presidents Cup as the defending champion. In 2024, the team claimed its 10th straight Presidents Cup after Keegan Bradley clinched the winning point for the U.S.

Tournament gates open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22. After two days of practice, the first round of the tournament will be held that Thursday and the second round on Friday. On Saturday, Round 3 matches will be played in the morning and Round 4 matches in the afternoon. The tournament will conclude with Round 5 matches followed by closing ceremonies on Sunday, Sept. 27.

For more information about the Presidents Cup or to purchase tickets to spectate, visit presidentscup.com.