Chicago Area Golf News

August 1, 2024
New Topgolf location planned to anchor 100-acre Tinley Park entertainment district
Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune

A Topgolf outdoor, multilevel golf driving range is planned for Tinley Park, part of a broader entertainment district envisioned for a 100-acre site near the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre.

Topgolf would anchor the site, owned by the developers of the Odyssey Fun World center on Oak Park Avenue near Harlem Avenue and directly to the west of a CarMax dealership and east of the Brookside Marketplace shopping center at Harlem and 191st Street.

August 1, 2024
The Evans at Canal Shores opens with 12 new holes

• Learn more about Canal Shores Golf Course

Andrew Katz, Evanston Roundtable

Four years ago, the Canal Shores board of trustees dreamed about renovating the beloved Evanston golf course along the North Shore branch of the Chicago River. After tireless work, weeds and clover that once covered the course have been transformed to rye and bluegrass.

Now rebranded as The Evans at Canal Shores, the course will open 12 holes today, Aug. 1. The course has been closed since July 2023 and while six holes will still be unavailable, golf is returning to the North Shore. Base prices for the course are $30 from Monday to Thursday and $35 from Friday to Sunday, but prices may increase subject to demand. The other six holes are expected to open next spring.

August 2, 2024
Volunteer Opportunities Available For LIV Golf Chicago

• Learn more about Bolingbrook Golf Club

Andrea Earnest, Patch.com

Volunteer opportunities are available for LIV Golf Chicago, which will be held Sept. 13-15 at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, according to a news release.

The League's 2024 individual championship will be held in Bolingbrook, and several volunteer roles are available.

Volunteers must be at least 13 years old to register, and volunteering will include a LIV Golf-branded golf hat, drawstring bag, tournament week badge, and breakfast, lunch and snacks on workdays, a release states. Volunteers who work at least two shifts will receive a LIV Golf polo. Those who work at least three shifts will have the opportunity to play at Bolingbrook Golf Club in the fall.

August 7, 2024
Flossmoor gala celebrates state’s first African American women’s golf league

• Learn more about Joe Louis “The Champ” Golf Course

Jeff Vorva, Daily Southtown

It’s the golden anniversary for the Ebony Ladies Golf League, and they’re bringing the celebration to the silver screen.

The group, which makes its home at the Joe Louis Golf Course in Riverdale, will mark their 50th year in person during a gala celebration Sunday at Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor, and they also will be featured prominently in a documentary scheduled to be shown in October.

Tracy Raoul, president of the Ebony Ladies Golf League, has been working on a three-part film titled “ACCESS,” which examines the long relationship between African Americans and golf in the Chicago area.

August 7, 2024
Phil Mickleson talks Bolingbrook Golf Club ahead of next month’s LIV Golf event

• Learn more about Bolingbrook Golf Club

Tim Cronin, Shaw Local

Phil Mickelson has never stepped foot on Bolingbrook Golf Club’s course, but was pleased to hear Wednesday that Arthur Hills was the course architect for the layout, which will host the LIV Golf Individual Championship in September.

“I played one of his courses at Palmetto Dunes [in South Carolina] for a college tournament,” Mickelson said of Hills, who died in 2021. “I think he’s a wonderful architect, has done some great stuff. I did not know he was the architect at Bolingbrook, but that, to me, is pretty exciting. I think he’s very credible as an architect and am excited to see what he’s come up with.”

August 8, 2024
Tinley Park OKs plans for Topgolf, proposed entertainment district
Mike Nolan, Daily Southtown

Tinley Park officials approved plans Wednesday for a Topgolf outdoor, multilevel golf driving range and a proposal for a larger entertainment district the facility would anchor.

The Tinley Park Village Board approved a special use for the planned unit development, on 100 acres southeast of the interchange of Interstate 80 and Harlem Avenue.

Topgolf hopes to break ground on the project, which would include 102 sheltered driving bays on three levels, before the end of the year.

August 8, 2024
Jackson Park Golf Course celebrating 125th anniversary

• Learn more about Jackson Park Golf Course

Staff Report, First Call

The Chicago Park District’s Jackson Park Golf Course is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2024. The popular Tom Bendelow-designed municipal course opened on May 11, 1899 and has a history that reads like a golf encyclopedia. Named after Former President Andrew Jackson, Jackson Park Golf Course was built on land that hosted the 1893 World’s Fair and is part of the larger Jackson Park, which extends along Lake Michigan on Chicago’s South Side.

When Jackson Park Golf Course opened in 1899, it was the first public golf course west of the Allegheny Mountains and was free to play. The course has been the host venue for the Chicago City Amateur for 119 years, an event won five times by golf legend and Evans Scholarship founder, Charles “Chick” Evans. Long a beacon for inclusivity, Jackson Park has been the home of numerous African-American golfers and leagues, most notably the Bob-O-Links Junior Golf Club for children ages 8 to 17. Bob-O-Links was founded by the Chicago Women’s Golf Clu

August 9, 2024
Springbrook Golf Course celebrates half a century of fairways and friendships

• Learn more about Springbrook Golf Course

Joe Kennedy, NCTV 17

Over the past 50 years, Naperville residents have created lifelong memories at Springbrook Golf Course. It’s not only been a haven for golfers but also a vital part of the local community.

Naperville Park District opened Springbrook Golf Course in 1974.

In 1969, the Naperville Park District purchased the 162-acre Fraley Farm. At first, the district built garden plots on the land, however, in 1972 they had new plans. The district broke ground on Springbrook Golf Course, an 18-hole Championship course, which opened to the public on May 5, 1974.

August 13, 2024
Winnetka Golf Club reopens after 18 months of construction, growth

• Learn more about Winnetka Golf Club

Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune

The 18-hole Winnetka Golf Club officially launched on Monday, Aug. 12 with a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting in partnership with KemperSports.

The Winnetka Park District facility, managed by KemperSports, had been closed for renovations to include stormwater management in the course’s design. The golf course has existed since 1917.

Dignitaries took part in the morning red ribbon cutting after a program featuring remarks. A tee off brought applause as local officials took a swing during photo opportunity moments under blue skies.

August 15, 2024
CITGO Lemont Refinery Acquires Big Run Golf Club

• Learn more about Big Run Golf Club

Andrea Earnest, Patch.com

The CITGO Lemont Refinery has recently acquired the Big Run Golf Club in Lockport, the refinery told Patch in a statement.

CITGO has acquired the golf club "to expand the greenbelt around the refinery."

"Big Run will continue operating as a golf course under the current management for the foreseeable future," CITGO said.

August 17, 2024
Shepherd’s Crook Golf Club Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

• Learn more about Shepherd's Crook Golf Course

Greg Miles, Chicago Golf Report

Opened in August 1999, Shepherd’s Crook Golf Course in Zion, IL, is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Both the modern and the traditional name for this milestone is the “silver anniversary”.

Designed by Keith Foster, who has designed some of the most interesting courses built in the last 10 years, it is a links-style course that creates a feeling of playing Ireland’s Ballybunion or Waterville courses. Shepherd’s Crook’s design reflects the golden era of golf course architecture from the 1920s and 30s, with bentgrass fairways, tees and greens.

August 22, 2024
Cheyenne Woods returning to Jackson Park 
to host golf and sports clinic for Chicago youth

• Learn more about Jackson Park Golf Course

Wire report, First Call

Former LPGA golfer, current golf ambassador and Team Troon athlete Cheyenne Woods will host a golf and sports clinic for Chicago youth at the Jackson Park Driving Range on Saturday, September 7, from 12 to 3 p.m. Each child participating in the clinic will receive introductory golf instruction mixed with soccer, football and other assorted sports activities, plus a fun goodie bag. Representatives from Chicago Park District Golf and Troon partners the First Tee of Greater Chicago will also be on hand to help introduce kids to golf basics and fundamentals.

August 27, 2024
Swag Golf’s standout product line drives Northbrook sports equipment manufacturer’s growth
Dave Oberhelman, Daily Herald

The name denotes must-have prestige and a cheeky confidence.

Swag Golf ably describes the hot Northbrook company founded by golf equipment trendsetter CEO Nick Venson, of Libertyville, and joined by his former Lake Forest High School golf teammate Scott Weber as chief operations officer.

Swag products — such as head covers, towels, ball markers, apparel, state-of-the-art putters, golf bags embroidered with Swag’s tag line, “Don’t Give a Putt” — are used by touring professionals such as Nick Hardy, golf sensation Paige Spiranac, and collected by fans.