Edgebrook Golf Course

Edgebrook Golf Course Overview
A newspaper named the Chicago Inter Ocean noted the forming of Edgebrook Country Club on March 13, 1910. This historic course has served as a hub for golf in the city for generations. Owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve since 1919, the course is still very popular due to modest prices and the casual environment. At 4,567 yards, it’s a short course that won’t test the best golfers, but is fit for an informal round. Note - don’t be fooled by the Mathew Bieszczat Volunteer Resource Center building next to the parking lot. That’s not the clubhouse! Follow the winding walking path from the parking lot to Edgebrook’s clubhouse.

When I first played here around 2007, there were no traditional tee boxes. Edgebrook only had mats to tee off from, making it feel more like a driving range. Fast forward to 2022, and those mats are still on every tee box. But now most holes on the course also have a grass tee to hit from. You don’t come here expecting Medinah. Like many Forest Preserve courses, this is an entry-level golfing experience, which is exactly what a lot of people crave. Edgebrook’s par is 66, with no par-5’s and six par-3’s.

While the course may be short, it has its moments. The track is more hilly than most Chicago courses, with a blind uphill tee shot on the par-3 5th hole. The 10th and 16th holes feature elevated tee boxes, providing a little more spice than you expected from this place. The greens are largely flat and uncomplicated. The north branch of the Chicago River cuts through the property, but water doesn’t play a prominent role in the round.

There’s no driving range at Edgebrook. And when I last visited, I didn’t see a practice green either. Perhaps there is one, but it wasn’t obvious. Like other Forest Preserve courses, the clubhouse is a minimal, utilitarian affair that serves as a combined pro shop and snack shop. Don’t expect a load of merchandise in there.