Home to one of the most popular and vibrant cities in America, Chicago is an awesome city to stop by whilst visiting Illinois for a golfing holiday, with its numerous attractions including the iconic Millennium Park. Chicago also boasts various direct flights from the UK which makes visiting Illinois even easier, and with multiple top tier golf courses just outside the city there is no reason not to consider Illinois for your next golfing break.
With the 2020 Ryder Cup being held just a couple hours away from Chicago at Whistling Straits, flying into Chicago is the best option for all spectators going to the Ryder Cup.
This tees up the perfect opportunity to visit some of the cities hot spots whilst swinging by some of the best golf courses in the area, including the highly ranked Cog Hill Golf & Country Club with its 4 fantastic golf courses.
Out of the 4 golf courses, Cog Hill’s No. 4 also known as “Dubsdread” is the highest ranked course and has been highly praised by featuring on the PGA Tour most recently in 2011 for the BMW Championships.
Cantigny Golf offers 27-holes of championship golf. It is comprised of the Woodside, Lakeside and Hillside courses. Together the courses create three unique golf experiences.
Home to two 18-hole golf courses, the Starboard and Port courses, Harborside offers a diverse golfing experience whilst only being 20 minutes away from accessing downtown Chicago.
When visiting Chicago, stopping by the Millennium Park is an absolute must. Discover the state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and hundreds of free cultural programs including various concerts, exhibitions, tours and activities. The park is a spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city for everyone to relax and enjoy.
With an awesome skyline across downtown Chicago, it would be rude to go out for a drink and not check out one of the panoramic rooftop bars. There are more than plenty different bars to check out in the evening, with Cindy’s being one of the headline acts for the rooftop experience overlooking the Millenium Park and the Lake, with a restaurant and bar available to immerse yourself in.
Although the 2020 Ryder Cup is in Wisconsin, you will most likely fly into Chicago to get to Whistling Straits, so be sure to pair up your Ryder Cup experience with exploring the immense city of Chicago. Illinois has also previously hosted the Ryder Cup too in 2012 for the iconic ‘Miracle at Medinah’ where Europe went on to steal the spotlight with an unforgettable victory over America.
After flying into Chicago’s International Airport, you can access all the downtown hotels very easily, which also aren’t too far away from some of the local golf courses. So take a look at some of the key drive times between key venues.
Drive Times by Car
30 mins
40 mins
25 mins
2 hrs
Chicago reaches very cold temperatures over the winter, however during the summer months you can enjoy the bliss sunshine whilst on the golf course and exploring the incredible city. So take a look at when the best time of year is to travel and also some key flight details.
Flights & Weather
8.5 hrs
O'Hare International Airport
June - September
22 - 30° C