Columbus Park

One of Chicago's enduring public golf options, Columbus Park Golf Course sits on the city's West Side, part of the Chicago Park District's network of municipal layouts that have provided accessible, affordable golf to generations of Chicagoans. The course is woven into the fabric of Columbus Park, a historic green space designed by Jens Jensen, the pioneering Prairie Style landscape architect whose influence on Chicago's park system ran deep in the early 20th century. Playing golf here means stepping into a landscape with genuine civic history behind it.

The par 70 configuration signals a layout that rewards shotmaking and course management over raw power — a design philosophy well suited to a neighborhood course where the emphasis falls on playability and pace rather than spectacle. The West Side's flat terrain keeps things honest and accessible for players at every level.

For Chicagoans looking to get out without driving to the suburbs, Columbus Park delivers the fundamentals: a real 18-hole round, an urban setting with genuine character, and the democratic tradition that defines the best of American municipal golf.