South West

Benton sits in the heart of Franklin County, deep in southern Illinois coal country — a region where the landscape opens into broad, working farmland and the towns carry the quiet pride of their industrial past. Golf out here isn't about destination resort trappings; it's about the game itself, played on ground-level courses that serve their communities year after year without pretense.

South West is that kind of place. An 18-hole, par-72 layout serving a small city that punches above its weight when it comes to local sporting culture, the course offers Franklin County golfers a full-length test without requiring a drive to the metro areas of St. Louis or Carbondale. Courses like this one are the backbone of Midwestern golf — unpretentious, accessible, and genuinely valued by the players who call them home.

Southern Illinois receives a mix of all four seasons, meaning the course sees real weather across the calendar, with peak conditions typically running spring through fall. If you're passing through on I-57, it's worth a stop.