Courtesy of Gary Kellner
Olympia Fields Country Club: North
Olympia Fields, IL • Private
Olympia Fields Country Club: North
2800 Country Club Dr
Olympia Fields, IL 60461-1534
United States
Overview
To prepare Olympia Fields North for the 1961 PGA Championship (won by Jerry Barber in a playoff over Don January), the club didn’t hire a golf architect. Instead, superintendent Warren Bidwell relocated 32 greenside and 13 fairway bunkers and added new tees to lengthen the course by 320 yards. Forty years later, golf architect Mark Mungeam supervised extensive changes before the North hosted the 2003 U.S. Open and made more changes again before Olympia Fields North and then-newly remodeled South co-hosted the 2015 U.S. Amateur. In 2017, Olympia Fields North was the site of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the course hosted the 2020 and 2023 BMW Championship. Andrew Green has since been hired to remodel the course.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest:
2025-'26 ranking: 107th.
100 Greatest: Ranked from 1966 to 2024.
Highest ranking: 24th, 2003-'04.
Previous ranking: 99th.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 1977-'89, 1993-2009, 2013-'16. Ranked sixth, 2011-'12, 2017 to current. Ranked inside the top 10, 1991.
Current ranking (and previous): 6th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Yah. Let's just start out with the second longest hole on the golf course, by just a few yards. Hope your warmed up and can sustain that for the next four hours. Very few shots, whether from the tee or an approach, where you are not asked to navigate around a bunker or two. Have your fade off the tee ready on the front and your draw on the back. Play it soon. Word is an update is on the way."
Read More2025
Review
“Masterpiece of a parkland course - a fair stern test of the whole golf game."
Read More2025
Review
“Iconic Willie Park design, that defines parkland course. Large treelined fairways with plenty of undulation. The course does have multiple tee options, but plays dramatically long, with many uphill shots do challenging greens. It is a par 70, with only 2 par 5's.Varying lengths of par 3's make the challenging but gettable, Dont believe I hit a the same club on any of the par 3s. The conditioning was just okay, the fairways seemed burnt out a bit, and the rough was patchy. Greens ran true. It is a difficult, long golf course, that doesnt necessarily hit the Fun button for me. Not a lot of memorable holes."
Read More2025
Review
“Exemplary parkland golf course requiring imagination on every shot."
Read More2025
Review
“Championship caliber test for even the best golfers. Loved the closely mown areas around the green complexes that allowed for multiple ways to get up and down. Holes 3 and 14 really stand out. A great test of golf that is Major Championship worthy. A must play if invited."
Read More2024
Review
“This Willie Park Jr. designed course, which has played host to a number of major PGA and Amateur golfing events, provides a wonderful experience to all levels of golfers. This rolling parkland designed layout demands that the golfer keep the ball on the fairway to avoid the penal rough. Balls that veer into the rough may force the golfer to play out into the fairway rather than attacking the green. The fairways are fairly ample but approaches to the green demand precision to relatively small. well protected greens that are fairly undulating. Misses will often fall into deep bunkers and shots out of the bunkers are tricky due to often small landing areas with undulations. The firm and quick greens run very true but are tricky due to the undulations and dropoffs. The golf course is fairly tree lined with Butterfield Creek winding through numerous holes on the course. Overall, the course provides a challenging experience, even to low handicap players, but is a delight play."
Read More2024
Review
“Perhaps the best conditioned golf course I've played since joining the panel. True, firm greens with bouncy and tight fairways and aprons. Both 3 and 14 are bowl-you-over holes, representing the best in the Chicago area -- and perhaps 17 can be in that category as well. The weakest category perhaps was character. Despite a great layout variety, and tons of history at this club, in terms of sense of place of the North course itself, you feel that the layout could be anywhere in the Northern part of the U.S. Nothing really distinctive made me think this (a landform, or distinctive natural feature) could only be here."
Read More2023
Review
“A stout course with a strong history, and even though it does not factor into our ratings, the clubhouse is a must-visit. It must be seen to be believed (it is so large it has several apartments, multiple ballrooms and event centers, and a locker room that would fit an army). As far as the course goes, the holes offer great interest and challenge. Beautiful and strategic bunkering. The greens run a little larger than usual, and the internal slopes are often subtle but always present. Conditioning for late July was excellent; the course was running fast and firm but still green and aesthetically pleasing."
Read More2022
Review
“From the impressive clubhouse, to the finely maintained course, OFCC is a real treat. I didn't find many shot options off the tee, but several holes did have risk and reward upon approach. The course was preparing for the Univ of Ill tournament the next day, so greens we very fast, but fair."
Read More2022
Review
“A long challenging test from the championship tees that retains its challenge from "normal" tees. Good variety of par 3 distances with some that can play long. Good yet subtle movement on most holes along with trees and well placed bunkers provide for the need to shape shots and position tee shots. great condition on the day played. Clubhouse, course feel, contribute to the atmosphere and historic feel."
Read More2022
