6700 Howard St. Niles, IL 60714 - (847) 965-2344
Recent Course Accolades
2024 Chicago Golf Report: Top 10 Nine Hole Courses in Chicagoland (#1)
2023 GolfPass Golfers' Choice: Top 25 Short Courses in the U.S. (#10)
2023 Chicago Golf Report: Top 10 Nine Hole Courses in Chicagoland (#1)
2022 GolfPass Golfers' Choice: Top 25 Short Courses in the U.S. (#13)
2022 Chicago Golf Report: Top 10 Nine Hole Courses in Chicagoland (#1)
2022 GolfPass Golfers' Choice: Top 25 Golf Courses in Illinois (#23)
General Information
Tam O’Shanter Golf Course, located at 6700 W. Howard Street, is a beautiful public 9-hole course scenically situated on the North branch of the Chicago River. Tam Golf Course is proudly owned and operated by the Niles Park District. The course has been a landmark location for generations and holds special significance in popularizing the game of golf in America. For more specifics on the rich history of the property, check out the History & Museum page.
Tam O’Shanter Golf Course can trace its roots back to Tam O’Shanter Country Club, which was host to many acclaimed golf legends including, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias. You have the opportunity to stand on the very spot where in 1953, Lew Worsham holed out a wedge from 104 yards to win the World Championship of Golf over Chandler Harper by one shot in what was the first ever nationally televised tournament. It was in 1973 that Niles Park District completed the purchase of Tam O'Shanter Golf Course. Today's par 33, 9 hole course was opened in 1971 and recently underwent a renovation in 2018. Details on the project completed by Lohmann Quitno Golf Course Architects and Wadsworth Golf Construction can be found below.
Reserve a tee time for a scenic round of golf and enjoy some of the best playing conditions in the area. Our maintenance crew works hard to keep the rich history of Tam O’Shanter alive by providing a country club quality golf experience for visitors. Bent grass greens and fairways are manicured to perfect playing height.
Tam O’Shanter Golf Course also has a practice chipping/putting green, and is home to the popular Howard Street Inn Restaurant.
We strongly encourage you to make tee-times using our online booking engine or by calling the Pro-Shop at (847) 965-2344. Reservations are available up to 6 days in advance.
Golf360 TV Feature. Aired June 2019
2017-2018 Renovation Information
Details of the improvements made during our recently completed renovation project can be found using the link below. Be sure to let us know what you think of the enhancements!
A poster of the project overview can be found here.
Media Coverage
Golf Range Magazine - October 2018. Vol. 26 No. 10. PDF available HERE
Chicagoland Golf Newspaper - Fall 2018. Vol. 9 No. 7. PDF available HERE
Golf Chicago Magazine - July 2018 Vol. 22 No. 4. PDF available HERE
Golf Course Architecture - July 2018. PDF available HERE
