Can You Play Chicago Golf Club on GSPro?

Chicago Golf Club is where American golf history begins. The first 18-hole golf course in the United States, a C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor masterpiece, and one of the most exclusive private clubs in the world. It is available on GSPro.

What Is Chicago Golf Club?

C.B. Macdonald built the first 18-hole course in America in 1893. The club moved to its current location in Wheaton, Illinois in 1895, and Macdonald built a different course there. Seth Raynor, who began his architectural career as Macdonald’s surveyor, refined the layout in 1923 using the template hole concepts that Macdonald pioneered.

The course plays to a par of 70 over 6,846 yards with a slope of 135. It features the classic Macdonald and Raynor template holes: the Redan, the Biarritz, the Eden, the Short. The course is routed over gently rolling land that feels more like inland links than parkland. The firm, fast conditions and the strategic template design make it a thinking player’s course.

Golf Digest ranks Chicago Golf Club number 86 on America’s 100 Greatest Courses. It is a private club that does not court publicity and does not welcome drop-in visitors.

Chicago Golf Club on GSPro: Quality Assessment

The GSPro community build of Chicago Golf Club is a lidar-based course that captures the rolling terrain and the template hole designs. The fairways are broad, which is accurate to the real course, but the green complexes are the real test. The Biarritz green with its central swale, the Redan green angled away from the approach, and the Eden green with its deep bunker all play correctly in the GSPro engine.

The course plays at its full length in the GSPro version. The wind affects the open, exposed holes, which is accurate to the real course experience. The bent grass fairways and greens are represented in the visual presentation.

The community build does a good job with the template holes that define the course. If you are a student of golf architecture, playing Chicago Golf Club on GSPro is a chance to study the Macdonald and Raynor template system at the club that started it all.

How to Access Chicago Golf Club on GSPro

The course is available for free through the GSPro course server. Open the in-game course browser, search for “Chicago Golf Club,” and download it. It is a public community course available to all GSPro subscribers.

The Verdict

Chicago Golf Club on GSPro is a history lesson wrapped in a golf course. The template hole designs are the foundation of American golf architecture, and seeing them in person is nearly impossible for most golfers. The GSPro build gives you the next best thing. If you care about golf design, this is a required download.

For more GSPro course recommendations, check out the best courses on GSPro guide and the full GSPro software review.

Frequently Asked Questions

How realistic is this course on GSPro?

The LIDAR recreation captures real elevation data, green contours, and hole routing. The accuracy depends on the quality of the course’s original LIDAR scan, but GSPro’s community designers consistently produce playable, faithful versions of popular courses.

What launch monitor pairs best with GSPro for this course?

Any GSPro-compatible launch monitor works — Uneekor, SkyTrak, FlightScope Mevo+, and Bushnell Launch Pro are the most common pairings. The launch monitor affects shot capture, not visual quality, so course fidelity is identical regardless of your LM.

Is this course available on other sim platforms?

Check the platform comparison section above for availability on E6 Connect, TGC 2019, FSX Play, Awesome Golf, and other sim software platforms.

Verdict

This course is a strong addition to your GSPro rotation. The LIDAR data provides an authentic playing experience that captures the real course’s character — the elevation changes, green contours, and strategic demands that make it memorable. Download it, dial in the settings, and see how it plays in your sim.