Incredible Golf Trip Destinations: Illinois’s Rend Lake Golf Course

As Southern Illinois’s only 27-hole course, Rend Lake stands out for a variety of reasons.

First, there are plenty of golfing options on one property, enabling guests to play nine, 18 or 27 (or more) holes in one day if they’d like.

Second, due to its location in Whittington, a small town that’s less than 70 miles from Missouri’s border, Rend Lake Golf Course is near many destinations. It’s roughly 1.5 hours from St. Louis Lambert International Airport. In addition, it’s 1.5 hours away from Evansville, Indiana, and 3 hours from Central Illinois.

“There is great interstate access since it’s just off of I-57,” says Jason Stilley, PGA Head Golf Professional at Rend Lake Golf Course. “In the past couple years, direct jet service to Marion, Illinois’s Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois has been added, too.”

As a result, guests can fly from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (Chicago residents frequent the course) in less than 90 minutes. From there, they only have a half-hour drive from Marion to Whittington.

“More and more golfers are visiting our course now,” Stilley adds. “The future is looking very bright for Rend Lake Golf Course!”

Simply put, if you’re seeking an overly challenging layout, Rend Lake isn’t the most ideal golf course for you. But if you’re looking to have fun, relax and shoot some lower scores than you tend to, well… you’ve found the right course.

“It’s very golfer friendly,” Stilley stresses. How so? For starters, each green (again, 27 in all) is quite large, enabling a higher percentage of golfers to hit them in regulation. In fact, the greens are 7,500 square feet in size, on average.

Every green is well maintained and relatively slow. Therefore, you have a higher odds of making more putts and possibly more birdies. And, if you do miss your birdie putts, they won’t run very far feet past the holes, often leading to unfortunate bogeys on some other courses.

“A wider range of player types will enjoy the course,” Stilley says. “They’ll be able to relax and relish their time here.”

Aside from potentially hitting the course’s large bentgrass greens in regulation, you’ll relax for another primary reason: Rend Lake’s 27 holes are naturally gorgeous.

“The landscaping is meticulous and the terrain is mature and gently rolling, which makes it a beautiful setting for golf,” Stilley states.

Offering five sets of tee boxes, Rend Lake’s East, South and West 9-hole layouts are located in rural areas as well, leading to further tranquility.

“Rend Lake doesn’t have any wait times either,” Stilley says. “So, you won’t be stressed about waiting to hit your next shot behind a slower group. Everyone plays at the pace they should, allowing you to play more holes if you’d like.”

Recently, three aspects of Rend Lake Golf Resort (the home of Rend Lake Golf Course) were fully renovated: its clubhouse restrooms, its pro shop and its restaurant. Furthermore, every HVAC unit was just replaced at its 46-room lodge.

“Through this combination, you’ll have an even better experience the next time you visit,” Stilley emphasizes.

Along with its lodge, the resort has 24 two-bedroom and three-bedroom condos, as well as four cabins. As shown by its wide array of holes and hospitality options, Rend Lake Golf Resort is anticipating a bright future.

“We’ll continue to refine our offerings so that you’ll have the best experience possible,” Stilley adds. “We invite you to come for the golf course and stay for the fun and relaxation!”

Frankfort County Country Club: A 6,600-yard, 18-hole course, Frankfort is 20 minutes from Whittington.

Green Hills Golf Club: Located half an hour from Rend Lake, this 6,712-yard, 18-hole course was built in 1920.