Local market data · Golf courses · Chicago
AI for golf courses in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 189 golf courses in 2022, the 2nd most of 353 US metros and 2% of all in the country. They employed 6,084 people at an average of $53,859 a year. 35% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.
Talk through your course with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your golf course to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Golf courses in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 189 | 10,076 |
| People employed | 6,084 | 304,991 |
| Average staff per business | 32.2 | 30.3 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $53,859 | $39,363 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 35% | 43% |
Pay here is 37% higher than the national average for golf courses, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average golf course here has 32.2 people on payroll, 6% higher than the US figure of 30.3.
How big golf courses in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Golf courses by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 54 of the metro's 189 (29%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 3rd for average pay and 2nd for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 54 | 2,054 | $58,075 |
| Lake County | 38 | 1,194 | $63,760 |
| DuPage County | 22 | 1,205 | $54,073 |
| Will County | 19 | 466 | $44,695 |
| McHenry County | 18 | 326 | $37,887 |
| Kane County | 16 | 417 | $44,789 |
| Lake County | 9 | 225 | $35,280 |
| Porter County | 5 | 43 | $31,884 |
| DeKalb County | 3 | 27 | $50,593 |
| Kendall County | 3 | 58 | $38,672 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a golf course first
Start with the work that piles up around the tee sheet: pro shop calls about conditions and cart rules, outing inquiries, league renewals and lapsed members. These repeat all day, they land at the busiest hours, and a slow answer sends a golfer or an event planner to the next course. Pick the one that costs you the most missed chances and fix that first.
What your team's admin hours cost in Chicago
Change any number. The starting values are the Chicago averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.
Those hours cost you$332,800 a year
The share you would hand off$99,840 a year
Hours your team gets back3,840 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for golf courses, one job each
- Get more customers for golf courses
- Never miss a call for golf courses
- Follow up automatically for golf courses
- Booking and scheduling for golf courses
- More reviews for golf courses
- Marketing and content for golf courses
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for golf courses
- Cut admin and paperwork for golf courses
- A dashboard that runs itself for golf courses
Golf courses in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 135 | $40,055 | 6th |
| New York | 330 | $68,651 | 1st |
| Miami | 124 | $42,547 | 9th |
| Dallas | 100 | $39,069 | 14th |
| Houston | 78 | $34,370 | 17th |
| Atlanta | 116 | $31,623 | 10th |
| Washington | 98 | $41,614 | 15th |
| Philadelphia | 153 | $42,027 | 4th |
| Boston | 162 | $63,393 | 3rd |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 713910 (Golf courses and country clubs), for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (13 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.
Find the hours your course can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your golf course to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
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