About AAL
A Chicagoland golf league for serious players who don't take themselves too seriously.
Our Story
Five seasons in, doubling the roster.
Almost Athletes Golf League started in 2021 with eight friends who wanted to play more golf at more courses than any single club membership would allow. Five seasons later, we're still doing exactly that — but with a real schedule, real standings, and real championship pressure. We're called Almost Athletes because we take the game seriously enough to want a real league, but not so seriously that we forget golf is supposed to be fun.
We're capping the 2026 roster at 32members — twice the size we ran in 2025. The cap exists because we want a real league with real flights: sixteen members is barely enough to flight, thirty-two gives us room to do it properly. We're opening applications now so trial rounds and onboarding can happen before the season starts in April. Long-term we're aiming for fifty-plus members across multiple flights — but only after we get this season right.
How We Play
Multi-course rotation, handicap-adjusted, real championship.
Each season runs 10 events at 9 different Chicagoland courses. Members play within a flexible window for each event — typically two to three weeks — so you can fit golf into your actual schedule. Scoring is handicap-adjusted (net stroke play), so a 25-handicap has just as much chance of winning their flight as a 5-handicap has of winning theirs.
Members are flighted by handicap at the start of the season. Each flight runs its own season-long net standings, and each flight crowns its own player of the year. Flighted play means you're competing against players at your level — not getting buried by scratch golfers, and not running away from the field if you're a single-digit. The handicap range across AAL today runs roughly from low single digits to the mid-twenties, so flights matter.
The season ends with a single 18-hole championship event. All members play the same course on the same day. Scores are still net, but the championship is its own event with its own winners — it doesn't roll into season-long standings. Top finishers earn it. The championship is the only event of the season that requires same-day attendance.
Before joining, every applicant plays one round with current members and gets approved by the league commissioner. The trial round isn't an audition — handicap doesn't matter — but fit does. We're playing real golf together for a season; it has to work for everyone. The admin review also weeds out the small minority of golfers who say they want a league but actually want a casual once-a-month round. Real league commitment means real league results.
What Members Get
Everything you need for a real season.
10 events at 9 courses
Multi-course rotation across a full Chicagoland season, with flexible play windows.
Flighted competition
Compete against players at your level. Each flight has its own season-long standings.
Real championship
Single-day, 18-hole championship event at season's end. Top finishers earn it.
Live leaderboards
Real-time standings update as scores come in, visible to every member all season.
GHIN integration
Link your GHIN once and your handicap stays current automatically.
Weekly newsletter
Results, standings, and what's next — straight to your inbox during the season.