Invitation & Access · West Suburbs
Chicago Golf ClubWheaton
C.B. Macdonald's Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, rebuilt by Seth Raynor and largely unchanged since.
Par
70
Yardage
6,950
Rating · Slope
74.4 · 141
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Chicago Golf Club
Chicago Golf Club publishes almost nothing about itself: its website is a member login, and membership is by invitation only. It is a private club for members and their guests. The course in Wheaton is Seth Raynor's 1920s rebuild on C.B. Macdonald's routing, a par 70 of large, steeply contoured greens and deep bunkers that Planet Golf calls remarkably well preserved, with a handful of back tees about the only visible change.
History
Chicago Golf Club — History
Macdonald's 1893 course for the club in Downers Grove was the first 18-hole course in the United States, and after the move to Wheaton he built a new 18 in the mid-1890s. That course held the 1897, 1900 and 1911 U.S. Opens. Raynor rebuilt it in 1922-23, keeping Macdonald's routing, and no major remodel has followed. One of the USGA's five founding clubs, it hosted the 2018 U.S. Senior Women's Open.
Design
Chicago Golf Club — Design
Macdonald pushed for variety, and Raynor, working from his mentor's instructions, built versions of classic holes, the Road, Biarritz, Redan and Eden, alongside originals that use the same strategic ideas. Golf Digest notes the routing puts all the out-of-bounds on the left, since Macdonald sliced. The greens are large, with steep internal contours and deep, trench-like bunkers beside raised putting surfaces, and recent work has re-established lost bunkers.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Chicago Golf Club
Chicago Golf Club opened the first 18-hole course in the U.S., is one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA and has hosted USGA championships in three different centuries.
The Round
The Journey at Chicago Golf Club
I.
The Opening
The 450-yard 1st heads uphill, a refined remnant of the 1895 course with a slanting fairway and a big green site, per Planet Golf. The 481-yard 2nd climbs too, to a Road Hole green complex. The 256-yard 3rd is the Biarritz, and the 536-yard 4th, the No. 1 handicap, is an innocent-looking par 5 with a punishing target. The 394-yard 5th and 395-yard 6th complete the opening six.
II.
The Middle
The 207-yard 7th is the club's Redan, which Planet Golf counts among the finest anywhere. The 443-yard 8th bends slightly left but is shaped to push play out to a wide right side, leaving an approach from a falling stance into a green angled across the line. After the 438-yard 9th and the 139-yard 10th, the shortest hole, the 410-yard 11th has a Redan-like green, and the elevated 462-yard 12th plays to a part-punchbowl green.
III.
The Finish
The 180-yard 13th is an Eden par 3 and the No. 18 handicap. The 351-yard 14th and 393-yard 15th lead to the 525-yard 16th, the second and last par 5 and the No. 2 handicap. Both closing par 4s, the 465-yard 17th and 425-yard 18th, head uphill to large, puzzling greens with plenty of internal movement, where Planet Golf notes that central hole locations play surprisingly hard.
How to Play It
Chicago Golf Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Guests should expect the trouble to sit around the greens rather than off the tee. Play for the middle of the big putting surfaces rather than the flag, and accept a bogey on the 4th, the No. 1 handicap. With the out-of-bounds on the left, a miss to the right is generally the safer one.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Think about angles. On the 8th, use the room to the right, but expect a falling stance into a green angled across the line. The template greens, the Biarritz 3rd, the Redan 7th, the Redan-like 11th and the Eden 13th, each set a specific problem, so pick a landing spot before choosing the club. Stay out of the deep, trench-like bunkers that line the raised greens.
Advanced / Low Handicap
At 6,950 yards and par 70 (74.4/141 from the Black tees), length is not the main defense; the greens are. Their steep internal contours make the approach's landing spot matter more than its distance to the flag. The 2nd and 12th are long par 4s to elevated targets, and the uphill 17th and 18th, with central pins Planet Golf calls surprisingly difficult, demand exact distance control.
Signature Holes
Chicago Golf Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Chicago Golf Club Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
| Yards | 450 | 481 | 256 | 536 | 394 | 395 | 207 | 443 | 438 | 3,600 | 139 | 410 | 462 | 180 | 351 | 393 | 525 | 465 | 425 | 3,350 | 6,950 |
| Handicap | 5 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 11 | — | 16 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 8 | — | — |
Good to Know
Chicago Golf Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Chicago Golf Club?
- Chicago Golf Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Who designed Chicago Golf Club?
- Chicago Golf Club was designed by C.B. Macdonald; redesigned by Seth Raynor.
- What is the par and yardage at Chicago Golf Club?
- Chicago Golf Club plays to a par of 70 over 6,950 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 74.4 and a slope of 141.
- Is Chicago Golf Club public or private?
- Chicago Golf Club is a private member club — not open to public play. Access is by membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Where is Chicago Golf Club located?
- Chicago Golf Club is located at 25W253 Warrenville Rd, Wheaton, IL 60189, in the West Suburbs area of Chicagoland.
More in West Suburbs
More golf courses in West Suburbs
Ralph Weimer; renovated by Ken Killian · Wheaton
Arrowhead Golf Club
A 27-hole Wheaton Park District course; this page covers the South and East nines.
Roger Packard · Wheaton
Cantigny Golf
A 27-hole public facility on the former McCormick estate in Wheaton, midway through renovation.
David Gill · Glen Ellyn
Village Links of Glen Ellyn
Glen Ellyn's village-owned championship 18, a David Gill course rebuilt by his son Garrett.
How to Play It
How to Play Chicago Golf Club.
Chicago Golf Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests, with no public tee sheet. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.
Make a Day of It
Dining & nightlife around your round.
Pair Chicago Golf Club with Chicago’s best dining and table service through MyRSVP — our sister guide to Chicago dining and nightlife.
Explore MyRSVP ↗