Invitation & Access · North Shore
Exmoor Country ClubHighland Park
Donald Ross's 1915 redesign on a glacial ridge in Highland Park, a mile from Lake Michigan.
Par
72
Yardage
7,180
Rating · Slope
75.0 · 140
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Exmoor Country Club
Twenty-eight miles north of Chicago in Highland Park, Exmoor is a private family country club founded in 1896 as the third golf club in Illinois. Golf is for members and their guests, and the club asks players to take caddies when they are available. The course is Donald Ross's, restored by Ron Prichard: grass-faced bunkers, crowned greens and lake winds that can shift two or three times a round. From the Black tees it plays 7,180 yards, rated 75.0 with a 140 slope, and the facility is spikeless.
History
Exmoor Country Club — History
Golf was first played here in 1897 on a nine laid out by C.B. Macdonald, H.J. Tweedie and H.J. Whigham, and head professional Stewart Gardner designed 18 holes in 1908. Donald Ross reworked the course from 1915 to 1918, keeping Gardner's perimeter routing for the front nine. Ron Prichard restored Ross features in 2003, and Andrew Green has since added bunker work. Exmoor hosted the 2018 Constellation Senior Players Championship, won by Vijay Singh.
Design
Exmoor Country Club — Design
Exmoor sits on the crest of a 12,000-year-old glacial ridge, which led Ross to send play uphill, downhill and across the flatter ground, so the wind off Lake Michigan, a mile east, keeps changing angle. The club lists Golden Age features: grass-faced, flat-bottomed bunkers, greens raised and sloped back to front, false fronts on some and open fronts on most, and collection areas that pose the chip-or-putt question. Ross modeled the 8th on North Berwick's Redan and the 12th on the Old Course's Eden.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Exmoor Country Club
Exmoor plays a documented Donald Ross redesign, restored from early plans and aerial photos, and it has staged 18 national championships, most recently a PGA TOUR Champions major in 2018.
The Round
The Journey at Exmoor Country Club
I.
The Opening
The 543-yard par-5 1st is a birdie chance, though second shots must carry a bunker 50 yards short of the green. The 441-yard 2nd is the second of five straight holes with out-of-bounds right, and Chick Evans called it the toughest on the course. The 3rd has water left, the 454-yard 4th is the No. 1 handicap and longest par 4, the 192-yard 5th plays uphill into crosswinds, and the 543-yard 6th is a three-shot double dogleg.
II.
The Middle
Two fairway bunkers split the 363-yard 7th, a possibly drivable par 4. The 211-yard 8th, the club's signature hole, is an uphill Redan through a tree-lined chute. Andrew Green's bunker complex guards the left of the 397-yard 9th, a Ross bunker sits 250 yards out on the 10th, and the 576-yard 11th poses water right on the second shot. The 184-yard 12th, an Eden-style green raised behind a pond, decided the 2012 Western Amateur final.
III.
The Finish
At the 371-yard 13th, players choose between laying up short of a cross bunker and flying it. Anything short at the 174-yard 14th rolls toward a pond. The 573-yard 15th is a double dogleg that favors two fades, and the 444-yard 16th, the No. 2 handicap, shows the Ross cross-bunkering Prichard recovered. Ross called the 17th, then a par 5, a personal favorite, and the 440-yard 18th has closed play at Exmoor since 1897.
How to Play It
Exmoor Country Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
A 75.0 rating and 140 slope from the Black tees make a forward set the sensible choice for a guest. Take the caddie the club recommends; the greens and the shifting wind are hard to read on a first visit. Keep the ball left on holes 1 through 5, where out-of-bounds lines the right, and club up on the uphill par-3 5th and 8th.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Ross's greens reward the middle and punish the edges, where shots run off into collection areas. Use an iron or fairway wood where the club suggests it, on the 3rd and 7th, and lay up short of the 13th's cross bunker. On the 17th, remember the members' tip: the grain runs west, so uphill putts are quicker and downhill putts slower than they look.
Advanced / Low Handicap
The 15th takes two left-to-right shots to get home in two, and the 16th wants a drive to the left side for the best angle to most pins. Decide early whether to take on the bunkers at the drivable 7th. On the 12th, Ross's pond is waiting for a slice; it settled the 2012 Western Amateur.
Signature Holes
Exmoor Country Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Exmoor Country 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 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 543 | 441 | 401 | 454 | 192 | 543 | 363 | 211 | 397 | 3,545 | 439 | 576 | 184 | 371 | 174 | 573 | 444 | 434 | 440 | 3,635 | 7,180 |
| Handicap | 17 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 13 | 9 | — | 4 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | — | — |
Good to Know
Exmoor Country Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Exmoor Country Club?
- Exmoor Country 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 Exmoor Country Club?
- Exmoor Country Club was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1897.
- What is the par and yardage at Exmoor Country Club?
- Exmoor Country Club plays to a par of 72 over 7,180 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.0 and a slope of 140.
- Is Exmoor Country Club public or private?
- Exmoor Country 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 Exmoor Country Club located?
- Exmoor Country Club is located at 700 Vine Ave., Highland Park, IL 60035, in the North Shore area of Chicagoland.
More in North Shore
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C.H. Alison's 1925 rebuild of a Donald Ross course, a private club in Highland Park.
Donald Ross · Highland Park
Northmoor Country Club
A 27-hole private club in Highland Park whose original 18 holes are by Donald Ross.
Harry Colt and Donald Ross · Highland Park
Old Elm Club
Harry Colt's routing, Donald Ross's construction: a private 1913 course in Highland Park.
How to Play It
How to Play Exmoor Country Club.
Exmoor Country 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.
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