Invitation & Access · North Shore
Indian Hill ClubWinnetka
A private Winnetka club whose 1913 routing by Harry Colt and H.H. Barker still stands.
Par
71
Yardage
6,483
Rating · Slope
71.9 · 132
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Indian Hill Club
Indian Hill is a private family club in Winnetka, less than 20 miles north of Chicago, for members and their guests. Its course sits on 120 acres of former farmland and plays as a compact par 71 of 6,483 yards from the Stone tees (71.9 rating, 132 slope), with five par 3s, ponds, and a creek, once called the wee burn, working through the back nine. A seasonal caddie program serves members and guests.
History
Indian Hill Club — History
Four Golden Age architects shaped Indian Hill in turn. H.H. Barker routed it in 1912-13, Harry Colt reworked that plan during three days on site in May 1913, Donald Ross staked a 100-bunker plan in 1914-15, and William Langford took on the green complexes from late 1915. The club dates its tradition to 1914. In 2022 it appointed Clayton, DeVries & Pont to draw up a long-term course plan.
Design
Indian Hill Club — Design
Golf Club Atlas credits Colt with the routing's best ideas: shifted tees, sharper angles into greens, and the club's two signature holes, the volcano-green 8th and the par-3 17th over a pond the early plans called Lake Athabasca. Colt was no great advocate of water hazards, yet he used the pond there and pointed the 12th tee at the burn. Ross's bunkers and Langford's greens, notably the 5th, add the later layers.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Indian Hill Club
Golf Club Atlas calls it the rarest of the rare: a course on which Barker, Colt, Ross and Langford each worked in sequence during its first three years.
The Round
The Journey at Indian Hill Club
I.
The Opening
Colt made the 1st a 552-yard par 5, pulling its green back to where it sits today. The 429-yard 2nd leads to the 492-yard 3rd, featured in a 1918 Chicago Tribune series on the district's best holes, with a bunker backed by a 'cop,' likely Ross's work. The 217-yard 4th is the longest par 3, and the 424-yard 5th, the No. 1 handicap, jogs right to what the article calls the course's most dynamic green.
II.
The Middle
The 311-yard 7th is the shortest par 4, and then comes the signature 8th: 340 yards to a volcano green on a hill built from soil dredged from the pond beside the 18th fairway. Langford's 140-yard 9th and the 149-yard 10th, played from a hilltop tee past a pond, make back-to-back par 3s. The 11th green sits just past the creek, and the 378-yard 12th bends right along it to a green tucked into a corner.
III.
The Finish
Colt lengthened the par-3 13th to 201 yards by moving its tee behind the 12th green. The 440-yard 14th, the No. 2 handicap, has the burn tight to the right of its green. The 527-yard 15th and 433-yard 16th occupy ground where Colt's own plans were never built. The 172-yard 17th crosses the pond to Colt's green, and the 526-yard 18th, a par 5, points its drive at a pond, with risk down the right.
How to Play It
Indian Hill Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
At 6,483 yards from the Stone tees, Indian Hill is manageable in length, but its five par 3s decide many scores. Take enough club on the 17th to clear the pond, and on the 12th and 14th keep the ball left of the creek that runs along the right. The 311-yard 7th is a breather, but the 8th green sits high on a hill, so play to its middle.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
The 5th and 14th, the two hardest holes, are par 4s of 424 and 440 yards, where a fairway is worth more than distance. On the 12th the tee points at the burn, tempting a direct line; the safer play follows the fairway as it bends right. Four par 5s, three of them 526 yards or longer, give room to recover strokes with sound layups.
Advanced / Low Handicap
With a 71.9 rating on a par-71 card, length is not the main test; angles are. The 492-yard 3rd is the reachable par 5, though bunkers guard the approach. On the 18th the pond punishes a drive down the right, and Langford's 5th green, the course's most dynamic, demands an approach to the correct section before any birdie putt is realistic.
Signature Holes
Indian Hill Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Indian Hill 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 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 71 |
| Yards | 552 | 429 | 492 | 217 | 424 | 398 | 311 | 340 | 140 | 3,303 | 149 | 354 | 378 | 201 | 440 | 527 | 433 | 172 | 526 | 3,180 | 6,483 |
| Handicap | 7 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 17 | — | 18 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 8 | — | — |
Good to Know
Indian Hill Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Indian Hill Club?
- Indian Hill 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 Indian Hill Club?
- Indian Hill Club was designed by H.H. Barker and Harry Colt and opened in 1914.
- What is the par and yardage at Indian Hill Club?
- Indian Hill Club plays to a par of 71 over 6,483 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 71.9 and a slope of 132.
- Is Indian Hill Club public or private?
- Indian Hill 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 Indian Hill Club located?
- Indian Hill Club is located at 1 Indian Hill Rd, Winnetka, IL 60093, in the North Shore area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Indian Hill Club.
Indian Hill 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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