Invitation & Access · Lake County
Ivanhoe ClubIvanhoe
Three Arthur Hills nines, Forest, Prairie and Marsh, at a private Lake County club.
Par
72
Yardage
7,059
Rating · Slope
75.3 · 150
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Ivanhoe Club
Members and their guests play 27 holes at Ivanhoe, a member-owned private club. The three nines have distinct characters: the hilly, wooded Forest, the native-grass Prairie and the wetland Marsh. Five sets of tees run from about 5,700 yards to just under 7,100 from the Gold tees. The club counts 15 lakes and ponds, a man-made waterfall and many bridges across the 27 holes, and three indoor simulators carry the game through winter.
History
Ivanhoe Club — History
Ivanhoe traces its roots to Thorngate Club, founded in 1949 and housed in Deerfield on a course leased from architect Robert Bruce Harris. In 1985 the members found the 380-acre Smith Estate, which had nine holes; they broke ground in 1987 and opened in 1991 as Ivanhoe, with a second nine. An Arthur Hills re-creation begun in 2003 produced today's three nines, and the club hosted the Web.com Tour's Rust-Oleum Championship from 2016 to 2018.
Design
Ivanhoe Club — Design
Hills built three different nines on varied ground. Forest climbs to the highest point in Lake County through tight oak and hickory corridors to quick greens with narrow approaches. Prairie, which the club calls links-style, uses grassy hillocks, native grass and deep greenside bunkers around strongly contoured greens. Marsh is framed by grass moguls and wetlands. Water reaches all three, and about 4,000 trees frame the fairways, per the club.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Ivanhoe Club
Ivanhoe's 27 holes cover woodland, prairie and wetland in three separate nines, and the club hosted the Web.com Tour's Rust-Oleum Championship from 2016 to 2018.
The Round
The Journey at Ivanhoe Club
I.
The Opening
The Forest is the nine the club calls the stiffest test on the property: rolling, wooded ground with tight oak and hickory corridors and narrow approaches. From the Gold tees it opens with par 4s of 431 and 403 yards, then the 543-yard par-5 3rd. The 235-yard 4th is the nine's longest par 3, the 326-yard 5th its shortest par 4, and the 168-yard 6th its shortest hole.
II.
The Middle
The Forest closes hard. The 432-yard 7th is the nine's No. 1 handicap and the 428-yard 8th its No. 3. The 542-yard 9th, the club's Forest signature, doglegs left from a tee framed by oaks and pines; a 275-yard drive brings the choice of going for the green or laying up to about 100 yards. Sloping shoreline guards the left of a narrow, deep, two-tier green and a deep pot bunker the right. Its partner nine is Prairie or Marsh.
III.
The Finish
Both inward nines carry a signature hole. Prairie's 381-yard 7th crosses a lake from the tee, with more water hidden left behind the hills, then approaches over the same lake to an elevated, hourglass-shaped green. Marsh finishes with a 425-yard par 4, a 207-yard par 3 and a 434-yard closer played from an elevated tee across Lake Ivanhoe to an island fairway, then over water again to a heavily guarded green below the clubhouse.
How to Play It
Ivanhoe Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Choose a tee set that fits; the club's five sets start near 5,700 yards. On the tight Forest nine a fairway-finder off the tee is worth more than distance. At the Forest 9th, take the lay-up to about 100 yards that the club describes, and at Marsh's closing hole aim for the middle of the island fairway before thinking about the green.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Forest asks for fairways between the oaks and approaches to the fat side of quick, narrowly guarded greens. On Prairie, deep greenside bunkers and contoured greens punish a short-sided miss, and its 7th asks for two shots over the same lake, so take enough club to carry the water. Marsh's closer rewards a tee shot to the center of the island fairway.
Advanced / Low Handicap
The Forest 9th is the key decision: a 275-yard drive into the sloping fairway brings the green into range, but shoreline left and a deep pot bunker right squeeze the approach to a narrow, two-tier green. On Prairie's 7th, water waits off the tee and in front of the hourglass green, and Marsh's closer demands a long, accurate drive to an island fairway, then a shot over water.
Signature Holes
Ivanhoe Club — Signature Holes
Good to Know
Ivanhoe Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Ivanhoe Club?
- Ivanhoe 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 Ivanhoe Club?
- Ivanhoe Club was designed by Arthur Hills.
- What is the par and yardage at Ivanhoe Club?
- Ivanhoe Club plays to a par of 72 over 7,059 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.3 and a slope of 150.
- Is Ivanhoe Club public or private?
- Ivanhoe 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 Ivanhoe Club located?
- Ivanhoe Club is located at 28846 N. Thorngate Dr., Ivanhoe, IL 60060, in the Lake County area of Chicagoland.
More in Lake County
More golf courses in Lake County
Arthur Hills · Grayslake
Stonewall Orchard Golf Club
Arthur Hills' first Illinois design, a public course among mature pines, oaks and wetlands in Grayslake.
Ken Killian and Dick Nugent · Kildeer
Kemper Lakes Golf Club
Killian and Nugent's 1979 Kildeer course, host of the 1989 PGA Championship, now private.
Jack Nicklaus · North Barrington
The Club at Wynstone
Jack Nicklaus's private course on the former W. Clement Stone estate in North Barrington.
How to Play It
How to Play Ivanhoe Club.
Ivanhoe 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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