Invitation & Access · Lake County
Kemper Lakes Golf ClubKildeer
Killian and Nugent's 1979 Kildeer course, host of the 1989 PGA Championship, now private.
Par
72
Yardage
7,417
Rating · Slope
76.9 · 148
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Kemper Lakes Golf Club
Members and their guests play Kemper Lakes, a private club in Kildeer in Lake County. The club calls the course a big, sprawling 1970s-style layout, and water comes into play on about half the holes. From the Green tees it measures 7,417 yards, rated 76.9 with a 148 slope. Caddies are strongly recommended for groups with guests, and unaccompanied guest groups must take a forecaddie.
History
Kemper Lakes Golf Club — History
James S. Kemper Jr. of Kemper Insurance opened the course in 1979 as an upscale public course on the company's grounds, designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent. It hosted the 1989 PGA Championship, won by Payne Stewart, and the 1997 Ameritech Senior Open. The club went semi-private in 2003 and fully private in 2007, and Rick Jacobson's bunker renovation preceded the 2018 KPMG Women's PGA, won by Sung Hyun Park.
Design
Kemper Lakes Golf Club — Design
Before the 2018 Women's PGA, the PGA of America's Kerry Haigh called it a solid course with no tricks, all there in front of the player: fairways averaging about 30 yards wide, thick rough, and greens so large, a couple of them 50 yards long, that a hole location can mean a two- to three-club difference. Jacobson's renovation cut the bunkers back by about 38 percent and added new tees and tree work.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Kemper Lakes Golf Club
Kemper Lakes has staged both a men's and a women's major, the 1989 PGA Championship and the 2018 KPMG Women's PGA, and its water-lined 16th, 17th and 18th have decided tournaments, most famously Mike Reid's late slip in 1989.
The Round
The Journey at Kemper Lakes Golf Club
I.
The Opening
On the card the first three holes carry handicaps of 14, 12 and 18: par 4s of 421 and 400 yards and the 173-yard 3rd. The 508-yard 4th is the shortest par 5 on the course and an early chance before the 454-yard 5th, rated fourth-hardest. The 194-yard 6th completes an opening six that totals 2,150 yards.
II.
The Middle
The 557-yard 7th is the second par 5, followed by the 421-yard 8th and the 460-yard 9th, the No. 2 handicap, which closes a 3,588-yard front nine. The back nine opens hard as well: the 464-yard 10th is rated third, and the 534-yard 11th is the shorter of the inward par 5s. The 393-yard 12th is the shortest par 4 on the course.
III.
The Finish
The 251-yard 13th is the longest par 3, and the 621-yard 15th the longest hole. Then come the three holes that decided the 1989 PGA: the 485-yard 16th, the No. 1 handicap, with water down the entire right and a forced carry on the approach; the 223-yard 17th, with water on three sides of the green; and the 433-yard 18th, over water from the tee and again on the approach.
How to Play It
Kemper Lakes Golf Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Lean on the caddie or forecaddie that guest groups are expected to take, and with a 76.9 rating and 148 slope from the Green tees, play a forward set. Bank pars where the card is kinder, at the 3rd and 12th, and from the 16th to the 18th aim away from the water rather than at flags.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Approach distance matters more than usual, since greens run up to 50 yards long: check the hole location and take the club for the flag, not the middle. The shorter par 5s, the 4th and 11th, are the places to make up shots. Save something for the closing three, where Ryann O'Toole said in 2018 that three pars gain strokes on the field.
Advanced / Low Handicap
Brooke Henderson's 2018 advice holds: know the best angles into the greens to avoid bunkers and overhanging trees. The 16th is the test, 485 yards with water all down the right, and the approach must carry it. Mike Reid stood on that tee with a two-shot lead in the 1989 PGA, drove into the water, and Payne Stewart won by a shot.
Signature Holes
Kemper Lakes Golf Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Kemper Lakes 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 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 421 | 400 | 173 | 508 | 454 | 194 | 557 | 421 | 460 | 3,588 | 464 | 534 | 393 | 251 | 425 | 621 | 485 | 223 | 433 | 3,829 | 7,417 |
| Handicap | 14 | 12 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 2 | — | 3 | 9 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 7 | — | — |
Good to Know
Kemper Lakes Golf Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Kemper Lakes Golf Club?
- Members and their guests; the club also books corporate and charity golf outings on the course.
- Who designed Kemper Lakes Golf Club?
- Kemper Lakes Golf Club was designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent and opened in 1979.
- What is the par and yardage at Kemper Lakes Golf Club?
- Kemper Lakes Golf Club plays to a par of 72 over 7,417 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 76.9 and a slope of 148.
- Is Kemper Lakes Golf Club public or private?
- Members and their guests; the club also books corporate and charity golf outings on the course.
- Where is Kemper Lakes Golf Club located?
- Kemper Lakes Golf Club is located at 24000 N Old McHenry Rd, Kildeer, IL 60047, in the Lake County area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Kemper Lakes Golf Club.
Members and their guests; the club also books corporate and charity golf outings on the course.
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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