The Directory · North Shore
North Shore golf —
the Golden Age clubs along the lake.
The lakefront suburbs from Wilmette to Lake Bluff hold some of Chicago’s oldest and most celebrated private clubs, Shoreacres, Onwentsia, Exmoor, Knollwood and Glen View among them. The Glen Club in Glenview is the public way in.
18 courses · sorted by access & tier
The Region
North Shore golf courses, end to end.
The North Shore runs up Lake Michigan from Skokie and Lincolnwood to Lake Bluff, and almost all of its golf is private and old. Seth Raynor's Shoreacres (1921) ranks second in Illinois in Golf Digest's 2025-26 list, and Old Elm pairs a Harry Colt routing with Donald Ross's construction. The championship record runs deep: Onwentsia hosted the 1906 U.S. Open, Skokie Gene Sarazen's 1922 U.S. Open and North Shore Country Club the 1933 Open. Ross built or rebuilt Exmoor, Evanston, Northmoor and Skokie; Colt's hand is on Knollwood and Indian Hill; Glen View, in the Village of Golf, dates to 1897. Conway Farms, Tom Fazio's 1991 course in Lake Forest, hosted three BMW Championships. The way in for visitors is The Glen Club in Glenview, Fazio's semi-private course on the former naval air station.
The Directory
The best golf courses in North Shore.
Seth Raynor · Lake Bluff
Shoreacres
Seth Raynor's 1921 ravine course just inland from Lake Michigan, a private Lake Bluff club.
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.
Tom Fazio · Lake Forest
Conway Farms Golf Club
Tom Fazio's 1991 Lake Forest course, three-time BMW Championship host, for members and their guests.
Donald Ross; reworked by William Langford and Theodore Moreau · Glencoe
Skokie Country Club
A Donald Ross and Langford-Moreau course in Glencoe, site of Gene Sarazen's 1922 U.S. Open.
C.H. Alison (rebuilding a Donald Ross course) · Highland Park
Bob O'Link Golf Club
C.H. Alison's 1925 rebuild of a Donald Ross course, a private club in Highland Park.
C.B. Macdonald, H.J. Whigham, Herbert Tweedie and the Foulis brothers · Lake Forest
Onwentsia Club
Private Lake Forest club that hosted the 1899 U.S. Amateur and the 1906 U.S. Open.
Hugh Alison (Colt, MacKenzie & Alison) · Glenview
North Shore Country Club
Hugh Alison's Glenview course for Colt, MacKenzie & Alison, host of the 1933 U.S. Open.
Harry Colt and Hugh Alison · Lake Forest
Knollwood Club
A private Lake Forest club whose 1925 Colt & Alison course hosted the 1956 U.S. Amateur.
Donald Ross · Highland Park
Exmoor Country Club
Donald Ross's 1915 redesign on a glacial ridge in Highland Park, a mile from Lake Michigan.
Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. · Glencoe
Lake Shore Country Club
A private North Shore club in Glencoe, with an Olmsted-era course among ravines near Lake Michigan.
Tom Fazio · Glenview
The Glen Club
Tom Fazio's 2001 course on the former Glenview Naval Air Station, semi-private in Glenview.
William Watson; redesigned by William Langford and A.W. Tillinghast · Wilmette
Westmoreland Country Club
Private Wilmette club on William Watson's 1912 routing, with a 2025-26 Bruce Hepner restoration.
William Langford · Lincolnwood
Bryn Mawr Country Club
Private Lincolnwood club playing a 1921 Langford & Moreau routing, renovated by Forse Design.
Donald Ross · Skokie
Evanston Golf Club
Donald Ross's 1919 course in Skokie, home to a private club founded in 1898.
Richard Leslie and H.J. Tweedie; redesigned by William Flynn · Golf
Glen View Club
One of America's early 18-hole courses, a private William Flynn layout in the Village of Golf.
H.H. Barker and Harry Colt · Winnetka
Indian Hill Club
A private Winnetka club whose 1913 routing by Harry Colt and H.H. Barker still stands.
Donald Ross · Highland Park
Northmoor Country Club
A 27-hole private club in Highland Park whose original 18 holes are by Donald Ross.
William Diddel · Northfield
Sunset Ridge Country Club
Member-owned North Shore club in Northfield with William Diddel's 1924 parkland course.