Invitation & Access · Chicago
Ridge Country ClubChicago
Beverly's 1902 private parkland club, one of the few inside Chicago's city limits.
Par
70
Yardage
6,410
Rating · Slope
72.2 · 136
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Ridge Country Club
Ridge Country Club sits on Chicago's South Side in Beverly, and the club notes it is one of the only private country clubs in the city. Its parkland course measures 6,410 yards at par 70 from the Black tees but carries a 72.2 rating and 136 slope, and the club says it is known for fast greens and tight fairways. Caddies are part of the round: walkers must take one when available. Play is for members and their guests. Not to be confused with Ridgemoor Country Club, a separate private club on the city's northwest edge.
History
Ridge Country Club — History
The club dates its founding to 1902 and has offered golf, athletics and social events to members and their families ever since. Its caddie program goes back to the 1920s, and the club partners with the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards college scholarship grants to caddies who excel on the course and in the classroom. The club's own site names no course architect.
Design
Ridge Country Club — Design
The club describes its parkland course as known for some of the fastest greens and tightest fairways in the area. The card is compact: two par 5s, four par 3s and twelve par 4s, every one of them between 330 and 449 yards. Walkers must use a caddie when one is available and cart foursomes take a forecaddie, so local reads on the greens come with the round.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Ridge Country Club
One of the only private country clubs within Chicago's city limits, by the club's account, with a caddie program that dates to the 1920s and an Evans Scholars partnership.
The Round
The Journey at Ridge Country Club
I.
The Opening
Ridge opens gently with the 330-yard 1st, the shortest par 4 on the card, then turns hard: the 2nd is a 607-yard par 5 and the No. 1 handicap hole. Three par 4s follow at 389, 402 and 346 yards, with the 402-yard 4th rated the fifth-hardest hole. The 6th, at 190 yards from the Black tees, is the first of four par 3s.
II.
The Middle
The 7th makes it back-to-back par 3s, and at 209 yards it is the longest one-shotter on the course. The 407-yard 8th is the No. 3 handicap, and the 353-yard 9th closes a front nine of 3,233 yards and par 35. The back nine starts with the 386-yard 10th, then the 166-yard par-3 11th and the 348-yard 12th.
III.
The Finish
The closing stretch holds most of the length. The 448-yard 13th is the No. 2 handicap, and the 427-yard 14th and 449-yard 16th, the longest par 4, sit either side of the 346-yard 15th. The 135-yard 17th is the shortest hole and the easiest by handicap, and the 472-yard 18th, the second of only two par 5s, completes a par-35 back nine of 3,177 yards.
How to Play It
Ridge Country Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Play a forward set rather than the Black tees; a 72.2 rating on a par-70 card means the course plays harder than its 6,410 yards suggest. Lean on the caddie for reads on greens the club calls among the fastest in the area, and treat the 607-yard 2nd as a three- or four-shot hole. The short 1st and 17th are the easiest places to settle in.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Ridge's scoring holes are its short par 4s: the 330-yard 1st, the 346-yard 5th and 15th, and the 348-yard 12th, where a fairway and a wedge set up birdie looks. Par is the target on the 448-yard 13th and 449-yard 16th, two of the four hardest holes. With four par 3s from 135 to 209 yards, iron distance control matters as much as the driver.
Advanced / Low Handicap
From the Black tees (72.2 rating, 136 slope) Ridge is short, so the card is won with irons and putting rather than length. The 607-yard 2nd is a three-shot par 5 for nearly everyone, while the 472-yard 18th offers the better chance of reaching in two. Ask the caddie for reads on greens the club rates among the area's fastest, and keep approaches below the hole.
Signature Holes
Ridge Country Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Ridge 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 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 70 |
| Yards | 330 | 607 | 389 | 402 | 346 | 190 | 209 | 407 | 353 | 3,233 | 386 | 166 | 348 | 448 | 427 | 346 | 449 | 135 | 472 | 3,177 | 6,410 |
| Handicap | 13 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 9 | — | 6 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 18 | 10 | — | — |
Good to Know
Ridge Country Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Ridge Country Club?
- Ridge 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.
- What is the par and yardage at Ridge Country Club?
- Ridge Country Club plays to a par of 70 over 6,410 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 72.2 and a slope of 136.
- Is Ridge Country Club public or private?
- Ridge 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 Ridge Country Club located?
- Ridge Country Club is located at 10522 S California Ave, Chicago, IL 60655, in the Chicago area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Ridge Country Club.
Ridge 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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