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Skokie Country Club — Glencoe, IL golf course

Invitation & Access · North Shore

Skokie Country ClubGlencoe

A Donald Ross and Langford-Moreau course in Glencoe, site of Gene Sarazen's 1922 U.S. Open.

Par

71

Yardage

7,091

Rating · Slope

74.4 · 141

Holes

18

Green Fee

Members only

The Course

About Skokie Country Club

Skokie Country Club is a private, family-oriented North Shore club chartered in 1897, open to members and their guests. Its course is a Ross design substantially reworked by William Langford and Theodore Moreau, and it plays 7,091 yards at par 71 from the Black tees with a 74.4 rating and 141 slope. The club points to its green complexes and a routing with great variety. Active phone use is not allowed on the course.

History

Skokie Country Club — History

Skokie's first nine was laid out in 1897, and Tom Bendelow's 18 opened in 1905. Donald Ross's redesign opened in 1915, and Gene Sarazen won the 1922 U.S. Open on it. Langford and Moreau reworked the course in 1938, Ron Prichard restored it in 1999-2000, and Brian Schneider of Renaissance Golf Design restored its bunkers and greens in 2022. The Western Amateur was played there in 2025.

Design

Skokie Country Club — Design

The club notes that Langford and Moreau designed holes 3 through 7 and 11 through 13 while keeping Ross's principles. The greens are the core: some hold mini greens within them, others a spine, a ledge or a false front, and the 8th is the oldest on the course. Cross bunkers frame the drive on the 4th and the approach on the 10th, and the double doglegs on the 7th and 11th offer risk-and-reward lines.

What Sets It Apart

Why Play Skokie Country Club

Site of the 1922 U.S. Open, where Sarazen made birdie at the last to win, Skokie layers Ross, Langford-Moreau and a 2022 Renaissance Golf Design restoration on one North Shore course.

The Round

The Journey at Skokie Country Club

I.

The Opening

The club borrows Ross's phrase for the 442-yard 1st, a firm handshake: a slight dogleg left with bunkers inside the corner and a two-tiered green. The 195-yard 2nd plays slightly downhill, and the 568-yard 3rd, the No. 1 handicap, is a rolling dogleg-left par 5 with a creek left and angled cross bunkers. Cross bunkers frame the drive on the 441-yard 4th, the 193-yard 5th climbs to a perched green, and the 401-yard 6th has a spined green.

II.

The Middle

The 517-yard 7th, a double dogleg, plays as a par 4 in competition and is perhaps the easiest hole. The 432-yard 8th climbs with out of bounds right to Skokie's oldest green, behind a false front. The 184-yard 9th crosses a pond back to the clubhouse. After the 417-yard 10th, the 557-yard 11th double-doglegs past cross bunkers and a creek, and the 228-yard 12th, the signature hole, carries water to a perched green.

III.

The Finish

The 552-yard 13th is reachable, with a pond short right of the green. The 448-yard 14th asks for one of the course's most exacting drives, past a double-sided bunker, and the 348-yard 15th, a 'par 3 1/2' to the club, tempts a drive at the green. The 250-yard 16th is the longest par 3, and the 454-yard 17th and uphill 464-yard 18th, both with false fronts, close a back nine of 3,718 yards.

How to Play It

Skokie Country Club — Playing Strategy

Beginner / High Handicap

Pick a tee well forward of the 7,091-yard Black set; Skokie's rating is 74.4. Stay below the hole on the 1st, 2nd, 9th and 10th, as the club advises. On the 12th, the obvious miss, long left, finds a deep bunker that cannot be seen from the tee. On the 15th, the safe play is a long iron over the right bunker, leaving a short wedge.

Intermediate / Mid Handicap

Bank shots on the 7th, which the club calls perhaps the easiest hole, and the 10th, a great birdie chance. Respect the 8th and 17th, where par is a great score in the club's own words. On the 11th, playing it as a three-shot hole may be best depending on the pin, and on the 13th a layup short of the pond leaves about 100 yards.

Advanced / Low Handicap

From the Black tees (74.4 rating, 141 slope), the par 5s are the scoring holes: the 3rd, 7th, 11th and 13th are all reachable, though the 11th in two needs one of Skokie's hardest shots. A slight draw over the right bunker sets the best angle on the 13th. On the 18th, draw the drive down the right, then avoid the false front on the first third of the green.

Signature Holes

Skokie Country Club — Signature Holes

The Card

Skokie Country Club Scorecard

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Par435434543354535443443671
Yards4421955684411934015174321843,3734175572285524483482504544643,7187,091
Handicap5151713119317—12214681618410——

Good to Know

Skokie Country Club — questions answered

How do I get on Skokie Country Club?
Skokie 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.
Who designed Skokie Country Club?
Skokie Country Club was designed by Donald Ross; reworked by William Langford and Theodore Moreau and opened in 1915.
What is the par and yardage at Skokie Country Club?
Skokie Country Club plays to a par of 71 over 7,091 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 74.4 and a slope of 141.
Is Skokie Country Club public or private?
Skokie 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 Skokie Country Club located?
Skokie Country Club is located at 500 Washington Ave, Glencoe, IL 60022, in the North Shore area of Chicagoland.

How to Play It

How to Play Skokie Country Club.

Skokie 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.

Make a Day of It

Dining & nightlife around your round.

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