Public Play · North Shore
The Glen ClubGlenview
Tom Fazio's 2001 course on the former Glenview Naval Air Station, semi-private in Glenview.
Par
72
Yardage
7,170
Rating · Slope
75.1 · 143
Holes
18
Green Fee
$90–$220
The Course
About The Glen Club
Corporate members and daily-fee golfers share The Glen Club, a semi-private course where non-members can book up to seven days ahead. Fazio turned naval air station runways into rolling parkland with lakes, streams, native prairie and a distant view of the Chicago skyline. Walking is allowed and riding carts cost extra. The clubhouse has a grill and overnight rooms, and on the course collared shirts are required and denim is not allowed. Not to be confused with Glen View Club, a private club in the Village of Golf.
History
The Glen Club — History
KemperSports says the course opened in summer 2001, and the club says it is the only U.S. course named to the Top 10 new-course lists of Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Sports Illustrated. It became home of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame and hosted the Illinois Open in 2002-07, 2012-14 and 2017-19. From 2019 it hosted the Korn Ferry Tour's NV5 Invitational, now the Evans Scholars Invitational, which moves to Aurora in 2027.
Design
The Glen Club — Design
The site had runways and about three feet of elevation change, so Fazio shaped it from scratch into rolling berms with changes of up to 40 feet on some holes. Sports Illustrated, quoted by the club, credited the job with 4,000 new trees and 2.4 million cubic yards of earth moved. Each par 3 faces a different compass point, the par 5s give room off the tee, and the par 4s use perched greens and water-guarded targets.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play The Glen Club
Fazio's earthmoving on flat Navy runways produced a tournament course that daily-fee golfers can book, with a long record as an Illinois Open venue and a Korn Ferry Tour stop.
The Round
The Journey at The Glen Club
I.
The Opening
Long hitters can reach the 559-yard 1st in two, but its green sits severely uphill. The 408-yard 2nd doglegs left to a green sloping hard from right to left, and the 453-yard 3rd usually plays uphill into the wind. The 156-yard 4th drops to a green ringed by native grasses. The 599-yard 5th, No. 1 handicap, has a lake front and left of the green, and the 445-yard 6th, into the prevailing wind, has one of the smallest greens, guarded by a catalpa tree.
II.
The Middle
The 475-yard 7th gives a generous landing area and one of the largest greens. A creek and lake run the length of the 375-yard 8th on the left, leaving a short iron to a bowl-shaped green. The 217-yard 9th usually plays downwind. The 333-yard 10th is a birdie chance, the 218-yard 11th plays into the wind with a lake and deep bunkers along the left, and the 421-yard 12th bends gently left past bunkers on the right.
III.
The Finish
A pond sits right of the deep, narrow green at the 369-yard 13th. The 540-yard 14th offers a downslope beyond the left fairway bunker, the 358-yard 15th is the last short par 4, and the 451-yard 16th climbs to an elevated, two-tiered green. The 204-yard 17th mirrors the 11th with water left. The 589-yard 18th starts from an elevated tee and ends at a shallow green behind a pond and bunkers.
How to Play It
The Glen Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Rated 75.1 with a 143 slope from 7,170 yards, the Gold tees are for strong players, and the course has four teeing options. Play the 5th and 18th as three-shot holes and lay up away from the water. On the par-3 11th and 17th, the club's advice is to bail out right, since water lines the left.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Wind decides many lines here. On the 2nd the club suggests a fairway wood or long iron to leave a full shot, on the 15th a long iron between the fairway bunkers, and on the 16th aim at the turn of the fairway left of the bunker when it plays into the wind. On the 18th, lay up to a comfortable wedge yardage rather than taking on the pond.
Advanced / Low Handicap
The par 5s are the scoring holes: carry the left fairway bunker on the 1st, favor the left side of the 5th for a long iron over the lake, and go for the 18th in two only from a good lie, over the pond. Long hitters can try to drive the 333-yard 10th, and on the 11th and 17th the right tier is the real target.
Signature Holes
The Glen Club — Signature Holes
The Card
The Glen 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 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 559 | 408 | 453 | 156 | 599 | 445 | 475 | 375 | 217 | 3,687 | 333 | 218 | 421 | 369 | 540 | 358 | 451 | 204 | 589 | 3,483 | 7,170 |
| Handicap | 7 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 15 | — | 14 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 18 | 4 | — | — |
Good to Know
The Glen Club — questions answered
- How do I book a tee time at The Glen Club?
- The Glen Club takes tee-time bookings directly on its own website. Golf in CHI links the course's booking page on this listing.
- How much does it cost to play The Glen Club?
- Green fees at The Glen Club are typically $90 to $220, varying by season, day of week and time. 18 holes, dynamic range incl. range balls; cart $30 extra: $90-$110 offseason to $210-$220 midseason weekends.
- Who designed The Glen Club?
- The Glen Club was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2001.
- What is the par and yardage at The Glen Club?
- The Glen Club plays to a par of 72 over 7,170 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.1 and a slope of 143.
- Is The Glen Club public or private?
- The Glen Club is open to public play. Tee times can be reserved in advance.
- Where is The Glen Club located?
- The Glen Club is located at 2901 West Lake Ave, Glenview, IL 60026, in the North Shore area of Chicagoland.
More in North Shore
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North Shore Country Club
Hugh Alison's Glenview course for Colt, MacKenzie & Alison, host of the 1933 U.S. Open.
William Diddel · Northfield
Sunset Ridge Country Club
Member-owned North Shore club in Northfield with William Diddel's 1924 parkland course.
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.
How to Play It
Book a Tee Time at The Glen Club.
The Glen Club is semi-private — it still releases public and twilight tee times, booked direct with the club.
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
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Pair The Glen Club with Chicago’s best dining and table service through MyRSVP — our sister guide to Chicago dining and nightlife.
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