Chicago Golf Club
Encyclopedia
Chicago Golf Club is a private golf
club in Wheaton, Illinois
in the United States
. It is the oldest 18-hole course in North America and was one of the five clubs which founded the United States Golf Association
in 1894. Its founder, Charles B. Macdonald
, won the first official U.S. Amateur Championship in 1895.
, went to college
in Scotland
, where he learned to play the game. He brought back a set of clubs
, and in early 1892, on the Lake Forest
estate of a friend, C.B. Farwell, and his son, Hobart Chatfield-Taylor, laid out seven informal golf holes on an interesting piece of lakefront property known as "Bluff's Edge." His group of friends were fascinated by the new game and demanded a course be built on a dedicated site. In late spring of 1892, Macdonald passed around a hat with his friends, who contributed $10 each for a total of two or three hundred dollars. Macdonald spent that money in laying out a nine hole course, about 23 miles (37 km) west of Chicago's Union Station
, on the stock farm of A. Haddow Smith at Belmont, located one block north of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
line. This was to become the first golf course built west of the Alleghenies
, and second to Shinnecock Hills
in Long Island
, New York
, which opened 12 holes in 1891.
Macdonald, who still had contacts in Scotland, next cabled the Royal Liverpool Golf Club
and ordered six sets of clubs. As soon as they arrived, his newfound associates were soon bitten by the golf bug.
In the spring of 1893, Macdonald wrote in his c.1925 book Scotland's Gift -- Golf, that he increased the number of holes at Belmont to 18, creating the first 18-hole golf course in North America
. On July 18, 1893, the charter was granted for the Chicago Golf Club.
The club became so popular that, in 1894, the members bought a piece of property to build an improved 18-hole course. They purchased a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) parcel of the Patrick farm in Wheaton, for a then-considerable sum of $28,000, which became "a first class 18-hole course of 6,500 yards." The site was chosen for its rolling hills covered with native grasses, which reminded Macdonald of Scotland.
Macdonald designed the links-style layout himself; since he was a chronic slicer, he routed the holes so that both nines would play in clockwise
fashion so that he would stay out of trouble. Once the private land adjacent to the course became developed, a new rule was needed for errant golf balls leaving the premises. The United States Golf Association
Rule of Golf for "Out Of Bounds" (27-1) had its origin at Chicago Golf Club.
Jarvis Hunt
designed the Chicago clubhouse.
Around 1902, the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
constructed an electrified third-rail railroad between the far western terminus of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
at 52nd Avenue (now Laramie Avenue) in Chicago, and the Fox River towns of Aurora
and Elgin
. The branch line splitting to Aurora from downtown Wheaton
traveled just past the main entrance to Chicago Golf Club, where was built a splendid brick station. A large majority of the club members commuted from downtown Chicago, and on weekends and special occasions a luxuriously-appointed wood-paneled club car with a well-stocked bar and linen-tablecloth dinner service was employed to ferry golfers out to the Chicago Golf Club. At the club's station was a siding, where the club car was parked until it was needed for the evening return trip.
Macdonald also brought the Foulis brothers to Chicago from St Andrews
, Scotland
, to help grow the new game. The Foulis' father, James Foulis, Sr., worked as a foreman in the clubmaking shop of the legendary Old Tom Morris -- which was located across the street from the Old Course at St Andrews
. Macdonald originally invited Robert Foulis to be the first club professional at Chicago Golf, but he was already under contract and passed the offer to his brother, Jim. Thus James Foulis
became the golf professional at Chicago Golf in 1895; he had worked for both Old Tom and clubmaker Robert Forgan
.
In 1905, Jim was succeeded by his brother David Foulis, who stayed at the Wheaton course until 1916. In addition to their skills as golf professionals, clubmakers and players, they were responsible for many innovations to the game of golf. They were first to apply the bramble (reverse-dimple) pattern on the cover of Coburn Haskell's new rubber-cored wound golf ball, and in response to the demands of the new ball developed the "mashie-niblick
", the modern 7-iron, which fell between the traditional mashie (5-iron) and niblick (9-iron). Jim and Dave also designed many golf courses, most of which still exist today. While at Chicago Golf, Dave brought the metal hole-liner to the U.S.A. from Scotland and improved the design to hold the flagstick upright, even in the wind. Another brother, John, was ballmaker and bookkeeper at Chicago Golf until his death in 1907.
After the Chicago Golf Club vacated the Belmont location, Herbert J. Tweedie, a one-time member of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club
, formed the Belmont Golf Club, of which the charter was granted in 1899. By that time, however, the course was back to nine holes. The original site has remained a golf course through the years, passing through several owners, and now is owned and operated as a public facility by the Downers Grove
Park District.
Chicago Golf Club is ranked the 5th most exclusive in the world. There are only 120 members and it will never exceed this amount, the only way to get in is by invitation from a member.
Current members include Cleveland Golf
founder Roger Cleveland, former ServiceMaster
chief executive Jonathan P. Ward, former ServiceMaster
vice chairman Charles Stair and former Amoco
chairman H. Laurence Fuller. Golfer Ben Crenshaw
is a non-resident member, and recently deceased members include radio great Paul Harvey
and International Harvester
scion Brooks McCormick
. Club President Bob King (1990-1991) allowed African Americans and women to be members of the club. Chicago Golf Club admitted its first African-American member, Charles Thurston, in 1993. The club admitted its first female full member, Judith Whinfrey, in 2001; she died in January 2010, now the only female member is Connie Keller.
(History collected from Chicagoland Golf magazine, April 1992, by Phil Kosin)
U.S. Open
U.S. Women's Amateur
U.S. Senior Amateur
Walker Cup
41.844757°N 88.116145°W
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
club in Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the oldest 18-hole course in North America and was one of the five clubs which founded the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
in 1894. Its founder, Charles B. Macdonald
Charles B. Macdonald
Charles Blair Macdonald was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the first U.S...
, won the first official U.S. Amateur Championship in 1895.
History
Macdonald, known as the Father of Golf in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, went to college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where he learned to play the game. He brought back a set of clubs
Golf club (equipment)
A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
, and in early 1892, on the Lake Forest
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
estate of a friend, C.B. Farwell, and his son, Hobart Chatfield-Taylor, laid out seven informal golf holes on an interesting piece of lakefront property known as "Bluff's Edge." His group of friends were fascinated by the new game and demanded a course be built on a dedicated site. In late spring of 1892, Macdonald passed around a hat with his friends, who contributed $10 each for a total of two or three hundred dollars. Macdonald spent that money in laying out a nine hole course, about 23 miles (37 km) west of Chicago's Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
, on the stock farm of A. Haddow Smith at Belmont, located one block north of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
line. This was to become the first golf course built west of the Alleghenies
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
, and second to Shinnecock Hills
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a links-style golf club located in the hamlet of Shinnecock Hills in the town of Southampton on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It has hosted the U.S. Open four times in three different centuries and will host the 2018 U.S. Open...
in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, which opened 12 holes in 1891.
Macdonald, who still had contacts in Scotland, next cabled the Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a leading golf club in Merseyside in North West England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, and received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of Connaught of the day, who was one of Queen...
and ordered six sets of clubs. As soon as they arrived, his newfound associates were soon bitten by the golf bug.
In the spring of 1893, Macdonald wrote in his c.1925 book Scotland's Gift -- Golf, that he increased the number of holes at Belmont to 18, creating the first 18-hole golf course in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. On July 18, 1893, the charter was granted for the Chicago Golf Club.
The club became so popular that, in 1894, the members bought a piece of property to build an improved 18-hole course. They purchased a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) parcel of the Patrick farm in Wheaton, for a then-considerable sum of $28,000, which became "a first class 18-hole course of 6,500 yards." The site was chosen for its rolling hills covered with native grasses, which reminded Macdonald of Scotland.
Clockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
fashion so that he would stay out of trouble. Once the private land adjacent to the course became developed, a new rule was needed for errant golf balls leaving the premises. The United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
Rule of Golf for "Out Of Bounds" (27-1) had its origin at Chicago Golf Club.
Jarvis Hunt
Jarvis Hunt
Jarvis Hunt was a "renowned Chicago architect" who designed a wide array of buildings, including train stations, suburban estates, industrial buildings, clubhouses and other structures....
designed the Chicago clubhouse.
Around 1902, the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad , known colloquially as the "Roarin' Elgin" or the "Great Third Rail", was an interurban railroad that operated passenger and freight service on its line between Chicago, Illinois and Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and Elgin. The railroad also operated...
constructed an electrified third-rail railroad between the far western terminus of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad was the third elevated rapid transit line to be built in Chicago, Illinois and was the first of Chicago’s elevated lines to be electrically powered...
at 52nd Avenue (now Laramie Avenue) in Chicago, and the Fox River towns of Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
and Elgin
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
. The branch line splitting to Aurora from downtown Wheaton
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
traveled just past the main entrance to Chicago Golf Club, where was built a splendid brick station. A large majority of the club members commuted from downtown Chicago, and on weekends and special occasions a luxuriously-appointed wood-paneled club car with a well-stocked bar and linen-tablecloth dinner service was employed to ferry golfers out to the Chicago Golf Club. At the club's station was a siding, where the club car was parked until it was needed for the evening return trip.
Macdonald also brought the Foulis brothers to Chicago from St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, to help grow the new game. The Foulis' father, James Foulis, Sr., worked as a foreman in the clubmaking shop of the legendary Old Tom Morris -- which was located across the street from the Old Course at St Andrews
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
. Macdonald originally invited Robert Foulis to be the first club professional at Chicago Golf, but he was already under contract and passed the offer to his brother, Jim. Thus James Foulis
James Foulis
James Foulis was a Scottish professional golfer who won the second U.S. Open.Foulis was born in the "Home of Golf", St Andrews in Scotland. His father was foreman at Old Tom Morris's golf shop and clubmaking business, and Foulis spent some time working at the shop...
became the golf professional at Chicago Golf in 1895; he had worked for both Old Tom and clubmaker Robert Forgan
Robert Forgan
Robert Forgan was a British politician who was a close associate of Oswald Mosley.-Early life and medical career:The Scottish-born Forgan was the son of a Church of Scotland minister...
.
In 1905, Jim was succeeded by his brother David Foulis, who stayed at the Wheaton course until 1916. In addition to their skills as golf professionals, clubmakers and players, they were responsible for many innovations to the game of golf. They were first to apply the bramble (reverse-dimple) pattern on the cover of Coburn Haskell's new rubber-cored wound golf ball, and in response to the demands of the new ball developed the "mashie-niblick
Mashie-niblick
Early golf clubs were all made of wood. They were hand-crafted, often by the players themselves, and had no standard shape or form. As the sport of golf developed, a standard set of clubs began to take shape, with different clubs being fashioned to perform different tasks and hit various types of...
", the modern 7-iron, which fell between the traditional mashie (5-iron) and niblick (9-iron). Jim and Dave also designed many golf courses, most of which still exist today. While at Chicago Golf, Dave brought the metal hole-liner to the U.S.A. from Scotland and improved the design to hold the flagstick upright, even in the wind. Another brother, John, was ballmaker and bookkeeper at Chicago Golf until his death in 1907.
After the Chicago Golf Club vacated the Belmont location, Herbert J. Tweedie, a one-time member of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a leading golf club in Merseyside in North West England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, and received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of Connaught of the day, who was one of Queen...
, formed the Belmont Golf Club, of which the charter was granted in 1899. By that time, however, the course was back to nine holes. The original site has remained a golf course through the years, passing through several owners, and now is owned and operated as a public facility by the Downers Grove
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
Park District.
Chicago Golf Club is ranked the 5th most exclusive in the world. There are only 120 members and it will never exceed this amount, the only way to get in is by invitation from a member.
Current members include Cleveland Golf
Cleveland Golf
Cleveland Golf is an American golf equipment company based in Huntington Beach, California. The company was founded in 1979 by Roger Cleveland, originally producing replicas of classic golf clubs from the 1940s and 1950s...
founder Roger Cleveland, former ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster is a privately held Fortune 500 company that provides various services to residences and firms. Its headquarters are located in Memphis, Tennessee after moving there from Downers Grove, Illinois in early 2007. Brands operated by ServiceMaster include: TruGreen, Terminix, American...
chief executive Jonathan P. Ward, former ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster is a privately held Fortune 500 company that provides various services to residences and firms. Its headquarters are located in Memphis, Tennessee after moving there from Downers Grove, Illinois in early 2007. Brands operated by ServiceMaster include: TruGreen, Terminix, American...
vice chairman Charles Stair and former Amoco
Amoco
Amoco Corporation, originally Standard Oil Company , was a global chemical and oil company, founded in 1889 around a refinery located in Whiting, Indiana, United States....
chairman H. Laurence Fuller. Golfer Ben Crenshaw
Ben Crenshaw
Ben Daniel Crenshaw is an American professional golfer.Crenshaw was born in Austin, Texas. He attended and played golf at Austin High School and the University of Texas, where he won three NCAA Championships from 1971 to 1973...
is a non-resident member, and recently deceased members include radio great Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
and International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
scion Brooks McCormick
Brooks McCormick
Brooks McCormick was a member of the American family that ran International Harvester and a noted philanthropist and equestrian. He was the chief executive officer of International Harvester in the 1970s, and was the final member of the McCormick family to lead the company that they had founded.-...
. Club President Bob King (1990-1991) allowed African Americans and women to be members of the club. Chicago Golf Club admitted its first African-American member, Charles Thurston, in 1993. The club admitted its first female full member, Judith Whinfrey, in 2001; she died in January 2010, now the only female member is Connie Keller.
(History collected from Chicagoland Golf magazine, April 1992, by Phil Kosin)
U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
- 1897 Joe LloydJoe LloydJoseph "Joe" Lloyd was an English professional golfer who won the third U.S. Open at the Chicago Golf Club in 1897.Lloyd grew up playing at Hoylake. He was the first golf professional in France, being hired in 1883 at the Pau Golf Club in Pau, France, by Englishmen spending their winters there...
- 1900 Harry VardonHarry VardonHarry Vardon was a Jersey professional golfer and member of the fabled Great Triumvirate of the sport in his day, along with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. He won The Open Championship a record six times and also won the U.S. Open.-Biography:Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands...
- 1911 John McDermottJohn McDermott (golfer)John J. McDermott Jr. was the first U.S.-born golfer to win the U.S. Open, in 1911 and 1912, and he remains the youngest-ever champion of that event, at age 19. He was the first player to break par over 72 holes in a significant event, which he did at the 1912 U.S. Open...
U.S. Amateur
- 1897 H. J. WhighamH. J. WhighamHenry James Whigham was a Scottish writer and amateur golfer. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1896 and 1897. Following his first win in the U.S. amateur , he wrote a golf instruction book....
- 1905 Chandler EganChandler EganHenry Chandler Egan was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect of the early 20th century.-Early life and college:...
- 1909 Robert A. GardnerRobert A. Gardner (golfer)Robert Abbe Gardner was an American multi-sport athlete best known for winning the U.S. Amateur in golf twice....
- 1912 Jerome TraversJerome TraversJerome Dunstan "Jerry" Travers was one of the leading amateur golfers of the early 20th century. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912 and 1913, the New Jersey Amateur three times, and the Metropolitan Amateur five times. He was regarded as one of the finest match play golfers of his time...
U.S. Women's AmateurUnited States Women's Amateur Golf ChampionshipThe U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association . Female amateurs from all nations are eligible to compete...
- 1903 Bessie Anthony
U.S. Senior AmateurUnited States Senior Men's Amateur Golf ChampionshipThe United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association ....
- 1979 William C. CampbellWilliam C. CampbellWilliam Cammack Campbell , often known as Bill Campbell or William C. Campbell, is an American amateur golfer and two-time President of the United States Golf Association . He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.Campbell was born in Huntington, West Virginia. He served in the U.S...
Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
- 1928 United States 11, Great Britain & Ireland 1
- 2005 United States 12½, Great Britain & Ireland 11½
External links
- Detailed look at Chicago and Mid-Ocean courses
- Original Chicago Golf Club
- Rated #5 most exclusive by Golf.com
41.844757°N 88.116145°W