Kemper Lakes Golf Club
Encyclopedia
Kemper Lakes Golf Club is a private country club
located in Ela Township, Lake County
, outside Kildeer, Illinois
, a suburb northwest of Chicago
. It is also near the communities of Forest Lake
, Hawthorn Woods
, and Long Grove
.
It was founded in 1979 as an upscale public course by James S. Kemper, Jr., president and chairman of the board of Kemper Insurance Co., whose corporate offices were located on the south end of the spacious property. A big, sprawling 1970s-style layout, it was designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent
and features a 7,217-yard, 18-hole course. In its early years it was ranked by Golf Digest
as one of the 100 Greatest Golf Courses in America. In 1989, it hosted the PGA Championship that was won by Payne Stewart
. It also hosted the PGA of America's Grand Slam of Golf
several years in the mid-1980s. Many greats have walked this course, including Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer.
In 2003 the course was sold to Crown Golf Properties, which began a four-year changeover from public to private golf.
As of 2010, the course is fully private and maintains the same quality as its heritage when it was a renowned professional tournament stop.
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
located in Ela Township, Lake County
Ela Township, Lake County, Illinois
Ela Township is a township in Lake County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 39,688.-History:The township form of government, modeled after the New England town meeting, was established in the United States after 1785, when federal legislation authorized states to create...
, outside Kildeer, Illinois
Kildeer, Illinois
Kildeer is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,460 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
, a suburb northwest of Chicago
Chicago
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...
. It is also near the communities of Forest Lake
Forest Lake, Illinois
Forest Lake is a census-designated place in the Ela Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,659 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Forest Lake is located at ....
, Hawthorn Woods
Hawthorn Woods, Illinois
Hawthorn Woods is a village in the Fremont and Ela Townships of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,002 at the 2000 census and estimated to have grown to over 8,000 by 2008. The village is located approximately 40 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. It was officially...
, and Long Grove
Long Grove, Illinois
Long Grove is an affluent village located in Lake County, Illinois, approximately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2005 census, the village had a total population of 6,735...
.
It was founded in 1979 as an upscale public course by James S. Kemper, Jr., president and chairman of the board of Kemper Insurance Co., whose corporate offices were located on the south end of the spacious property. A big, sprawling 1970s-style layout, it was designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent
Dick Nugent
Dick Nugent is a golf course developer and architect from Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1958 with a degree in landscape architecture and started his professional career with Robert Bruce Harris, later becoming the principal architect of Killian and Nugent Inc.He formed...
and features a 7,217-yard, 18-hole course. In its early years it was ranked by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
as one of the 100 Greatest Golf Courses in America. In 1989, it hosted the PGA Championship that was won by Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart
William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won three majors in his career, the last of which occurred only months before he died in an airplane accident at the age of 42....
. It also hosted the PGA of America's Grand Slam of Golf
Grand Slam of Golf
You may wish to visit:*Grand Slam for coverage of the concept of a grand slam as applied to golf*PGA Grand Slam of Golf, for the annual four man tournament for the winners of the major golf championships for men....
several years in the mid-1980s. Many greats have walked this course, including Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer.
In 2003 the course was sold to Crown Golf Properties, which began a four-year changeover from public to private golf.
As of 2010, the course is fully private and maintains the same quality as its heritage when it was a renowned professional tournament stop.