Onwentsia Club

Few clubs in American golf carry as much quiet prestige as Onwentsia. Founded in 1895, it ranks among the oldest country clubs in the Chicago area and has long been a cornerstone of the North Shore's private club culture — a world of old money, understated elegance, and serious golf. The club hosted the 1906 U.S. Open, won by Alex Ross, and the 1899 U.S. Amateur, cementing its place in the game's early American history long before most of today's celebrated courses existed.

Lake Forest itself sets the tone: a leafy, affluent enclave roughly 30 miles north of Chicago, where grand estates give way to mature hardwoods and the terrain rolls gently toward Lake Michigan. The course reflects that landscape — a traditional parkland layout shaped by tall trees, firm turf, and the kind of strategic demands that reward shot placement over raw power.

Onwentsia operates as a members' club in the fullest sense, meaning access is limited and the atmosphere is deliberately private. For those who do play it, the experience carries the weight of more than a century of golf history.