Skokie Country Club

Few American country clubs carry a place in golf history quite like Skokie. This private North Shore institution hosted the 1922 U.S. Open, a championship remembered for Gene Sarazen's breakthrough victory at age 20 — one of the defining moments of early professional golf. The club's roots stretch back to the late 19th century, and its current course layout bears the fingerprints of Donald Ross, whose understated genius shaped so many of the Midwest's great members' clubs.

The setting is classic Chicago North Shore: mature hardwoods, flat to gently rolling terrain, and the particular quality of light that comes off Lake Michigan a few miles to the east. Glencoe sits among some of Illinois' most storied private clubs, and Skokie belongs firmly in that top tier — a course where the design rewards precise iron play and rewards course management over raw power.

As a private club, access is limited to members and their guests, but Skokie's legacy in the broader story of American golf punches well above its regional footprint.