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Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed Thunderhawk Golf Club, which opened in 1999 on land owned by Lake County, Illinois — making it a rare instance of a world-class public facility built on county forest preserve property. The layout was conceived to blend competitive challenge with broad public access, and it has delivered on both counts, earning consistent recognition as one of the stronger daily-fee courses in the Chicago metropolitan area.
The course occupies a stretch of the Lake County Forest Preserves near the Illinois-Wisconsin border, where the terrain offers more topographic interest than you might expect from the otherwise flat suburban collar north of Chicago. RTJ Jr. worked with natural wetlands, native grasses, and mature tree lines to create a design that rewards course management and thoughtful shot-shaping over raw power. The wind off nearby Lake Michigan adds an unpredictable variable that changes the challenge considerably from round to round.
Beach Park sits squarely within Chicago's dense northern suburbs, yet Thunderhawk manages to feel removed from the congestion — open skies, restored prairie edges, and a layout that asks real questions without turning punitive.
| Tee | Yards | Rating | Slope | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black · men | 7,031 | 74.2 | 141 | 72 |
| Brass · men | 6,631 | 72.4 | 137 | 72 |
| Bronze · men | 6,361 | 71.2 | 134 | 72 |
| Silver · men | 6,124 | 70.1 | 131 | 72 |
| Silver · women | 6,124 | 75.6 | 138 | 72 |
| Auburn · women | 5,046 | 69.6 | 125 | 72 |
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