Olympia Fields Country Club
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Olympia Fields Country Club is a prestigious golf club in Olympia Fields, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago about twenty five miles south of The Loop. It is a private club with two eighteen hole courses, the North and the South. The North Course is considered one of the top three courses in the Chicago area and is generally ranked in the top 50 courses in the United States. The South Course is regularly ranked in the top ten in Illinois.
The club was founded in 1915. The North Course was designed by twice British Open champion Willie Park, Jnr, and was lengthened prior to hosting the 2003 U.S. Open. It features big elevation changes, a meandering creek and hundreds of native oak trees. At one time it was one of four courses at the club, but after the club fell into financial difficulties during World War II, it was forced to sell off half of its land. The remaining holes from the other three courses were reconfigured to make the South Course. Olympia Fields has hosted four major championships in total, two U.S. Opens, 1928 & 2003, and two PGA Championships, 1925 & 1961. Other events held at Olympia Fields include five Western Opens, and the 1997 U.S. Senior Open.
Olympia Fields is famous for its enormous clubhouse, which was completed in 1925 at a cost of $1.3 million. It is a half timbered English Tudor style building with an eighty-foot high, four-faced clock tower that has become the trademark of the club. In 2005, the club began a $9.5 million renovation project to improve the practice facilities, revamp some of the bunkers, and make other improvements. The club is on the National Register of Historic Places.
U.S. Open champions at Olympia Fields:
- 1928: Johnny Farrell
- 2003: Jim Furyk
PGA Championship winners at Olympia Fields:
- 1925 Walter Hagen
- 1961 Jerry Barber
