Olympia Fields Country Club
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Olympia Fields, Illinois |
| Established | 1915 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Tournaments hosted |
U.S Open (1928, 2003) PGA Championship (1925, 1961) |
| Website | ofcc.info |
| North Course | |
| Designed by | Willie Park, Jnr. |
| Par | 70 |
| Length |
7,177 yards (6,563 m) (Black tees)[1] |
| Course rating | 75.9 |
| Slope rating | 147 [2] |
| South Course | |
| Designed by | Tom Bendelow |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,594 yards (6,030 m)[3] |
| Course rating | 74.7 |
| Slope rating | 144 [4] |
|
Olympia Fields Country Club | |
| Nearest city | Olympia Fields, Illinois |
| Built | 1915 |
| Architect | Bendelow, Thomas M.; Nimmons, George Croll, et al. |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Governing body | Private |
| NRHP Reference # | 01000082[5] |
| Added to NRHP | February 9, 2001 |
Olympia Fields Country Club is a golf club in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, about 25 miles (40 km) 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 two-time British Open champion Willie Park, Jnr, and was lengthened prior to hosting the U.S. Open in 2003. It features some significant 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 and 2003, and two PGA Championships, 1925 and 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 finished in 1925 at a cost of $1.3 million. It is a half-timbered English Tudor-style building with an 80-foot-high (24 m), four-faced clock tower that has become the trademark of the club. The club is served by a rail line, which has a station close by. In 2005, the club began a $9.5 million renovation project to improve the practice facilities, revamp some of the bunkers, and make other improvements. The club is on the National Register of Historic Places. The club will host the U.S. Men's Amateur Championship in August, 2015.
Major championships hosted
| Year | Tournament | Winner | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | PGA Championship |  Walter Hagen | 500 |
| 1928 | U.S. Open | Johnny Farrell [nb 1] | 500 |
| 1961 | PGA Championship | Jerry Barber [nb 2] | 11,000 |
| 2003 | U.S. Open | Jim Furyk | 1,080,000 |
The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
- ↑ 36 hole playoff with Bobby Jones
- ↑ 18 hole playoff with Don January
References
- ↑ "Scorecard: North Course". Olympia Fields Country Club. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Olympia Fields Country Club, North". USGA. Course Rating and Slope Database™. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Scorecard: South Course". Olympia Fields Country Club. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Olympia Fields Country Club, South". USGA. Course Rating and Slope Database™. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
External links
Coordinates: 41°31′01.61″N 87°41′37.64″W / 41.5171139°N 87.6937889°W
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