Est. 1895 · Charles B. Macdonald (first nine); second nine by Herbert J. Tweedie and the Foulis brothers; later restored by Tom Doak
Why we love this place
An 1899 U.S. Amateur, a 1906 U.S. Open, and design roots reaching back to Charles Blair Macdonald himself. We love how much American golf history is packed into Onwentsia's Lake Forest acres. A Tom Doak restoration keeping those old bones honest only sweetens it.
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About Onwentsia Club
Onwentsia Club traces to a seven-hole course laid out in 1893 on Senator Charles Farwell's Lake Forest lawn. In 1895 the group purchased a 175-acre farm and formalized the club, taking the name Onwentsia from an Iroquois term suggesting a gathering place for sporting company. Golf pioneer Charles Blair Macdonald designed the first nine holes, with a second nine added in 1898 by Herbert J. Tweedie alongside James and Robert Foulis; architect Tom Doak later led restoration work. One of the great early clubs of Chicago's affluent North Shore, Onwentsia carries a heavyweight championship history, hosting the 1899 U.S. Amateur, the 1906 U.S. Open and the 1915 U.S. Women's Amateur. It endures as a social and sporting institution more than a century on.
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