Lake Forest represents old-money North Shore golf at its most storied. Onwentsia Club, founded in the nineteenth century, helped establish the Chicago area’s private-club tradition, while Conway Farms Golf Club later brought modern championship golf to town as a former BMW Championship host. Together they frame a community where golf is less a hobby than a cultural inheritance.
Tree-lined estates, Lake Michigan weather, and immaculate conditioning define the experience for members and invited guests. Public players in the broader North Shore orbit chase nearby daily-fee options, but Lake Forest’s identity remains private and historic—a place where architecture, etiquette, and course pedigree still matter as much as the scorecard.