Midlothian Country Club
The first clubhouse (1898, demolished) - Albert Granger, architect
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| Club information | |
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| Location | Midlothian, Illinois, USA |
| Established | 1898 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 18 (plus 9 hole auxiliary course) |
| Website | Midlothian Country Club |
| Designed by | Herbert J. Tweedie |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6661 |
Midlothian Country Club is a golf course in Midlothian, Illinois. It is located 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Chicago and built on 208 acres (84 ha) of land. Designed by Herbert J. Tweedie and opened in 1898. The course was updated by the Ken Killian and Richard P. Nugent design team. In 2003, 82 bunkers on the course were renovated by architect Bob Lohmann of Lohmann Golf Designs and its construction division, Golf Creations.
The first golf club to open in the Chicago area was actually open for business a year before the World's Fair. On July 18, 1893, a charter was granted to the Chicago Golf Club, now located in Wheaton, Illinois. The Chicago Golf Club would remain under the leadership of Charles B. Macdonald until the Chicago Golf Club moved from its Belmont location to its current Wheaton location.
Although golf courses have sprouted up in the United States on rare occasion since the nation's birth, it wasn't until the game of golf was put on display for the world to see at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago that the sport began gathering a strong following of athletes and fans alike.
In 1898, a group of wealthy industrialists, bankers and merchants decided to construct the Midlothian Country Club in the southwest outskirts of the City of Chicago. The designer for the course was Herbert James Tweedie, who would go on to form the Belmont Golf Club in 1899 and take over the previous location of the Chicago Golf Club.
The property purchased for such a course was farmland and fairly close to the Rexford Crossing whistle stop of the Rock Island Railroad. Although it was not typically a walkable venture to the country club, the club in the early years chose to shuttle its guests from the station via wagon and horse.
The Midlothian Country Club became an 18-hole golf course and is quite unique in that every hole has a name.
According to the introduction published in the 100 Year Anniversary book published by the Midlothian Country Club, it suggests the initial members did not want their location to become known, or in essence hiding the existence of the country club from individuals who patronize country clubs and other member's only groupings.
Within a matter of a few years after the Midlothian - Blue Island Railroad was built, the Midlothian Country Club gained some measure of positive attention in golf circles around the world.
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