Knollwood Club

Set out in 1924 by Harry Colt’s design associate, C. H. Alison, the classic old parkland course at Knollwood Club lies within a mainly wooded 240-acre property in Lake Forest, to the north of Chicago.

Larry and Roger Packard have both upgraded the course at various times since the 1970s, resulting in the installation of several lakes, the construction of new bunkers and the addition of extra tee boxes.

As a consequence, not much of the original design remains, though the par threes at holes 4 and 12 are still Alison holes of note, as are the par fours at the 353-yard 2nd and the 372-yard 15th.

Site of the US Amateur Championship in 1956, Knollwood hosted the inaugural USGA Mid-Amateur Championships in 1981. So successful was this venture, the club was chosen as the venue for the same event the following year.

The club engaged Drew Rogers in 2017 to devise a master plan for the course. The following year, tree removal and thinning out the undergrowth began to open out the playing corridors, improving playability and visibility. This then led to re-grassing and widening the fairways, along with the introduction of native fescues in out of play areas. In 2022, tees, fairways, bunkers and putting surfaces – including the redesign of two greens – were all upgraded.