Shoreacres

Shoreacres is located on Chicago’s north shore. Seth Raynor, who built Camargo around the same time before going on to design Yale and Fishers Island, constructed Shoreacres in 1919. Tom Doak's Renaissance Design was involved in course restoration work in 1993, increasing green sizes amongst other modifications.

When you arrive at Shoreacres, you can almost feel a throwback in time to the 1920s as you approach the David Alder clubhouse. The course is unique and challenging with several ravines and creeks that come into play. With narrow tree-lined fairways and large, fast greens which are heavily bunkered, accuracy at Shoreacres is more important than length.

The acclaimed stretch from the 10th to 15th holes is regarded as Raynor’s finest. It begins with a 452-yard version of the Road Hole (complete with out of bounds to the right) and ends with the scenic 521-yard Shoreacres signature hole which requires a bold tee shot which must carry a ravine to have any chance of reaching this par five in two shots. Even then, finding the green isn’t straightforward. Bunkers guard the right and left side of this back to front sloping green. The 15th is not the toughest hole on the course but it’s a supremely strategic example of a short par five.

Darius Oliver, in this short extract from the book Planet Golf USA, writes: “Aside from some terrific individual holes, what makes Shoreacres such an interesting course is its evenness and Raynor’s clever use of the topography. His greens and bunkers are well positioned and the fairways flow with enough variety to keep players on their guard. This layout is a little short for today’s star golfer, but for the average guy able to look beyond length and slop ratings this is one of Chicago’s premier places to play.”