Highland Park, Illinois
Exmoor blends over a century of Chicago golf heritage with cunning Donald Ross design. It rewards creativity, places a premium on angles, and features green complexes that keep even seasoned club players on their toes. While not a bucket-list destination, it’s a club with serious architectural DNA and a proud amateur championship pedigree.
Exmoor’s architectural soul is pure Donald Ross—natural, strategic, and built to challenge you through options rather than brute force. Routed over a subtle glacial ridge in Chicago’s North Shore, the course reveals its teeth with cunning bunkers, bold green complexes, and a never-contrived, always-authentic flow. Ron Prichard’s 2003 restoration and Andrew Green’s recent refinements returned Exmoor to its strategic roots: fairways now invite bolder lines, while greens test every facet of your short game. This is classic parkland golf but with extra dimension—the ground game comes alive, and smart play gets rewarded.
Donald Ross’s vision endures—subtle land movement, bold greens, playable for all but always challenging the thinking golfer.
Regarded as Exmoor’s most demanding par 4 and the #1 handicap hole. It stretches along the glacial ridge, playing longer than its number with a subtle rise and fall.
Favor the right side off the tee for the best angle; coming in from the rough or with the wrong angle can make holding the sloped green nearly impossible.
Deep bunkers and an unforgiving green; miss short or left and a quick bogey looms.
Firm, fast, and immaculately maintained—greens roll true and quick; fairways have expanded corridors post-restoration.
Private club tempo; expect a steady, enjoyable round with caddie support and ample space between groups.
Classic, tradition-forward club experience—discreet excellence, not flashy; deep-rooted membership with a genteel, welcoming air.
Standard private-club attire: collared shirts, no denim, golf-appropriate shoes.
Precision approaches are critical—tight lies demand confidence, so spend extra time dialing in mid to short irons.
Practice lag putts on fast surfaces; Ross’s greens can make even short par putts intimidating.
Walk the course if you can—Exmoor’s traditional routing, caddie culture, and landscapes are best savored at walking speed.
Study the course map and visualize which side of the fairway provides the best approach windows—angles matter all day.
Exmoor Country Club founded by William A. Alexander and Charles Fullerton.
Opens with nine holes and a new clubhouse.
Becomes a founding member of the Western Golf Association.
Hosts the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
Ron Prichard completes a major Ross restoration.
Hosts the prestigious Western Amateur.
The club’s unique name was inspired by the British novel 'Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor,' chosen by founder William A. Alexander and his wife Maude for its evocative connection to scenic moorlands. This nod to British literary tradition gave Exmoor both identity and intrigue since day one.
Not only a U.S. Amateur champion, Chandler Egan spent his formative years at Exmoor, later shaping the game as a Hall-of-Fame architect. His early rounds here helped shape a golf legacy that stretched from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest.
Donald Ross used the property’s natural glacial ridge to great effect—holes rise, fall, and snake across the land, demanding far more than just length off the tee. His design philosophy, rebuilt here over years, makes Exmoor one of the stealth gems of Illinois club golf.
Over its long history, Exmoor has crowned amateur legends—hosting the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1933 and the Western Amateur many times since. For a certain class of Midwestern champion, Exmoor marks a rite of passage.
Third-oldest golf club in Illinois.
Hosted both U.S. Women’s Amateur (1933) and Western Amateur (2012).
Caddie program dates back to the club’s earliest years.
Named after a British novel, not an Illinois location.
Once counted both Chandler Egan and Chick Evans among junior members.
One of Chicagoland’s best bookable rounds—modern design, great conditioning, open to all.
Chicago’s heavyweight classic; major championship history and demanding layout.
Elite Golden Age design, revered among architecture buffs.
Legendary public tournament venue with tour pedigree—accessible and muscular.
Top public pick with 27 holes and immaculate presentation for all skill levels.
Stay in Highland Park or Lake Forest for swift access to Exmoor and north suburban golf—O’Hare/Rosemont for airport convenience, or downtown if city life is also on your agenda.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: What links these two? Demands the same precision once you reach the putting surface — a familiar feeling, expressed in Deal Golf and Country Club's own setting.
Why it matches: If Exmoor Country Club is your kind of course, Maketewah Country Club is worth a look because it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: If Exmoor Country Club is your kind of course, Old Town Club is worth a look because it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
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