By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Founded in 1917, Winnetka Golf Club is a 2024 Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 50 Public Facility. The club has a 10,000 square foot practice facility that includes a 260-yard driving range with ample target greens, a large putting green and additional chipping and bunker practice areas. They also have an indoor golf simulator for year-round instruction and fitting sessions.
Winnetka offers a challenging 18-hole course that tips out at just under 6,500 yards and has water on 16 of its 18 holes. In addition, there’s a 1,100-yard nine-hole Par 3 layout with small, undulating greens that are ideal for short game practice.
The course recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its reopening after an extensive multimillion-dollar renovation that included re-leveling and resurfacing of tees, fairways and greens, as well as select fairway and greenside bunker remodeling, paving of cart paths and an improved drainage system with slightly pitched fairways to redirect stormwater.
Winnetka’s renovation project was managed by KemperSports and designed by Rick Jacobson of Jacobson Golf Course Design, Inc. According to his website, Jacobson’s philosophy of golf course design “is to create an unforgettable layout that stirs the imagination, challenges the competitive spirit and engages a golfer’s mind, as well as their body. Whether designing a new 18-hole course or renovating a venerable classic, the goal is to produce a test of strategy and skill so enjoyable that a golfer will return time and again!”
“The Winnetka Golf Club has been a special part of the Winnetka community for more than a century, and we are proud to help Rick Jacobsen lead the restoration of such a prized local asset right here in our backyard,” said KemperSports CEO Steve Skinner. “The golf course has great bones, and this renovation will take it to the next level.”
Instructional programming is especially robust with Junior Essentials classes offered by The Golf Practice that promote the fundamentals of the game and instill the fun that kids should have when playing. It’s about the whole student, rather than just the technical aspects of the golf swing.
They also offer a Travel & High School Prep Program that is geared toward the advanced junior golfer who seeks to elevate his or her game for potential high school or college play. This highly structured class provides challenges to these budding golfers, as well as support during their growth.
According to the PGA of America directory, Winnetka Golf Club has three PGA of America Associate Professionals on staff, including the club’s general manager, Miles Tucker.
“As an industry leader based here in Chicago, KemperSports brings a unique combination of proven national experience paired with unrivaled local understanding and focus supported by success stories of community facilities just like Winnetka, especially across the Chicagoland area,” said Park District Executive Director John Peterson. “We look forward to working with its first-class team to make Winnetka Golf Club the thriving community asset we know it can be, and welcoming golfers of all ages and skill levels during and after the renovation.”
For more information on Winnetka Golf Club, log on to its website today!
