Butler National Golf Club – Membership Cost and Fees

Butler National Golf Club is an exceptionally exclusive private club, and official membership costs are not publicly disclosed. Industry estimates suggest initiation fees could approach $150,000 to $250,000 or more, depending on membership availability and club policies. Annual dues are also private, but estimates commonly place total recurring membership charges around $15,000 to $25,000 annually. Membership is highly selective, with prospective members generally requiring sponsorship and approval rather than simply submitting a public application. Capital assessments, dining charges, caddie expenses, lockers, tournaments, and other services can increase total annual spending considerably. These figures should be considered estimates because Butler National maintains considerable privacy regarding its membership structure and financial requirements.

Traditional public green fees do not apply because Butler National does not offer ordinary public tee times. Guests generally require invitations from members and must follow the club’s private guest-access policies. Older published estimates placed guest green fees around $325 to $360, but current charges are not publicly confirmed. Butler National emphasizes walking with caddies, and conventional golf cart pricing is not reliably published. Caddie fees and gratuities can represent meaningful additional expenses for members and their invited guests. Prospective members should contact Butler National directly for authoritative information regarding current dues, fees, assessments, and golf-related charges.

Butler National Golf Club Facilities

Butler National focuses heavily on championship golf, offering a traditional private-club experience rather than extensive resort-style recreational amenities. Golf facilities include a driving range, putting green, pitching area, chipping facilities, professional instruction, and caddie services. The clubhouse provides dining, locker facilities, lounges, and gathering spaces supporting members before and after their rounds. Practice facilities allow golfers to work on full swings, putting, pitching, bunker play, and other short-game skills. Caddie service remains an important component of Butler National’s traditional walking-oriented golf culture. The club’s restrained amenity approach keeps championship golf at the center of the overall membership experience.

Butler National occupies substantial acreage in Oak Brook, an affluent western suburb approximately 20 miles from downtown Chicago. Oak Brook features upscale residential communities, corporate offices, shopping, restaurants, hotels, parks, and convenient access to major highways. The course’s lakes, mature trees, rolling terrain, and extensive landscaping create separation from surrounding suburban development. Nearby communities include Hinsdale, Westmont, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, and Lombard within Chicago’s western suburbs. The property’s secluded atmosphere contrasts with the commercial and residential activity found throughout the surrounding Oak Brook area. Members therefore receive a quiet private-golf environment while remaining conveniently positioned within the greater Chicago metropolitan region.

Butler National Golf Course

Butler National features a private 18-hole championship course designed by George Fazio with significant involvement from his nephew, Tom Fazio. Founded in 1972, the course was specifically created to provide an exceptionally demanding championship test. Current Chicago District figures measure the longest Butler tees at approximately 7,550 yards with a par of 71. Those tees carry a formidable 78.4 course rating and 155 slope, demonstrating the course’s exceptional difficulty. Bentgrass is used on the greens and fairways, contributing to firm, consistently maintained playing surfaces. Butler National is renowned for immaculate conditioning, demanding approaches, lengthy carries, strategic hazards, and fast championship-quality greens.

Water heavily influences the routing, with approximately ten forced carries appearing throughout the challenging Fazio design. Numerous strategically positioned bunkers protect landing areas and greens, although an authoritative current bunker total is not publicly available. The large central lake influences several holes, while additional ponds and hazards create water challenges throughout the course. The lengthy par-five fourth stretches beyond 600 yards from championship tees and demands accurate positioning around substantial bunkering. The finishing eighteenth is another signature challenge, requiring golfers to negotiate hazards before approaching a green guarded by water. Butler National’s combination of length, water, bunkering, narrow targets, and demanding greens makes it among Illinois’s toughest courses.

Butler National Golf Club Address

2616 South York Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 990-3333