Onwentsia Club – Membership Cost and Fees
Onwentsia Club is an exceptionally exclusive private club, with membership generally requiring sponsorship and approval from existing members. Current unofficial estimates place the initiation fee around $150,000, although the club does not publicly confirm pricing. Estimated monthly dues are approximately $1,542, translating to roughly $18,500 in annual dues. Membership costs can vary according to category, age, privileges, assessments, and changes to the club’s fee structure. Dining expenses, capital assessments, lockers, caddies, racquets, swimming, and other services can increase total annual spending. Prospective members should contact Onwentsia directly because published initiation and dues figures remain estimates rather than official prices.
Onwentsia is private and does not provide conventional public green fees or unrestricted daily tee times. Invited guests generally play under member sponsorship and must follow the club’s established golf policies. Current guest green fees are not publicly disclosed, although approximately $150 to $250 represents a reasonable estimate. Golf carts are available, but current cart charges are not published and may depend upon usage and club policies. Walking with caddies remains consistent with Onwentsia’s traditional private-club golf experience and creates additional fees and gratuities. Total annual expenses can therefore exceed $20,000 when dues, assessments, dining, caddies, guests, and recreational activities are combined.
Onwentsia Club Facilities
Onwentsia combines historic championship golf with racquet sports, swimming, dining, social activities, and traditional private-club amenities. Golf facilities include a driving range, putting green, short-game practice areas, professional instruction, golf shop, and caddie services. Extensive racquet facilities support tennis, paddle, squash, pickleball, instruction, tournaments, leagues, and organized member competition. The swimming pool provides seasonal recreation, family activities, lessons, and organized aquatic programming during Chicago’s warmer months. Clubhouse amenities include dining rooms, lounges, locker facilities, gathering spaces, and areas accommodating private and member events. Onwentsia’s recreational offerings create a broader family country-club experience than Illinois clubs focused almost exclusively on golf.
The club occupies a spacious property along Green Bay Road in prestigious Lake Forest on Chicago’s North Shore. Lake Forest features historic estates, wooded neighborhoods, Lake Michigan beaches, parks, schools, shopping, restaurants, and attractive downtown areas. Nearby communities include Lake Bluff, Highland Park, Deerfield, Libertyville, and Bannockburn, approximately 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. Mature trees and extensive open spaces give Onwentsia a secluded atmosphere despite its location within metropolitan Chicago. The surrounding community has long ranked among Illinois’s most affluent residential areas and contains several prominent private clubs. Onwentsia’s historic character and understated setting complement Lake Forest’s longstanding traditions of architecture, estates, recreation, and private-club life.
Onwentsia Club Golf Course
Onwentsia features a private 18-hole course credited primarily to James and Robert Foulis and H.J. Whigham. Founded in 1895, the club played an important role in the early development of American golf. Black tees currently measure approximately 6,716 yards and play to a men’s par of 71. Those tees carry a 72.3 course rating and 135 slope, providing a demanding traditional test. Bentgrass is used on greens and fairways, supporting smooth surfaces and traditional playing characteristics. Conditioning is highly regarded, featuring carefully maintained fairways, fast greens, mature trees, strategic rough, and classic architectural features.
Strategically positioned bunkers defend fairways and greens, although an authoritative current total bunker count is unavailable publicly. Water plays a relatively limited role compared with bunkering, trees, strategic angles, and challenging green complexes. Approximately four holes encounter meaningful water features, although exact counts depend upon how individual hazards are classified. The par-three holes provide several memorable challenges and highlight the course’s traditional strategy rather than overwhelming length. Onwentsia’s closing stretch rewards accurate approaches and careful positioning around bunkers, trees, and subtly contoured greens. The course hosted the 1906 U.S. Open, establishing Onwentsia’s lasting place within American championship golf history.
Onwentsia Club Address
300 North Green Bay Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045
(847) 234-0120