Drew Rogers
Drew Rogers
Drew Rogers
Drew Rogers
Drew Rogers
Old Elm Club
Highland Park, IL • Private
Old Elm Club
800 Old Elm Rd
Highland Park, IL 60035-1104
United States
Overview
Old Elm, a male-only club on Chicago’s north side, has one of the country’s most unique design pedigrees. British architect Harry S. Colt laid out the course in 1913 on one of his few visits to the U.S., collaborating on-site with Donald Ross, who to that point had designed courses in the Northeast and at Pinehurst but was not nationally known. After Colt departed, Ross, consulting Colt’s drawings and design notes, oversaw the construction of the holes. Over the last decade, architect Drew Rogers has helped reclaim the property’s original spaciousness by removing hundreds of trees that had begun to clog the holes and expand fairways and greens. With the help of designer Dave Zinkand, they recreated the rough and rugged bunker edging that Colt was known for in his best U.K. designs. Their work has reestablished Old Elm as one of the top courses in the golf-rich Chicago area.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2023.
Previous ranking: 164th.
2025-'26 ranking: 149th.
Best in State: Ranked eighth 2023 to current.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 8th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Very solid course. One of those courses that will exceed your expectations. Great conditions and a course you could play often."
Read More2025
Review
“The most underrated golf course in Illinois and one of the top 3 golf courses in Chicago. The use of the ridge running through the golf course is used perfectly to influence as many holes as possible. The renovation work done by David Zinkand really brought the Colt back to the golf course."
Read More2025
Review
“A special and memorable golf experience in Highland Park, IL. The Drew Rogers restoration efforts highlight the original Harry Colt and Donald Ross designs in a way that makes one feel not much has changed in 112 years! The conditioning is superb and the layout and unique features create options and require strategic designs throughout the round."
Read More2025
Review
“Fantastic Colt design on the north shore of Chicago that always exhibits wonderful conditioning. A valuable addition to any Chicago golf trip. Local secret: some of the best tacos in Chicago next door at Dona Paty's."
Read More2025
Review
“Old Elm is a solid course with six great holes. The second is straight up to a crowned green with no bunkers. It's an awesome hole! All greens look much more severe on the approach than they really are. The 12th and 15th are great short par 4's. The 15th has an amazing green complex with bunkers surrounding the green on all sides. The green is square with a sliver in the front. The 6th and 17th share a biarritz green that is devilish if you are playing six. My criticism is that all par 3"s played 175-190 yards and they played the same."
Read More2025
Review
“Fun course with many unique features and fast greens."
Read More2024
Review
“It is a real treat to play this hard to access all men's course. I don't often get to play a design feature that I have never seen before. The 17th green is a form of Redan and it connects with the 8th green while the separation is a large form of a Biarritz. Fun green complexes highlighted by greens like #2 that you cannot get off to the sides. Having a green run away from you makes stopping any short game shot very difficult. I thought some of the short par fours were the best holes with interesting green complexes and forcing the player to make the decision off the tee how long they needed the next shot to be to be able to stop around the pin. For me, it was almost always best to have full shots into the greens. I would love to play again."
Read More2024
Review
“Old Elm is notorious for being the only golf course in which Harry Colt and Donald Ross collaborated. With such a pedigree, the golf club has a large responsibility to preserve and present it as designed. In such regard, the club deserves a great deal of praise as the restoration work done by David Zinkand is seemless and the maintenance by Curtis James is as good as any golf course in the Chicagoland area. Having played many of Harry Colt's great designs in England, including Sunngdale, Swinley Forest and St. George's Hill, I had lofty expectations for the green complexes. Old Elm didn't disappoint. Whether retained from the original design or restored by David Zinkand, the shaping around the green complexes was really impressive. The interesting recovery shots around the great greens really distinguished this course over many in this country, as it really shows off Colt's style, which isn't common to see in the US. Further, the natural bunkers were perfectly placed to create strategy on almost every hole, while also providing the color and impression needed to provide the golf course its character. Colt's routing did an amazing job of working with the primary ridge that runs through the property. While most of the golf course plays over flat terrain, the continued use of this ridge throughout the golf course gave it more interest than most flattish courses in the Chicago area. The club and its superintendant, Curtis James, deserve a great deal of praise for the playing conditions. It was as well maintained as any golf course in the midwest. The turf was firm and consistent and provided excellent playing conditions. Old Elm's maintenance would certainly be in the top 10% of all courses that I have played, along with Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta, Quaker Ridge Golf Club in New York and Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska. Overall, Old Elm is one of, if not the best, golf course that I have played in Illinois and deserves to be in the top 200 golf courses in the United States."
Read More2024
Review
“The golf course features fun and interesting hole designs on an excellent piece of property. The fairways are generously sized, while the turtleback greens present a challenge. Some holes include unexpected elements that add to the experience. The course is generally playable, although precision is crucial on holes like 2 and 8 to avoid dramatic problems on approach shots. There are opportunities for low scores with some drivable par 4s and reachable par 5s, but errant shots can quickly result in higher scores."
Read More2024
Review
“You won't play a course in better condition and recent renovations are outstanding. The best kept secret in Chicago may not remain under the radar for long."
Read More2022
