Shoreacres

Seth Raynor's 1921 course on Chicago's North Shore, where ravines cut through 13 of 18 holes and template greens sit beside Lake Michigan.

Shoreacres was incorporated in 1916 by a group led by Stanley Field, many of them members of Lake Forest's Onwentsia Club who wanted a place to play with their wives. Seth Raynor completed the course in 1921 on bluff land in Lake Bluff, about 30 miles north of Chicago. It opened as Lakewoods and changed its name within weeks to avoid confusion with another club.

Raynor used his usual template holes, including a Biarritz, a Redan and a Road hole, but the site's deep ravines give the course its character; they come into play on 13 holes. The 11th, where a ravine crosses in front of the tee and again in front of the green, is regarded as one of the finest holes anywhere. Tom Doak's restoration in the early 2000s cleared trees and enlarged fairways and greens back toward their original size, and superintendent Tim Davis has maintained it for more than two decades.

Holes to know

6

Par 3

A Biarritz template with a long green split by a deep central swale.

11

Par 4

A ravine crosses in front of the tee, runs down the right side and cuts back in front of the green; Raynor's best use of the property's main feature.

14

Par 3

A Redan template, with the green falling away from a built-up front-right shoulder.

Design history

• Early 2000s: Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf restoration, with tree removal and fairway and green expansion (some greens grew by a third)