Midlothian Country Club

Ever wonder what it took to build one of America’s first 18-hole golf courses? Here at Midlothian Country Club, the story is as rich as the perfectly manicured greens. In 1898, a group of Chicago’s elite, tired of the city’s hustle, set their sights on 208 acres of pristine prairie southwest of Chicago. They envisioned Midlothian Country Club, a golfer’s paradise. These weren’t just businessmen; they were visionaries. Names like John G. Shedd and A.G. Spalding, titans of industry, boarded Rock Island trains, escaping the city for the tranquility of their creation. The original course, designed by Herbert J. Tweedie, presented a unique challenge. A nine-hole auxiliary course served as a proving ground. Think you could handle it? Members had to score 72 or less on this shorter course before even stepping onto the main 18. Midlothian Country Club became more than a golf course; it became a summer retreat. Families flocked to the clubhouse and surrounding cottages. Getting there, however, was an adventure. Initially, horse-drawn wagons carried members, but the club soon found a more innovative solution. They built their own railroad. A private locomotive and two passenger coaches made 14 trips daily along a three-mile track. This made Midlothian one of only two golf clubs in the world, the other being the legendary St. Andrews in Scotland, to boast its own railway. So, as you stand on these hallowed grounds, remember, you’re walking in the footsteps of giants, on a course shaped by ambition and a love for the game. Midlothian Country Club isn’t just a golf course. It’s a testament to a time when the pursuit of leisure was as grand as the dreams of the men who built it.