Merit Club

The Good: The Merit Club is local native Bob Lohmann’s Chicagoland magnum-opus in the northern suburb of Libertyville, IL. A private club but with a warm, inviting vibe, it is an 18-hole prairieland track with an incredibly unique 3-hole practice area as well. Beautifully conditioned as you would expect, the design is fairly benign off the tee (except for the 6th and the 17th) and very playable for the mid-high handicapper. Strong set of Par-5’s and good variety in the Par 4’s & Par-3’s. Nice clubhouse and one of the best practice facilities of any course I’ve played in the Windy City area. Staff is very nice and accommodating considering I was an “outsider” via NewClub society. Superb pace of play.

The Bad: The greens were a little slow for my taste yet did not hold as well as I anticipated. The on-course service and amenities was below expectation, as there was no food & beverage service despite being a warm weekend afternoon round. No comfort stations or halfway houses available, which could have been Covid-19 related.

The Verdict: The Merit Club is another extremely fun, magnificently conditioned North Shore club that got well-deserved notoriety with hosting the 2000 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2016 International Crown. A Top 10 overall experience in Illinois that I’ve played.

Best Hole(s): The 6th hole is a short, downhill Par-4 that can be played very conservatively or provide an opportunity to hit driver over the trees on the right. Approach to a peninsula green is beautiful. The 14th is a long Par-4 with a cape-style drive over water to an uphill green that has an infinity look to it.