Lake Forest, IL
Onwentsia Club
Onwentsia traces its beginnings to seven holes laid out on Senator Charles Farwell’s estate in 1892. Hobart Chatfield-Taylor routed play between trees and flowerbeds, using buried tomato cans as cups.1
- Location
- Lake Forest, IL
- Course
- 18 holes · par 71
- Club website
- Visit website
From a lawn course to Onwentsia
The growing group moved to nine holes on Leander McCormick’s farm in 1894, then sought a permanent home. In 1895, Onwentsia was organized on the 175-acre Henry Ives Cobb farm.1
The course
Follow each course for its scorecard, design history, and sources.
Championships
Results and dates 1 edition
U.S. Open
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Alex Smith
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Continue through the archive
Follow the course and the people behind it.
Sources and editorial notes4 references
Sources for this story
- History Onwentsia Club
History and course description.
Consulted 2026-09-21
Record sources
- Club mark source
- 2026 USGA Championships Media Guide - U.S. Open The official 2026 USGA Championship Record Book directly enumerates the completed 1906 Championship, champion, explicit date span, and site in Championship Results: 1895 to 2025. The recorded champion and site preserve the higher-resolution register text. The current official U.S. Open Champions table independently confirms the year, champion, and site.
- USGA championship host record Dated USGA host wording Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, Ill. is explicitly reconciled to Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, IL. The dated register identifies the Club. A continuing physical Course identity is not inferred from a single stored Course or an unqualified venue name. Host and competition dates: www.usga.org