Fort Sheridan Golf Course, CLOSED 2003

Detailed description of Fort Sheridan Golf Course, CLOSED 2003

Fort Sheridan Golf Course is a Public 18 hole golf course located in Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

The course first opened for play in 1937. It was designed by Edward B. Dearie.

Par for the course is 69. From the back tees the course plays to 5,603 yards. From the forward tees the course measures 4,916 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 12, a par-5 that plays to 477 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 16, a par-3 that plays to 142 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 6, a 403 yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole is # 15, a 323 yard par-4.

Fort Sheridan Golf Course has narrow fairways lined with mature oak trees. The course does not have any water hazards, but it does have several deep ravines and sand bunkers positioned on nearly every hole. The ravine on hole #6 drops about sixty feet in elevation. One of the most difficult holes is #10, a 284-yard, par 4, requiring a well-placed tee shot up a dogleg left fairway, then an approach shot to a green framed by mature trees. At times, the scenery is breathtaking because many holes provide beautiful views of Lake Michigan. This course is the site of many historical buildings erected around the turn of the century.

Fort Sheridan was a U.S. Army base from 1887 until 1993, when it officially ceased operations as an active military post. A reserve training area was retained by the Army.

Measures to secure 250 acres of the Fort property for public benefit began in the late 1980s. For nearly a decade, Lake County Forest Preserve District worked with surrounding communities to win congressional and presidential approval of legislation to have the Army transfer land to the Lake County Forest Preserves for public open space, recreation and preservation. In 1997, the Army began conveyance of the northern section of the former base. The third and final parcel was received in 2001.

The golf course was constructed by the Army for use by military personnel. It opened for public play in May 1994 when the Lake County Forest Preserves assumed ownership.

The Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve land dispute took shape in late 2008. An unanticipated high cost of golf course maintenance and rennovation coupled with the downturn in the popularity of golf put a damper on plans to restore the army’s run-down golf course which the Forest Preserve District had inherited and operated. Strong public sentiment about the potential taxpayer burden for the course together with environmentalists and conservationists concerns for the best use of this Lake Michigan bluff land ultimately convinced the governing Forest Board to abandon plans operate a golf course on this site.

The course was closed in 2003.