Ravisloe Country Club

Ravisloe Country Club is a public golf course and wedding venue located in Homewood, Illinois.[1]

Ravisloe Country Club
Location18231 Park Ave, Homewood, Illinois
Coordinates41°33′42.55″N 87°40′23.27″W
Built1901
ArchitectGeorge Nimmons
Architectural styleSpanish Mission
NRHP reference No.SG100006865
Added to NRHP2021-09-01

History

20th century

The country club was established in 1901 by mostly Jewish members of Chicago’s Standard Club, on the site of the Briggs farm, only after the first property choice belonging to a Dutchman named Ravisloot. The membership decided on Ravislow, eventually settling on the name Ravisloe.[2][3]

The original golf course, designed by James Foulis and Theodore Moreau in 1901, as a 9-hole course.[3][4] An additional 55 acres were purchased and 9 more holes were designed and overseen by William Watson from 1910 to 1913. Donald Ross supervised a renovation, carried out from over the span of years 1917–19. Updates continued until 1924.[2]

In 1917, the Spanish Mission styled clubhouse was designed by George Nimmons, the same architect behind Olympia Fields’ clubhouse.[3]

Ravisloe operated as a Jewish private country club in the early 20th century. Illinois had the second-highest number of Jewish country clubs, mostly in the Chicago metropolitan era.[5] Due to antisemitism, many Jewish people were locked out of cultural institutions like country clubs so they created their own.[6][7] Early members of Ravisloe tended to be German Jews.[8]

21st century

In 2001, club membership commissioned David Esler to restore the course features in the same style as Donald Ross.

In late 2008, Ravisloe closed due to financial concerns and declining membership.[3][9] In February 2009, the club was sold to Dr. Claude Gendreau, a veterinary surgeon, who reopened it to the public.[2][3][9]

The club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 1, 2021.[10]

Notable golfers

One of the early pioneers in women's golf was Elaine Rosenthal, who played at Ravisloe.[11][12][8] She has a trophy named after her, which is presented to winners of the Illinois Women's Open.[13] She was inducted to the Illinois Golf Hall Of Fame in 1995.[8]

In 1913, Harry Vardon and Edward Ray won a match 3 and 2 against Chick Evans and Warren Wood.[3]

In 1916, Chick Evans won the US Open and the US Amateur; he won the US Amateur again in 1920.[3] On June 8, 1918, Evans and Wood teamed up again to play Jerome Travers and John Anderson in a four ball match for the Red Cross at Ravisloe.[3]

Other notable members include:[8]

References
  1. "Homewood, IL - Ravisloe Country Club - Golf Chicagoland". Ravisloe Country Club. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  2. "History". www.ravisloe.com. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  3. Lis, Walter (2023-04-21). "Ravisloe Country Club - a Chicago Golf Classic". Chicago Golf Report. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  4. Kotlarek, Neal. "Ravisloe: The Modern Throwback Course" (PDF). Golf Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  5. Levine, Peter (1995). "The "American Hebrew" Looks at "Our Crowd": The Jewish Country Club in the 1920s". American Jewish History. 83 (1): 27–49. ISSN 0164-0178.
  6. Higham, John (1957). "Social Discrimination Against Jews in America, 1830-1930". Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society. 47 (1): 1–33. ISSN 0146-5511.
  7. Epstein, Joseph (2009-01-09). "Bernie Madoff and the Jews". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  8. ""Eminent Ravislovians": A Report on Peter Eckstein's Recent Program at Ravisloe Country Club" (PDF). The Chicago Jewish Historical Society. 34 (2): 11–13. Spring 2010.
  9. Russell, Geoff (2009-03-23). "The Man Who Saved Ravisloe". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  10. "Weekly listing". National Park Service.
  11. Chandler, T.; Magdalinski, T. (2005). With God on their Side: Sport in the Service of Religion. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781134511662. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  12. Norwood, S.H.; Pollack, E.G. (2008). Encyclopedia of American Jewish History. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 526. ISBN 9781851096381. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  13. Gorn, E.J. (2008). Sports in Chicago. University of Illinois Press. p. 70. ISBN 9780252075230. Retrieved 2015-09-08.

41.56182°N 87.67313°W / 41.56182; -87.67313

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