Dan Evans finally checked Chicago Golf Club off the bucket list.
After years of being asked whether he had ever played one of the most exclusive courses in America, Dan finally got the invitation and experienced Chicago Golf Club firsthand.
He breaks down what makes the course so difficult, from thick rough and deceptive bunkering to brutal green complexes and championship-speed putting surfaces. Dan also reveals what he shot and explains why, in the conditions he played it, Chicago Golf Club felt harder than Augusta National.
The show also dives into what makes Chicago Golf Club so historically important. Dan talks about the club’s role as one of the founding clubs of the USGA, the story behind the out-of-bounds rule, the no-electronics tradition, the historic clubhouse, and the dedicated train car that once brought golfers directly from Chicago to the club.
Plus, the crew gets into Margaret Abbott’s incredible Olympic story, the club’s old equipment history, the Genesis experience that got Dan on property, and why playing Chicago Golf Club felt like stepping back into another era of golf.
Chapters/Timestamps
0:00 Dan finally played Chicago Golf Club
0:42 How hard is it to get on?
1:39 Entering a different golf world
2:23 The clubhouse fire before the U.S. Open
3:21 Why membership is so limited
3:46 How Dan got the invitation
4:31 Having the course almost completely to themselves
4:52 Playing a Presidents Cup-style match
7:05 The full Chicago Golf Club experience
8:36 Meeting a longtime caddie
10:20 What the atmosphere actually feels like
11:50 Dan immediately breaks a clubhouse rule
13:41 Why the rough was so brutal
15:29 The green complexes are unforgiving
17:41 Dan’s only birdie of the day
18:52 Guessing Dan’s final score
19:46 Was Chicago Golf Club harder than Augusta?
20:24 Dan reveals his score
21:23 Why the course looks easier than it is
23:31 Dan immediately three-putts
24:49 Chicago Golf Club’s no-electronics rule
25:17 No rangefinders allowed
26:43 The historic clubhouse tour
28:26 Chicago Golf Club helped shape American golf
28:58 The origin of the out-of-bounds rule
29:47 The green Dan still could not figure out
31:15 The best advice from his caddie
35:33 Margaret Abbott’s unbelievable Olympic story
36:44 She died without knowing she won gold
37:45 Abraham Lincoln’s son and Chicago Golf Club
37:52 The club pro who helped shape golf equipment
43:34 America’s first 18-hole course
43:57 Chicago Golf Club’s private train car
44:24 The club had its own train stop
47:25 Final thoughts on the experience
47:48 The Genesis GV90 at Medinah
