THE NEW CLUBHOUSE AT THE PRESERVE AT OAK MEADOWS is taking shape. In time for the holidays, are the DuPage Golf gift cards now on sale. See DuPageGolf.com _____________________________________________________________________

FLOSSMOOR COUNTRY CLUB one of the great historic country clubs in Chicago’s south suburbs, is making a comeback under a new ownership group. The club also has a new name, Flossmoor Golf Club.

Enter George Goich, his two brothers and a family friend, and you have a foursome that is committed to returning one of the early clubs in the Midwest, to a status that had slipped away in recent years.

Goich and his ownership team no sooner bought Flossmoor, and the Covid-19 Pandemic set in.

“At that point we wondered what have we gotten ourselves into,” said Goich. “Fortunately things changed for golf this past summer, and now club is growing.”

When the Goich’s took over, membership was down to under 100 members. But it’s now closing in on 200 members. Goich is looking to keep growing the membership, and making improvements around the club along the way. But Goich is quick to admit, is that the club’s focus is on golf. And he is not afraid to tell people, that if they are looking for a club to join and the Sunday Brunch is their main reason for joining, they have come to the wrong place.

Flossmoor then called Homewood Country Club until 1914, was founded in 1899 and on September 10th of that year, Alex Smith won the first match ever played at the club by a 5 & 4 score. Smith went on to win two U.S. Opens and two Western Amateurs. Flossmoor was where the legacy of the great Chick Evans was launched in 1909, when Evans (now known for the caddie scholarship in his name) won his first of eight Western Amateurs.

Smith and Evans aren’t the only well-known golfers to play at Flossmoor. Jock Hutchison won the 1920 PGA Championship at Flossmoor, after initially not getting an invitation to play.

But Hutchison got into the field after two other professionals dropped out. The PGA in 1920 was a match play championship (the format changed to stroke play in 1959), and Hutchison won the championship match on the 18th green 1-Up. The great Bobby Jones played Flossmoor in 1928 and shot the course record with a 67, that included seven straight scores of three, starting on the 8th hole.

Herbert James Tweedie is the course architect. Tweedie born in Bombay India, spent years in London before coming to America. Tweedie’s most famous design in England is considered to be Royal Liverpool, that hosted the British open in 2006. After arriving in America he designed several courses in the Chicago area. Tweedie’s other local credits include Midlothian, Exmoor, Park Ridge, LaGrange, Hinsdale and the Glen View Club among others. Tweedie might have done more courses had he not died in 1906, two weeks short of his 41st birthday.

Harry Collis who worked at the club from 1905 until 1929, started as the clubs professional but added superintendent responsibilities in 1911. At which time he started upgrading the golf course.

In 2006 Holland Michigan based architect Ray Hearn, who is an Evans Scholar was hired to renovate the golf course. Due to budget restrictions, Hearn wasn’t allowed to do all he wanted to do, to improve the golf course.

Goich is bringing back Hearn, and will let him take out over 500 trees. Most of those trees will be removed from holes on the front nine.

The golf course first started with a back tee yardage of just over 6,100 yards, and now it’s over 1,000 yards longer. But it’s still to be determined if the new tree removal plan, will add anymore yardage to the golf course.

Flossmoor’s rich tournament history doesn’t start and stop with the men. Because in recent years the Women’s Western Golf Association (WWGA) has held both it’s Women’s Western Amateur, and Women’s Western Junior championship at Flossmoor.

But Goich is not ruling out bringing in more championships to Flossmoor, over the next few years.

Goich says the club has an interest in either the Illinois Open, the Western Amateur and or the WGA Boys Junior Championship. The next available Western Amateur would be in 2023. The next open year for the WGA Boys Junior Championship is 2024.

Flossmoor’s greens are among the best in the area. They roll very true at speeds of 12-14. Another plus about Flossmoor is that, there is some noticeable elevation change on the golf course. This becomes evident on the back-nine.

Water comes into play on holes 7-8-9 on the front nine. But there is also a creek that runs through five holes on the backside, and that gives golfers something to think about off the tee on three of those holes.

The 16th hole a 425 yard par 4, is called “Braeside”, which means hillside in Scotland. A large bunker, one of the Chicago area’s most famous. That has several fingers in front of the elevated green, is called Eleanor’s Teeth. Golfers should always do their best to avoid, having to blast a bunker shot from the teeth, up to the elevated green.

CLICK HERE to hear the interview with new Flossmoor Country Club owner George Goich.

But while Flossmoor has a great history of championship golf and more. It seems like under the new ownership team, the best might be yet to come.

Because Flossmoor new business plan is getting the club back on track, both on and off the golf course.

For questions on the new membership options that are now available, and or other information about the Flossmoor Golf Club. Please call the club at (708)-798-4700 or you can email Flossmoor at 1899golfinfo@gmail.com.