No Women Past the Rock: Chicago's Men's Only Golf Clubs

The all-male Chicago clubs, as well as the others in the U.S., have mostly unwritten rules about the restrictions of women. It’s well-known, however, that women are not allowed on property, even in clubhouses. Women are also not allowed to golf, even if invited by a member.

Perhaps no club makes its restriction more apparent than Black Sheep. At the end of the club’s lengthy driveway sits a large rock and the internal slogan amongst members is, “No Women Past the Rock.” Members who have their wives or significant others drop them off at the rock are known to make “the walk of shame” up the driveway to the clubhouse.

With so much change happening in the world, it may be difficult for some people to understand a club’s refusal to drop its all-male membership stance. The reality is, the four clubs in the Chicago area and the others in the U.S., don’t have to change. While their rules may be unsettling for some, the clubs are not violating any laws as they are private entities. As long as each club continues to stay private, does not take certain tax exemptions, and abides by federal laws just like any other golf course, it can continue to set its own membership policies.

Legalities aside, maintaining an all-male membership is only successful because, like all successful businesses, there’s a market for it. These clubs continue to operate and thrive because their membership, and those on their waitlists, continue to pay initiation fees and monthly dues. It is also highly likely that members with young families belong to more than one club, with another membership at a club that welcomes the entire family.

In 2014, the R&A voted that all clubs must include female members. Clubs that held out could no longer host the British Open. It was a monumental decision that ended all-male memberships for clubs such as Royal St. George’s, which has its restriction in place for 128 years. The last clubs to comply with the ruling were Muirfield and Royal Troon.

Believe it or not, some all-female membership clubs exist. While not in the U.S., they can be found in the U.K. and Scotland. They include:

• Sunningdale Heath (England)
• Formby Ladies Golf Club (England)
• Lundin Ladies Golf Club (Scotland)
• Himalayas Putting Course (Scotland)

Interestingly, the U.S. did have one all-female membership club in the 1920s called The Women’s National Golf & Tennis Club in Locust Valley, New York. The club was born out of necessity when another local club shifted to an all-male membership. Women’s National was completely developed and funded by women. The club thrived for 18 years until the hardships of World War II led to a merger, yet again, with the nearby men’s club.

Here's a closer look at the four men's only Chicago golf clubs.

As the youngest of Chicago’s foursome of all-male country clubs, Black Sheep Golf Club is surprisingly the most traditional. Completed in 2002, Black Sheep is a David Esler design that is about golf, and only golf. The club was built to be a golf course in its purest form, a true representation of golf in Scotland from generations past.

This inspiration is evident by looking at the aerial views of Black Sheep, a beautiful 27-hole layout surrounded by nothing but farmland. There isn’t a single home on the property, not even a convenience store on a nearby corner.

The seclusion of Black Sheep continues inside the clubhouse. While maintaining a relatively small, all-male membership (known as “The Flock”), Black Sheep doesn’t offer a big restaurant or a dining room. It has a bar with beverages and some light on-the-go meals. Members are free to use the club’s grill on their own. Black Sheep provides an incredible test of golf without anything else getting in the way. Black Sheep has an eye-catching logo of a cartoon sheep with a golf club in its mouth.

From an architectural standpoint, there is truly no other golf course in the world like Old Elm Club. Located in Highland Park, Illinois, Old Elm maintains a very small, all-male membership and is extremely low-key in every aspect. Of the four all-male clubs in Chicago, fewer guests have played old Old Elm than any of the other three.

Old Elm has the unique distinction of being the only layout in existence to boast both Harry Colt and Donald Ross as its designers. Colt, who many credit as the inventor of golf architecture, designed a good portion of Old Elm before going back home to England and leaving the remainder of the work (and construction) with Ross, resulting in the only course in the world to bear both names. The club officially opened in 1913, placing it among the oldest courses in the Chicago area.

In addition to Chicago’s all-male country clubs, there are four others in the U.S.

• Preston Trail Golf Club (Dallas, Texas)
• Lochinvar Golf Club (Houston, Texas)
• Garden City Golf Club (Garden City, New York)
• Burning Tree Club (Bethesda, Maryland)

It is believed that as of 2000 there were as many as 25 all-male golf clubs in the U.S.

No golf club came under as much scrutiny for its membership restrictions as Augusta National Golf Club over the years. In 2012, however, Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne ended the club’s all-male restriction by welcoming former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and philanthropist Darla Moore to be the first women to wear green jackets. The decision broke the membership norm which had been in place for 80 years.

As annual golf course rankings come out, most include Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey rated as the first or second best golf course in the U.S. Pine Valley held onto its all-male membership rule until 2021, when the club voted to allow female members for the first time in its 100-year history. Before 2021, women were only allowed to play as a guest of a member and were only permitted to play on Sundays.

As our world continues to change, could we one day see these all-male Chicago clubs change course and begin allowing female members? In all honesty, the answer is not likely. It’s not as if they don’t receive their share of outside questioning, because they do. Going back to a previous note, as long as they maintain their existence as a private entity and abide by all laws, they don’t need to give in to any amount of public pressure. There is a dividing line between those who feel that’s fair and those who do not (with an added sprinkle of those who are indifferent), but it remains the status quo.