Merit Club
Libertyville, Lake County, Illinois · Chicago North Shore golf market
- Access
- invitation only
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- Bob Lohmann, Bert Getz Sr., Oscar Miles, Ed Oldfield
- Gated
- No
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Merit Club is one of the North Shore's more recent additions to Illinois's championship-club roster: founded in 1992 by Bert Getz Sr. and his family, with the course credited to a collaboration between Getz, architect Bob Lohmann, Oscar Miles, and Ed Oldfield. Its national profile rests on two marquee women's championships -- the 2000 U.S. Women's Open (won by Karrie Webb) and the second LPGA UL International Crown in 2016 -- an unusually strong championship pedigree for a club barely three decades old. The club itself is a golf-only private facility with no published initiation fee or dues; access is by invitation and requires sponsorship by a current member. A gated residential enclave, The Reserve at Merit Club, sits directly adjacent to the course and is marketed by at least one local real-estate source as offering course access, but that specific claim was not corroborated by Merit Club's own materials or an independent second source -- see buyer_notes.
Golf & Course
The 320-acre, 18-hole, par-72 course (6,960 yards from the back tees, plus three practice holes) was designed collaboratively by founder Bert Getz Sr., architect Bob Lohmann, Oscar Miles, and Ed Oldfield, and opened in 1992. Its championship-caliber routing and conditioning earned it USGA and LPGA championship hosting duties within a decade of opening -- the 2000 U.S. Women's Open and the 2016 UL International Crown.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Membership at Merit Club is invitation-only and requires sponsorship by a current member; the club does not publicly disclose initiation fees or dues. Whether The Reserve at Merit Club's gated enclave carries any special or priority path to club membership for its residents was not confirmed by an authoritative source this session -- treat any such claim as unverified until confirmed directly with the club or the Reserve's HOA.
Living in Merit Club
The Reserve at Merit Club is a gated residential enclave built directly adjacent to the course. Beyond its gated-entrance description, detailed HOA, home-price, or amenity data was not found in sources reviewed this session.
Location & Surrounding Area
Libertyville sits in central Lake County, roughly 35 miles north of downtown Chicago, within the same North Shore exurban cluster as Merit Club's near neighbors Ivanhoe Club and Hawthorn Woods Country Club.
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What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm directly with Merit Club or The Reserve's HOA whether any resident-priority or bundled access arrangement actually exists -- the only source found for an 'exclusive access' claim was a single real-estate marketing page, not the club's own materials.
- Confirm current membership sponsorship process, initiation cost, and dues directly with the club; none are published.
- Confirm The Reserve at Merit Club's HOA fees and home-price range directly with the HOA or a local agent -- not found in sources reviewed this session.
Notable
- Merit Club hosted the 2000 U.S. Women's Open, won by Karrie Webb.
- Merit Club hosted the second LPGA UL International Crown in 2016.
- The club was founded in 1992 by Bert Getz Sr. and his family -- notably recent for a club with this level of championship hosting history.
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US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.