Conway Farms Golf Club: History, Architect & BMW Championships

In a region celebrated for historic golf clubs and legendary course architects, Conway Farms Golf Club has established a remarkable reputation in a relatively short period of time. Located in Lake Forest, approximately 35 miles north of downtown Chicago, this private golf club has hosted some of the most prestigious amateur and professional championships in American golf.

Designed by acclaimed golf course architect Tom Fazio, Conway Farms opened in 1991 and quickly became one of the Chicago area’s premier championship venues. Its résumé includes three BMW Championships, an NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, a U.S. Junior Amateur and a U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

Perhaps most famously, Conway Farms was the setting for one of the rarest achievements in professional golf: Jim Furyk’s historic round of 59 during the 2013 BMW Championship.

But the story of Conway Farms begins decades before the first tee shot was struck, with three Lake Forest families, a former farm and an ambitious vision for a golf club rooted in the traditions of the game.

The Origins of Conway Farms Golf Club

The history of Conway Farms dates to 1956, when three local families acquired farmland along Conway Road in Lake Forest. The property had previously been associated with early Lake County settler John Conway, whose dairy farm helped give the area its name.

The families, led by Gordon H. Smith, Augustin and Margaret Stuart Hart, and Robert D. Stuart Jr., envisioned creating a distinguished golf club that would preserve the game’s traditional values.

The project developed slowly. During the early 1960s, legendary architect Robert Trent Jones was commissioned to prepare several potential golf course layouts for the property, which originally encompassed nearly 1,000 acres.

However, the proposed golf club would not become a reality for another three decades.

When the project finally moved forward, Tom Fazio was selected to design the course. The finished layout occupied 209 acres, surrounded by land that would eventually become a residential community.

Conway Farms officially opened on August 3, 1991, with a ceremony that reflected its founders’ appreciation for golf history. Margaret Hart cut a ribbon stretched between two trees, and a bagpiper led approximately 50 founding members onto the course.

In a symbolic tribute to the birthplace of golf, sand imported from Scotland was poured onto the property.

From its beginning, Conway Farms emphasized walking, an enjoyable pace of play and support for competitive amateur golf. Those principles would become central to the club’s identity.

BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club

Tom Fazio’s Vision for Conway Farms

Although Robert Trent Jones contributed early concepts for the property, Tom Fazio was the architect responsible for the golf course that opened in 1991.

Fazio, one of America’s most celebrated modern golf course designers, created a layout influenced by the traditions of Scottish links golf while adapting those ideas to the rolling terrain of northern Illinois.

Rather than relying exclusively on towering trees or dramatic elevation changes, Conway Farms challenges golfers through strategic bunkering, carefully positioned hazards, demanding green complexes and exposure to the wind.

The par-71 championship layout has played at more than 7,100 yards for PGA Tour competition, providing enough length to test the world’s best players while retaining the strategic variety expected of a traditional championship course.

Its broad playing corridors can offer golfers multiple options from the tee, but finding the proper angle into a green often proves more important than simply hitting the ball as far as possible.

This balance between strategy and execution helps explain why Conway Farms has been successful as both a member-oriented private club and a championship venue.

In 2023, the course reopened following a substantial renovation led by architects Tim Jackson and David Kahn, both of whom previously worked with Fazio. The project included improvements to the irrigation system, tree removal, rebuilding several green complexes, changes to bunkering and restoration work involving a creek that influences multiple holes.

The renovation modernized important elements of the course while maintaining the foundation of Fazio’s original design.

Building a Championship Tradition

Conway Farms did not wait long to establish itself as a destination for elite tournament golf.

In 1995, only four years after opening, the club hosted the Women’s Western Junior Championship, won by Candy Hannemann over future major champion Cristie Kerr.

Two years later, Conway Farms hosted the 1997 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. Pepperdine University captured the team title, while Clemson’s Charles Warren claimed the individual championship following a playoff.

The following year brought another major national competition: the 1998 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. James Oh defeated Australian Aaron Baddeley, 1 up, in the championship match.

These early events demonstrated that the relatively young club could successfully host competitions involving the nation’s best amateur golfers.

Conway Farms continued to build that reputation during the following decade, hosting the 2006 Big Ten Championship, U.S. Open qualifying competitions and the 2009 Western Amateur, won by John Hahn.

In 2012, the club hosted the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, with Nathan Smith claiming the title.

By that point, Conway Farms had established a championship pedigree that rivaled clubs with considerably longer histories.

Conway Farms Golf Club

Three BMW Championships Put Conway Farms in the National Spotlight

Conway Farms reached another level of national prominence when it hosted the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

The tournament, operated by the Western Golf Association, is the successor to the historic Western Open and serves as a critical event in the FedExCup Playoffs.

Hosting three editions within five years placed Conway Farms among the most recognizable tournament venues in the Chicago area.

2013: Jim Furyk’s Historic Round of 59

The 2013 BMW Championship produced the most memorable moment in Conway Farms history.

On September 13, Jim Furyk recorded a remarkable 12-under-par 59 during the second round, becoming just the sixth player in PGA Tour history to break 60.

Furyk’s round included 11 birdies, an eagle and one bogey. He finished the historic performance by making a birdie putt on his final hole.

Despite that extraordinary achievement, Furyk did not win the tournament.

Heavy rain pushed the final round into Monday, when Zach Johnson closed with a 65 to finish at 16-under-par 268. Nick Watney finished second, two strokes behind, while Furyk placed third at 13-under.

The tournament attracted approximately 130,000 spectators, giving Conway Farms substantial national exposure and establishing its reputation as a successful PGA Tour venue.

2015: Jason Day Dominates

When the BMW Championship returned in 2015, Australian superstar Jason Day delivered another unforgettable performance.

Day opened with rounds of 61 and 63, reaching an astonishing 18-under par through 36 holes. His opening round nearly became another 59 at Conway Farms.

He ultimately finished at 22-under-par 262, defeating Daniel Berger by six strokes.

The victory was particularly significant because it elevated Day to the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking.

For the second consecutive BMW Championship at Conway Farms, the club had provided the stage for a defining moment in a player’s career.

2017: Marc Leishman Wins Wire to Wire

Conway Farms hosted its third BMW Championship in September 2017, when Marc Leishman produced one of the tournament’s most dominant performances.

Leishman opened with a 62 and followed with rounds of 64, 68 and 67, finishing at 23-under-par 261.

His five-stroke victory over Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler tied the tournament scoring record at the time.

The victory reinforced Conway Farms’ reputation as a course capable of rewarding exceptional shotmaking while challenging the world’s best golfers under championship conditions.

Conway Farms’ Championship Tournament History

The club’s list of major competitions demonstrates its longstanding commitment to amateur golf alongside its PGA Tour history.

A Lasting Legacy in Chicago Golf

More than three decades after opening, Conway Farms occupies a distinctive position in the Chicago golf landscape.

Unlike historic area clubs established around the turn of the 20th century, Conway Farms represents a more modern chapter in Chicago golf architecture. Yet its commitment to walking, traditional course strategy and championship amateur competition connects it directly to the game’s earliest values.

The club has also enjoyed a notable connection to former world No. 1 Luke Donald, a longtime Chicago-area golfer and Conway Farms member.

Its championship history, Tom Fazio design and recent renovation ensure that Conway Farms remains an important part of the region’s golfing heritage.

For a club that began as a dream on Lake Forest farmland, Conway Farms has accomplished something remarkable: becoming one of the most significant championship golf venues in Illinois in little more than 30 years.

And although its three BMW Championships brought international attention, perhaps the club’s greatest achievement is remaining faithful to the original vision of its founders — a place where the traditions of golf, the quality of the course and the spirit of competition come first.

Conway Farms Golf Club
425 S. Conway Farms Drive
Lake Forest, IL 60045
Private, 18-hole golf club
Original architect: Tom Fazio
Opened: August 3, 1991
Website: conwayfarmsgolfclub.org