History

In its origin, the Chicago District Golf Association offices were housed in downtown Chicago. In the late 1970s, the organization made the move to suburban Oak Brook, however, by 1998, after nearly 20 years of residency in Oak Brook, the CDGA began to look for a new home. It was during a meeting in 1998 between CDGA personnel, Frank Jemsek and Nick Mokelke of Cog Hill, that the seeds were planted for the Midwest Golf House. After a $1.4 million land donation by the Jemsek family (owners of Cog Hill), planning and fundraising for the 22,000 square foot facility began. Throughout the duration of the project, nearly $5 million in funds was raised by the CDGA Foundation in a campaign dubbed “Sunshine Through Golf” (which was later made the Foundation's moniker).

In conceptualizing the project, architects drew from visits to the Golf House, a United States Golf Association (USGA) facility in New Jersey, as well as the Metropolitan Golf Association headquarters in New York. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in conjunction with the 2000 Western Open, with construction beginning that August. The Midwest Golf House opened for operation on April 16, 2001, and had more than 300 people attend its formal dedication on June 3.

The Midwest Golf House currently houses the offices of the CDGA, the Sunshine Through Golf Foundation, Illinois Junior Golf Association, as well as providing office space to other allied associations, including the Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents, USGA and First Tee. In addition to the administrative offices, the 100-seat Michael Keiser/Jerry Rich Education Center, a museum/library, state of the art turfgrass research facility and a three-hole “sunshine” course also reside in the 15-acre complex.

The construction of the facility would not have been possible without the tireless work of volunteers to help raise funds for the project. To honor the financial contributions of the donors, a donor wall was created in the lobby to commemorate their assistance in the creation of the facility.

Midwest Golf House Complex Facts
Size	22,000 square foot building 15 acre complex
Cost	$5 million
Groundbreaking	July 5, 2000
Opened for Business	April 16, 2001
Formal Dedication	June 3, 2001
Architect	Rob Walker of Otis Koglin Wilson
Constructed by	Valenti Builders Northfield, IL (Aug. 2000)
Occupants	Chicago District Golf Association Sunshine Through Golf Foundation Illinois Junior Golf Association Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents American Junior Golf Association United States Golf Association First Tee University of Illinois