Merit Club

What Merit Club does

Merit Club is a privately held, golf-only private club founded in 1992 in Libertyville, Illinois, on a 320-acre site that includes an 18-hole championship golf course designed by architect Bob Lohmann, a 20,000 square-foot French country chateau-style clubhouse, and a 9-acre practice facility. The club was conceived by Bert Getz Sr. and founding president Ed Oldfield, who established a perpetual conservation easement on the property to preserve its prairie, trees, and wildlife. The club serves passionate golfers of all skill levels and their families, with a stated charter that excludes only members who lack a love of golf or mutual respect; access to the course, clubhouse, dining, and social facilities is exclusively through private membership at undisclosed tiers.

The club's core offerings center on its championship course (which hosted the USGA's 55th Women's Open in 2000 and the 2016 UL International Crown Championship), the on-site Golf Shop (retail and club rentals), The Grill Restaurant (upscale dining overlooking the 18th hole), and supporting facilities including locker rooms, a caddie program that has produced 24 Evans Scholars, and annual member tournaments such as the Merit Cup, Sword & Stone, Club Championships, and Glen Fruin Cup. Merit Club generates revenue primarily through recurring annual membership fees at varying tiers, supplemented by ancillary revenue from the golf shop, dining, private/group lessons, and events. Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, relying on personal referrals, championship pedigree, and direct outreach to the General Manager / Director of Golf, Donald W. Pieper, PGA; the club maintains a website and social media presence but does not publish pricing and does not sell day passes or public green fees.

Merit Club is not a technology or AI-driven business. There is no mobile app, public API, or disclosed technology platform; operations and member engagement rely on traditional hospitality staffing and in-person service. Ownership remains private and family-controlled since the Getz family's 1967 land acquisition, with no identified institutional investment, private equity involvement, or public listing. Operating geographies are limited to a single domestic location in the Midwest (USA).

Name

Merit Club

Legal name

Merit Club

Website

https://meritclub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Merit Club is a privately held, golf-only private club in Libertyville, Illinois, operating an 18-hole championship course on 320 acres with a 20,000 sq ft clubhouse, serving individual members and their families through recurring annual memberships, dining, retail, and championship-caliber tournaments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Golf Club

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (71391), Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Private golf club
• Championship golf course
• Golf club membership
• Country club dining
• Golf instruction services

Headquarters

HQ city

Libertyville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Club Membership: Merit Club generates revenue primarily through annual club membership fees at varying levels. The club offers different membership tiers with associated benefits and access privileges. Contact with the General Manager is required for specific membership pricing and details.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Merit Club is a golf-only private membership club operating an 18-hole championship course on 320 acres in Libertyville, Illinois. The club provides access to its course, a 20,000 sq ft French country chateau-style clubhouse, the Grill restaurant, a nine-acre practice facility, a Golf Shop, caddie services, and private or group golf lessons, gated behind annual membership tiers.

Product overview

Merit Club is a golf-only private club offering a unified portfolio of services centered around its championship 18-hole golf course. The core offerings include The Course (18-hole, 320-acre layout with USGA-specification greens), the Golf Shop (equipment retail and club rentals), and the Grill Restaurant (upscale dining with full bar). Supporting facilities include the 20,000 sq ft French country chateau-style Clubhouse with men's and women's locker rooms, and a nine-acre Practice Facility with three practice holes. Additional services include Golf Lessons (private and group instruction), a Caddie Program (with Evans Scholarship caddies), and Membership Programs with varying levels that include access to annual tournaments such as the Merit Cup, Sword & Stone, Club Championships, and Glen Fruin Cup. The club hosted the USGA's 55th Women's Open in 2000 and the 2016 UL International Crown Championship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Club Membership

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Medinah Country Club: Private golf club in the Chicago suburbs that has hosted multiple USGA majors (U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup). Directly comparable to Merit Club as a Chicago-area championship-pedigree private club.
• Butler National Golf Club: Exclusive private golf club in Oak Brook, Illinois, in the western Chicago suburbs. Comparable as a high-end, membership-based private golf club serving affluent Chicago golfers.
• Conway Farms Golf Club: Lake Forest, Illinois private club that hosted the 2013 and 2015 BMW Championships. Directly comparable as a North Shore Chicago private club with major-championship hosting history.
• Rich Harvest Farms: Private club in Sugar Grove, Illinois that hosted the 2009 and 2012 Solheim Cup. Comparable as an Illinois-based private club with elite championship hosting pedigree.
• Olympia Fields Country Club: South suburban Chicago private club that hosted the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2021 BMW Championship. Comparable due to Chicago-area championship pedigree and similar private membership model.
• Chicago Golf Club: One of the oldest and most exclusive 18-hole private clubs in the U.S., located in Wheaton, Illinois. Comparable as a Chicago-area private, golf-only club emphasizing tradition and course quality.

Broad incumbents

• Bandon Dunes Golf Resort: Oregon destination golf resort offering multiple championship courses. Comparable as a high-end golf-focused property, though resort/public-pay model differs from Merit Club's private membership structure.
• Pine Valley Golf Club: Ranked among the top courses in the world, a private golf-only club in New Jersey. Comparable due to the golf-only, members-only philosophy and elite course reputation.
• Augusta National Golf Club: Iconic private golf-only club that hosts the Masters Tournament. Comparable as a high-end private club whose identity is built on golf-only ethos and championship hosting, though at a vastly larger scale.
• Trump National Golf Club (various): Network of high-end private golf clubs operated by the Trump Organization. Comparable as premium private golf clubs hosting major events, though a multi-property portfolio at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/meritclub
• Facebookfacebook.com/MeritClub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merit-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merit Club