The first 18-hole golf course in America was built in 1893?

The Chicago Golf Club, founded by Charles Blair Macdonald, created America’s first 18-hole golf course in 1893 at its new home in Wheaton, Illinois. Macdonald, often called the “Father of American Golf,” had learned the game while studying in Scotland and was determined to bring the traditions and strategy of Scottish links golf to the United States.

Until then, most American courses had only six or nine holes, reflecting golf’s status as a young and developing sport. Macdonald believed that an 18-hole layout provided a more complete test of skill and closely followed the standards that had emerged at St Andrews. His vision helped establish 18 holes as the benchmark for championship golf in America.
The Chicago Golf Club quickly became one of the country’s most influential golfing institutions. It was one of the five founding clubs of the USGA in 1894, and Macdonald went on to become one of America’s pioneering golf course architects. Inspired by the great holes of Scotland, he later designed legendary courses such as the National Golf Links of America, introducing strategic design concepts that continue to influence golf architecture today.
The creation of America’s first 18-hole course marked a turning point in the sport’s development. It signaled that golf in the United States was no longer simply borrowing ideas from Scotland—it was beginning to build its own rich golfing tradition while remaining rooted in the game’s historic origins.