Nestled in the Illinois countryside, Canyata may be the best course you’ve never played—an untouched gem reserved for Icon Golf members.
Palm Springs, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Branson, the Monterey Peninsula, Palm Beach, and the Sandhills of North Carolina are long-established golf meccas in America. While Canyata—located in the small town of Marshall, Illinois, population under 4,000 and named after Chief Justice John Marshall—may not be part of that prestigious group, its lone course is such a gem that Icon Golf has made it its official home.
“Jerry Forsythe, a very successful businessman from Chicago, built multiple companies,” explained Jeff Goodsell, President of Icon Golf at Escalante Golf. “He built this course originally just as a family playground. What started as a three-hole adventure became an 18-hole layout that once ranked as high as No. 32 in Golf Digest’s Top 100.”
Courtesy: Icon Golf Club
Courtesy: Icon Golf Club
With fewer than 5,000 rounds in its history, this Top 100 U.S. course ranks among the rarest experiences in golf.
For Icon Golf, the opportunity was one of a kind.
“As a company, we own and operate 25 clubs, resorts, and properties around the country,” Goodsell continued. “This was the first property we bought with no members. So Canyata was essentially a piece of clay we could mold. With no bylaws or regulations, it was the perfect chance to make it the home of Icon Golf. From here on, only Icon members and their guests will play the course. No reciprocal play. No unaccompanied play. Jerry estimates there have only been about 5,000 rounds played here. Crazy that a course of this caliber is so untouched!”
That untouched quality is part of its mystique. More than two million cubic yards of cornfield were moved to create a breathtaking course with mammoth fairways, sprawling greens, meandering creeks and ponds, and bunkers that flow naturally with the land. Dramatic elevation changes and deep ravines give the layout both variety and bite.
Designed by architects Bob Lohmann and Michael Benkusky, the 7,266-yard course was highly rated from the start, earning Golf Digest’s No. 2 Best New Private Course in the U.S. in 2005.
Courtesy: Icon Golf Club
Shielded from the outside world, Canyata is a sanctuary that embodies the spirit of the game in its purest form.
Icon’s membership literature describes Canyata as “shielded from the outside world by towering mounds and generous spacing between holes, ensuring every round feels like your own personal escape. Despite being just four miles from I-70, Canyata remains invisible to the uninvited—just as it was intended. Canyata is more than a destination. It’s an invitation to golf as it was meant to be: pure, private, and profound.”
“Canyata is a masterpiece,” said Goodsell. “Golf Digest’s latest rankings came out just recently, and Canyata still sits in the Top 100. I don’t think a rater had been out there in 10 years prior to our ownership. The fact that it still holds that pedigree, while so few have seen it, is a testament to how special it is.”
To learn more about how Icon Golf members experience Canyata and other world-class courses, visit Icon Golf’s website and discover the membership benefits waiting for you.
