Oak Brook Polo Club has reached a long-term agreement with the Village of Oak Brook to move its polo operations to the Cecil Smith Field beginning in summer 2022, coinciding with the club’s 100th Anniversary.
Located on Butler National Golf Club’s practice golf range, the field (Field #2) is widely known in the sport of polo as a historic and beautiful space, according to a news release. Village of Oak Brook and Polo Club founder, Paul Butler, called the field a “masterpiece” in a 1962 Sports Illustrated article.
Some of the sport’s most legendary and best players have competed on this storied pitch, officials said. Tucked away on the Village of Oak Brook’s Sports Core property, just east of the Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club and north of the Sports Core Soccer Fields. The field is the highest point in Oak Brook lined with large oak trees older than the field itself.
“The Cecil Smith Field is what Augusta is to golf,” Danny O’Leary, Managing Director of Oak Brook Polo Club, said in a statement. “The field is as beautiful as is legendary, with historic matches won and lost, memorable plays and dramatic defeats. This is a proud moment for polo as Oak Brook’s team returns to its home field.”
– Original Credit: Oak Brook Polo Club
The Cecil Smith Field is symbolic of the Village of Oak Brook’s long and storied advocacy for sport and outdoor recreation. It contributes to the Village’s vision of being one of the nation’s best residential, commercial and entertainment destinations, the release said.
“The future of polo in Oak Brook greatly depended on the Club’s move to Cecil Smith,” said Jim Drury, Oak Brook Polo Club president. “Polo now has a brighter future on and off the field as we continue to work on returning our club to its original glory while ushering in a new generation of fans, players and new ideas. And what greater time for this to occur than on the eve of Oak Brook Polo Club’s 100th Anniversary. Village founder, Paul Butler, would be thrilled and overjoyed to see polo return to its ‘masterpiece field’ and original home for Sunday polo festivities.”
Negotiations for polo’s return to Field #2 began in Fall 2020 with the Village and Butler National Golf Club, and continued for nearly a year. On Sept. 14, the agreement was unanimously approved during a Board of Trustees meeting.
“Polo exemplifies the tradition of what we call ‘restrained good taste’ in Oak Brook,” Village Trustee Edward Tiesenga, said in a statement. “From a distance it can look effortless, but it’s only due to the great power and grace of the horses combined with the skill and experience of the players. We look forward to hosting polo teams and spectators from all over the world on the reclaimed historic Cecil Smith field.”
Oak Brook Polo was privatized from the Village in 2016 and is led and supported by Drury whose passion and ongoing commitment to polo is what’s kept the sport alive in Chicagoland for so long, the release said. It is one of the nation’s oldest polo clubs in operation today and the fourth oldest sports property in Chicago.
Butler National Golf Club is an exclusive private, members only golf club, located in Oak Brook. The club has a traditional 18-hole golf course, previously hosting the Western Open tournament from 1974-1990. Membership is by invitation only.
The 2022 season and 100th Anniversary kicks off June 26, 2022 on the Cecil Smith Field. According to the release, multiple events and activities are planned to commemorate the centennial, including the return of the prestigious “polo ball,” which is scheduled to take place at the end of the season.
