The former President has accepted an offer to become an honorary member of the club on the city’s South Side, which will allow him to play its Donald Ross course without having to pay an initiation fee or dues or be charge only when bringing guests. The club is located near where the Obamas maintain a Chicago residence.

President Barack Obama’s planned presidential library will be built in historic Jackson Park, where plans for a lakefront, championship-caliber course utilizing the Jackson Park and South Shore public links have been in the works. The golf project would include an 18-hole golf course, a par-3 course, and a learning center, and could debut by 2021.

Mark Rolfing, an NBC/Golf Channel analyst who grew up outside of the city, is spearheading a plan to combine two current public courses on the South Side into a standout 18- or 27-hole facility that could possibly attract a regular tour stop or even a major championship.