The short answer: Midwest polo is summer polo, with a few indoor arenas that keep playing through the winter. The Chicago area has a big cluster of clubs, including Las Brisas and Oak Brook. Michigan has Meadowview Farm near Grand Rapids, with some of the best grass I saw anywhere, plus Michigan State's indoor team. And in Wisconsin, I had one of the best lessons of my tour at St. Croix Polo Club. Here's what I found on my tour of every polo club in America.
These notes come from my 2021 and 2022 tour, when I tried to visit every polo club in America as a playing USPA member. Seasons, contacts, and prices change, so check each club's Instagram or the U.S. Polo Association before you go.
Illinois: Chicago
Las Brisas Polo Club, Elgin
Two grass fields and a newer arena on a private property, so it isn't really set up for the public. They turned the grooms' quarters into a lounge, have three barns, and kept expanding with more fields. They had just hosted a youth tournament when I visited.
Oak Brook Polo Club
I booked a $200 stick and ball lesson. Jenna was lovely and gave good instruction.
Michigan
Meadowview Farm, Lowell
Pete was extremely kind. Meadowview has an indoor arena and an outdoor arena, huge horses, and really gorgeous grass, honestly one of the best fields I've ever seen. It's low-goal and friendly, with fewer than 20 members when I visited, and thanks to the indoor arena they play through the winter.
Michigan State University Polo
I visited the women's team. They practice two-on-two in an indoor arena and play right through the winter.
Detroit Polo Club
The Sunday event was called off because of rain, so I only saw it from the outside. It looks large.
Wisconsin: St. Croix Polo Club
My lesson with Nacho was one of the most informative and creative training sessions I've ever had. An hour and a half of stick and ball for $80, a change of horses halfway through, and one instruction over and over: relax, relax, relax. Bring the mallet higher. Higher. I wrote about it in the best polo tips I got from coaches across America.
Ohio
Cincinnati Polo Club: A Saturday morning clinic. When the Sunday game was canceled, I went on a ride instead.
Columbus: I watched a Friday game.
Missouri: St. Louis
Anne gave me a tour of the fields in the snow.
Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas
I arrived too late in the fall. In Minnesota I missed the club by one day: the horses were being turned out for the winter. Des Moines was done for the season, and both Kansas clubs I contacted were closed. Plan the upper Midwest for June through early fall.
Tips for polo in the Midwest
Come in summer. Most clubs close by fall. See the season calendar.
Look for indoor arenas in winter. Michigan's indoor arenas keep polo going year-round.
Chicago is the hub. Several clubs within driving distance of each other.
More regions: what I learned trying to visit every polo club in America.
Finding a game in the Midwest before the season ends is a race. PoloFlow will make it easier. Polo, wherever you are. Join the waitlist.
