The Chicago Golf Club is the oldest 18-hole course in the United States. The course was originally only nine holes, but it was increased to 18 in 1893. The 18 holes were redesigned in 1895 and moved to a location in Wheaton, making it the second oldest 18-hole course still existing in the United States, next to Shinnecock.
While the Downers Grove Golf Club might not come up when searching for the history of golf courses in America, the golf course is one of the oldest and is actually the site of the original Chicago Golf Club — one of the founders of the United States Golf Association (USGA).
The 18 holes were redesigned in 1895 and moved to a location in Wheaton, making it the second oldest 18-hole course still existing in the United States, next to Shinnecock. All 18 holes, sadly, are no longer accessible.
The Chicago Golf Club was founded in 1892 and its first golf course was built that same year in nearby Downers Grove by Charles Blair MacDonald, who is widely considered the founding father of golf in America. Over the next few years golf grew in popularity in America and so did the Chicago Golf Club.
The first golf course in the United States was Oakhurst Links, built in 1884 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It was originally a six hole track which was later expanded to nine holes. Oakhurst was the first course and golf club in the United States.
Chicago Golf ClubThus America's first golf course west of the Allegheny mountain range had been established. When the inaugural season had ended, Macdonald convinced Chicago Golf Club members to add nine more holes to the course. Therefore, in 1893, the first eighteen- hole golf course in the United States was established on this site.
In the spring of 1893, Macdonald wrote in his c. 1925 book Scotland's Gift – Golf, that he increased the number of holes at Belmont to 18, creating the first 18-hole golf course in North America. On July 18, 1893, the charter was granted for the Chicago Golf Club.
No. The 18 holes were redesigned in 1895 and moved to a location in Wheaton, making it the second oldest 18-hole course still existing in the United States, next to Shinnecock.
The Chicago Golf ClubThe Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, Illinois (1892) Founded by renowned course designer and World Golf Hall of Fame member Charles B. Macdonald, Chicago Golf Club is the oldest 18-hole course in North America. Chicago Golf Club has hosted 12 USGA Championships.
Chicago Golf Club is considered the oldest 18-hole course in North America (although the club's original site has public golf, nine-hole Downers Grove, which dates back to 1892). Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx considers itself to be the first public golf course in the U.S. (1895).
The Country Club of BrooklineIn January of 1882, a group of wealthy men from the Boston area established the first country club in the United States, The Country Club of Brookline. In the second half of the nineteenth century, growing numbers of affluent families moved out of Boston to newly developed suburbs like Brookline.
The course was exactly as Russell Montague and his friends played it in 1884. Building the course back to its original state took two years, but Keller was extremely pleased with the end result.
St Andrews Old CourseLocated on the east coast of Scotland, St Andrews Old Course is the very oldest golf course in the world hence why Scotland has been coined the home of golf.
October 4, 1895On October 4, 1895, 21-year-old Englishman Horace Rawlins wins the first U.S. Open golf tournament, edging Willie Dunn and others with a 36-hole total of 173 at the Newport (Rhode Island) Golf Club, an oceanside course.
Royal MontrealRoyal Montreal is the oldest golf club in continuous existence in North America, having been founded in 1873, when eight gentlemen met in an office at the docks.
Charles Blair MacDonald, who attended St. Andrews University and learned the game at the St. Andrews Golf Links, is considered the father of American golf course architects. In 1893, MacDonald built the Chicago Golf Club, which was the country's first 18-hole course.
Niagara Golf Club circa 1875 This is the oldest surviving golf course in North America.
The five charter clubs were Newport Golf Club, St. Andrew's Golf Club, Chicago Golf Club (where Macdonald was a member), Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., and The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Pinehurst was founded by Boston soda fountain magnate James Walker Tufts. He purchased 5,500 acres (22 km2) for approximately $1.25 per acre in 1895, and opened the Holly Inn New Year's Eve of that year.
The Ocean Course has been referred to as Florida's oldest course; but more accurately, it's Florida's oldest existing course along with another one in Belleair, according to a state golf-heritage program of the Florida Department of State's Division of Historic Resources.
Montague hosted its first competition in 1888 in Scottish match play tradition. Their annual competition became the first golf tournament known to be played in the United States, and the medal given to the winner was known as the oldest golf prize in America.
The Beginning. Back in 1884, golf was not really heard of in the United States. Anyone who witnessed it or knew of it in other countries considered it a strange sport. When Russell Montague of West Virginia learned of the sport that was so popular in Scotland and where he studied in Great Britain, he was intrigued.
For example, if you were to think of classic links in the United States, you probably imagine Amen Corner in Augusta, or perhaps Pinehurst in North Carolina. These are established iconic American golf courses, to be sure, but they are not the oldest.
His colonial-style house, which was built four years prior to the golf course, served as the clubhouse, and the simple course boasted nine holes. Montague and his friends enjoyed playing on the course, known as Oakhurst Links, for many years.
Building the course back to its original state took two years, but Keller was extremely pleased with the end result. Keller owned and operated the course for many years until he recently sold it to Greenbrier Resort, which is located just a few miles up the road.
Anyone who visits this historic golf course today knows that modern golf conveniences are not allowed. Some visitors even wear period clothing, and all golfers are required to use reproductions of the clubs and balls used in 1884 when the course was first built.
St Andrews Golf Club. 1888 1897 1897. The St Andrews Golf Club is presently the oldest golf club documented to be in continuous existence in USA. It was started, as is widely known, by John Reid and four friends on three holes in an orchard on the outskirts of New York in November 1888 and nicknamed the Apple Tree Gang.
The Savannah Golf Club, in Georgia, USA can trace its origins back to 1794 and claim to be the oldest golf club in North America and USA, on a non-continuous basis. There is a note in 1796 of the club holding a ball and also a notice of the annual general meeting to be held 1st October 1796 being the anniversary of the club formation.
This is the oldest extant course in North America which has 18 holes. The initial course of 12 holes was designed by Willie Davis from the Royal Montreal Club and opened in summer 1891. In 1894, Willie Dunn himself added 6 more holes to make it an 18-hole course.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club was founded in 1891, and has the oldest extant 18-hole golf course, as well as the oldest golf clubhouse, started in 1892 in America. It was also the first club in America to admit women, which it did from the start, and possibly the second in the world to do so, after Aldeburgh GC in England.
The present Savannah Golf Club and course was founded in 1899, apparently without knowledge of its ancestry at the time or for decades after, (much like Fraserburgh Golf Club ).
USGA. The US Golf Association was formed in 1894 and the Canadian Golf Association a year later in 1895. The founding members of the USGA were St Andrews Golf Club, The Country Club, the Chicago Golf Club, the Newport Golf Club and the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. The Country Club 1892 1893 1899.
The first golf course was a 9-hole layout on Fletcher’s Field, part of Mount Royal Park on the outskirts of Montreal but the club moved to Dixie in 1896 where it remained for over sixty years until it moved to its present site at Ile Bizard in 1959.
Consider the Foxburg Golf Club (Pennsylvania), and The Oakhurst Golf Club (West Virginia). Both Foxburg and Oakhurst had records of playable courses in 1884. The Foxburg, however, was a private course on private property that only had eight holes when it was created.
St Andrew’s Golf Club (New York) also deserves mention because it is among the oldest golf courses with continuous use today. The golf club proudly acknowledges more than 125 years of continuous course play and can attribute continuous play on the current course back to 1897 — although the club itself has been notably active since 1888. Shortly after the opening of St Andrew’s course in 1897, the Savannah Golf Club responded with a course that has been in use since 1899. Although there are some discrepancies about what makes a golf course old, the oldest golf courses or clubs in the United States are all worth visiting if the opportunity arises. They are all an important piece of history and loved by their communities.
The Chavon Course, in contrast to Marina, is largely isolated from the rest of the property and its villas. Instead of large homes and views of the bay, you get seven scenic cliffside holes dropping over 300 feet to the Chavon River. And I don’t say this lightly, but the views on this course rival the oceanside holes of Teeth of the Dog. It was amazing.
The Oakhurst Golf Club also formed in 1884. Oakhurst claims to be “the first organized golf club in the United States.”. Remember, some golf clubs at that time were not exclusively golf clubs. Oakhurst is the oldest golf course still in use in the same location in the United States. Although the Oakhurst links make up one ...
The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec has a history of different locations. When the Royal Montreal first opened in 1873, it was a highly recognized club. It even received a Royal title from Queen Victoria.
Here, one of the oldest, original golf courses exists, but only 12 of the 18 holes. Willie Davis designed the original 12 holes at Shinnecock Hills. In 1894, another six holes were added. Shinnecock Hills is noteworthy not only for its longevity, but also because of its progressive history.
When you check into Casa, they give each room their very own gas-operated golf cart to navigate the property. Trust me, you need it. The activities and restaurants are sprawled about every corner of the property, but there seems to be four key locations: the Marina, Altos de Chavon, the beach club, and the main resort hotel.