
What was the first 18 hole golf course in America?
In 1892, the in Downers Grove, Illinois was selected by Charles Blair MacDonald. MacDonald built a nine-hole course that expanded to 18 holes in 1893, making the Downers Grove Golf Club the site of the first 18-hole golf course in America.
When was the first golf course built in New York?
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 Apple Tree Gang were nomadic until 1897, when they built an eighteen-hole course on the present site at Hastings-on-Hudson, also known as Mount Hope or Ardsley.
What is the oldest golf course still being played?
Therefore the courses at St Andrews, Musselburgh, Elie go back much further than the index dates suggest, and they can rightly claim to be the oldest golf courses still played.
What is the history of the Country Club golf course?
While The Country Club was founded in 1882, it was initially an equestrian and social club; golf was not introduced until 1893 and a small six-hole course was laid out. The following year, The Country Club became one of the founders of the United States Golf Association and in 1895, the club built its current golf course.

Where was the first 18-hole golf course in the world?
In 1764, the golfers at St Andrews decided to combine the first four short holes into two, to produce a round of 18 holes, though it was still 10 holes of which 8 were played twice. Thus was born the 18-hole round, though it would be hundred years before there were eighteen holes and other courses followed suit.
Where did the first 18-hole golf course open in the United States?
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).
Who had the first 18-hole course?
The first 18-hole golf course in the United States was on a sheep farm in Downers Grove, Illinois, in 1892.
Where was the first 18-hole golf course in America located and what year was it designed?
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.
Who built the first golf course in America?
Saint Andrews Golf Club The club was founded in February 1888 by a Scottish sportsman named John Reid and his friends built a three yard course and played what is widely called the first round of golf in America.
Where was the first golf course built in the United States?
Foxburg Country Club, established in 1887, is the oldest golf course in continuous use in the United States. It is located in Foxburg, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States of America, approximately 55 miles (89 km) north of Pittsburgh on a hill rising about 300 feet above the Allegheny River.
Where is the oldest golf course in the world?
The Old Course at St Andrews Links in Fife, Scotland, UK, is the oldest golf course in the world. Archbishop Hamilton's Charter in 1552 is the earliest documentary evidence that allowed the people of St Andrews to play golf on the Links.
What country invented golf?
ScotlandSt. Andrews, Scotland. It was here at the St. Andrews Golf Links that the R&A was formed and where the 18-hole round was established.
Where was golf invented in Scotland?
Golf originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland, in an area close to the royal capital of Edinburgh. In those early days players would attempt to hit a pebble over sand dunes and around tracks using a bent stick or club.
When was Chicago golf founded?
1893Chicago Golf Club opened the country's first 18-hole course in 1893, built by C.B. Macdonald, the preeminent golf expert in the U.S. at the time.
What is the oldest public golf course in America?
The Van Cortlandt Golf Course opened on July 6, 1895, as the first public municipal golf course in the United States.
What is the oldest golf course in New Jersey?
Weequahic Golf CourseWeequahic Golf Course (pronounced we-QWAY-ik) is an 18-hole public course located in the Dayton section of Newark, New Jersey. Designed in 1913 by George Low, it is the oldest public golf course in New Jersey.
How many golf courses were there in 1888?
At the turn of the 20th century, the number of clubs and courses would rise rapidly. In 1888, the Golfing Annual lists 197 clubs playing about 126 courses, though some courses are not named. By the end of the century this would be over 2,000 clubs, on over 1,000 courses.
Which golf clubs were able to develop and play continuously over their original golfing grounds?
Only the Royal & Ancient and Musselburgh clubs were able to develop and play continuously over their original golfing grounds. All the other clubs of the 18th century and all the other 18 oldest golf clubs had to relocate, if only a mile or two, to establish the courses that they play today.
Why are there 18 golf courses outside of Scotland?
The reason is that these courses were located where there was enough room to expand to 18 holes. These courses were founded by visiting Scots and local interest in golf did not come until much later.
Is there a golf course in Edinburgh?
There is still a golf course at Bruntsfield Links (1695) in Edinburgh, though only the short-hole game is played there now. Recently it has become clear that parts of Fortrose golf course play over the area used by the Fortrose golfers at the end of the 18th century, which means the course is older than the club.
Where was the right to play golf?
The right to play golf on their links was enshrined in the 16th century Burgh records of St Andrews (1552) and, reputedly, at Elie (1589) and play is recorded at Musselburgh from 1672, but not with the precision needed to prove these activities were on today's course, though they almost certainly were. Therefore the courses at St Andrews, ...
Where was the first link golf course?
The first mention of links golf is on Barry Links near Carnoustie, but the exact location is not specified and may not be an area currently played. The first mention of a golf hole is ascribed to Aberdeen, in 1625, on the old Aberdeen Links, which is Queens Links and Broad Hill. However, this area is no longer played.
Did Kingsbarns and Scotscraig return to their original golfing grounds?
Kingsbarns and Scotscraig returned to their original golfing grounds, having been unceremoniously turfed off the land by tenant farmers who ploughed the courses up, leading to the demise of both clubs for many years.
What year was the first 18 hole golf course in the US?
The new Chicago Golf Club course hosted the 1897, 1900 and 1911 U.S. Opens, the 1897, 1905, 1909 and 1912 U.S. Amateurs and the 1903 U.S. Women’s Amateur. The Chicago Golf Club is still going strong today and considers itself the first 18-hole golf course in America.
Which golf course in America has the oldest golf course?
However, these 9-holes were destroyed during the 1938 hurricane and were never rebuilt. 9. Saint Andrews Golf Club. Although this list shows otherwise, the Saint Andrews Golf Club claims it is the oldest golf club and has the oldest golf course in America.
How many holes are there in the Clyde Squirrel Golf Course?
The course slowly evolved over the years and today, there are 27 holes called the Clyde, Squirrel and Primrose nines.
How many acres are there in Foxburg Country Club?
Area: 61 acres (24.7 ha) photo source: Wikimedia Commons. The Foxburg Country Club is another golf club that’s brought up any time there is a discussion over which golf course is the oldest in America. The club’s founder was Joseph Mickle Fox, a descendant of the land and oil rich Fox family from Philadelphia.
Where did Montegue build his golf course?
Montegue had learned about golf in Scotland and decided to build his own golf course right outside of his home, which served as the Oakhurst Links Clubhouse for many years. The first competition at Oakhurst was held in 1888. Although Oakhurst is the oldest golf course, it has not been in continuous operation.
When was Quogue Field Club founded?
The Quogue Field Club is an old private golf course in New York, which dates back to 1901. However, the club was founded in 1887 , but they did not initially play golf. A rough 9-hole course was laid out in 1896 by RB Wilson, who has head pro at nearby Shinnecock Hills.
When did Chicago Golf Club move to Downers Grove?
The Chicago Golf Club continued to play golf at the Downers Grove course until 1895, when it moved to a new course built again by MacDonald in nearby Wheaton, Illinois. After this, the golf course was passed around to different owners before it was purchased by the Downers Grove Park District in 1968.
What is the oldest golf course in the USA?
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.
Where is the oldest golf club in the world?
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.
How many holes are there in the golf course in North America?
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.
When was Shinnecock Hills Golf Club founded?
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.
When was Savannah Golf Club founded?
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 ).
When was the USGA formed?
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.
Where was the first golf course in Montreal?
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.
When was golf first introduced?
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.
When was the first golf tournament held in the United States?
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.
What is the oldest prize in golf?
Golf’s Oldest Prize. 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. Montague hosted its first competition in 1888 in Scottish match play tradition.
How long did it take to build the golf course at Greenbrier?
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.
Who sold the Montague property?
The thirty acres stayed in the Montague family for many decades and was sold to Lewis Keller in 1959. Keller knew the land’s history and, being a golf fan, was very interested when his friend and golfer Sam Snead told him about the property being for sale.
Can you wear period clothing at the golf course?
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.
