Congressional Country Club

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Clubhouse of the Congressional Country Club, with the 10th tee of the Blue Course in front.

The Congressional Country Club is a country club and golf course located in Bethesda, Maryland. Congressional used to be an annual stop on the PGA Tour, hosting the former Kemper Open from 1980 to 1986. Congressional hosted that tournament in 2005 while the tournament's then current course, the TPC at Avenel, was under renovation. There are two golf courses at Congressional: the flagship Blue Course and the Gold Course. Congressional opened in 1924. The Blue Course was designed by Devereux Emmet and has been renovated over the years by numerous architects, most recently by Rees Jones. In 2007, Tiger Woods began hosting the AT&T National PGA Tournament at Congressional.

1 The courses
- 1.1 Blue Course
- 1.2 Gold Course
2 Tournaments held at Congressional
3 References
4 External links

[edit] The courses

The Blue Course and the Gold Course are known for their rolling terrain and tree-lined fairways. Both courses have wide, challenging greens. Water hazards also come into play on both courses.

[edit] Blue Course

18th hole

The Blue Course has hosted all of the golf tournaments contested at Congressional. The course is often considered among the best 100 courses in the United States; Golf Digest ranked it 89th in its 2006 listing of the 100 Greatest Golf Courses. In 2007, Golf Digest ranked it 86th in America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses. The Blue Course has been redesigned by Robert Trent Jones in 1957 and Rees Jones in 1989. The course measures 7,250 yards from the back tees. It is a par 70 with a course and slope rating of 75.4/142. Bent grass is used for the fairways, and Annual Bluegrass (Poe Annua) is used for the greens. ^[1]

[edit] Gold Course

First tee of the Gold Course

The Gold Course has always been the shorter course in comparison to the Blue Course. It has been renovated twice; with George Fazio and Tom Fazio redoing the final nine holes in 1977. In 2000, the course got a complete renovation by Arthur Hills. Not only did Hills lengthen the course, he also reconstructed the tees, fairways, greens, and cart paths. The course is now almost as challenging as the Blue Course. It ranked 5th Greatest Golf Course in the state of Maryland according to Golf Digest Greatest Golf Courses in 2007. It now measures 6,844 yards from the back tees. It is a par 70 with a slope rating of 73.6/135. Bent grass is used for the fairways and greens.^[2]

[edit] Tournaments held at Congressional

[edit] Major Championships

The first golf major championship to be held at Congressional was the 1964 United States Open. Ken Venturi won the tournament with a score of two under par. In 1976, the PGA Championship was held at Congressional. With the course playing as a par 70, Dave Stockton won with a score of 281, or one over par. The second U.S. Open held at Congressional was played in 1997. Ernie Els won his second major championship with a score of four under par. The Blue Course will host the 2011 U.S. Open from June 16 to June 19.^[3]

Congressional has hosted one senior major golf championship. The 1995 United States Senior Open was held there, home with Tom Weiskopf winning.

[edit] Other tournaments

The former Kemper Open—later called the Booz Allen Classic was played at Congressional seven times. Notable winners include Craig Stadler, Fred Couples, Greg Norman, and Sergio García. The 2007 AT&T National, sponsored and hosted by Tiger Woods, was played at Congressional July 5 - 8 and was won by K.J. Choi of South Korea. The course has hosted two United States Golf Association amateur golf tournaments: the U.S. Junior Amateur of 1949, won by Gay Brewer, and the U.S. Women's Amateur of 1959, won by Barbara McIntire. The 2011 US Open are also scheduled to be played here. The 2009 US Amateur was scheduled to be played at Congressional but was relocated because Congressional wanted time to make some changes to the course before the 2011 US Open. This scheduling change allowed for the AT&T National to be held in 2009 at Congressional.

[edit] Exclusivity

The current initiation fee for the Club is over $100,000. And the waiting list is around twelve years.

[edit] Notable Past Members

Past members of Congressional have included these former Presidents of the United States:

Many Washington, D.C., dignitaries attended the 1997 U.S. Open.

[edit] Amenities

Congressional Country Club has an indoor bowling alley (on the basement level), grand ballroom, Christian chapel with historically-preserved stained glass, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, fine dining, and grand foyer. It has hosted a number of famous weddings. It also has a spa, massage parlor, indoor jacuzzi, lavish men's and women's locker rooms, a bar with large plasma televisions, and a grill for everyday eating.