The Congressional Country Club
is a country club and golf course located in Bethesda, Maryland. Congressional is now, once again, an annual stop on the PGA Tour. It once hosted 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.
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CONGRESSIONAL COUNTRY CLUB TICKETS
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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.
Blue Course
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 (
Poa Annua) is used for the greens.
[1]
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]
Tournaments held at Congressional
Major tournaments held
| Year
| Tournament
| Winner
|
| 1964
| U.S. Open
| Ken Venturi
|
| 1976
| PGA Championship
| Dave Stockton
|
| 1995
| U.S. Senior Open
| Tom Weiskopf
|
| 1997
| U.S. Open
| Ernie Els
|
| 2011
| U.S. Open
| TBD
|
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.
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 2009
U.S. 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.
[4] This scheduling change allowed for the AT&T National to be held in 2009 at Congressional.
Exclusivity
The current initiation fee for the Club is over $100,000. And the waiting list is around twelve years.
Notable Past Members
Past members of Congressional have included these former
Presidents of the United States:
- William Howard Taft
- Woodrow Wilson
- Warren G. Harding
- Calvin Coolidge
- Herbert Hoover
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Many Washington, D.C., dignitaries attended the 1997 U.S. Open.
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.
References
- Blue Course at Congressional Country Club
- Gold Course at Congressional Country Club
- Congressional (Md.) Country Club To Host 2011 U.S. Open; 2009 U.S. Amateur
- Southern Hills To Host 2009 U.S. Amateur