Baltimore Country Club

Baltimore Country Club is a private club in Baltimore, Maryland, with two campuses, one in the city's Roland Park neighborhood and the other in the north suburb of Lutherville. It is one of only twelve clubs nationwide to operate two campuses.[1] The club was founded on January 13, 1898, and hosted the U.S. Open the following year. Its original golf course at the Roland Park campus was the first 18-hole course built in the state of Maryland.[2] The USGA lists Baltimore Country Club as one of the first 100 clubs established in the United States.

Baltimore Country Club
Roland Park Clubhouse
Club information
LocationBaltimore (Roland Park)
and Lutherville, Maryland
EstablishedJanuary 13, 1898
TypePrivate
Total holes36
Events hosted1899 U.S. Open;
1928 PGA Championship;
1988 U.S. Women's Open;
1932 U.S. Amateur;
1965 Walker Cup;
2007–09 Senior Players Championship;
2017–2018 Big Ten Men's Golf Championship
Websitebcc1898.com
East Course at Five Farms
Designed by
Par70
Length7,181 yards (6,566 m)
Course rating75.1
Slope rating141
West Course at Five Farms
Designed byRedesigned in 1990 by Bob Cupp and Tom Kite
Par72
Length6,795 yards (6,213 m)
Course rating73.0
Slope rating133

The club has hosted a U.S. Open, a PGA Championship, a Walker Cup, a U.S. Men's Amateur, a U.S. Women's Open, and a Senior PGA Tour Major – one of only two clubs in the country to do so.[3] In addition to its two golf courses, BCC operates outdoor tennis, pickleball, platform tennis, single & doubles squash, three swimming pools, a duckpin bowling alley, two fitness centers, and dining at both clubhouses. In 2013, Links magazine named Baltimore Country Club as one of the 100 Most Prestigious Clubs in the World. Its East Course at the Five Farms location was ranked 75th best course in the United States by Golf Magazine in 2020. The club was also named in 2020 a Platinum Country Club in America and was ranked 47th.[4]

History

The club opened in 1898 in its 125-acre (51 ha) Roland Park location with a membership of approximately 1,000.[5] Just one year after opening, the Club hosted the fifth United States Open Championship, which was won by Willie Smith of Scotland. By the 1920s the decision was made to acquire land to the north of the city and expand the popular golfing amenities to a second location. The East Course at Five Farms, designed by A. W. Tillinghast, officially opened in September 1926. Two years later, this new course held the 1928 PGA Championship.

In October 1930, the Roland Park Clubhouse sustained fire damage, and prior to completing repairs, it was virtually destroyed by a second fire on January 5, 1931. The new "in-town" Clubhouse was formally opened on April 1, 1932. The Federal-style detailing of the Georgian Room, the paneling and black Belgian marble of the foyer, and the rough stone and pine of the Grille remain practically unchanged to this date. The duckpin bowling lanes were built in 1932 and remain in use today. During the late 1930s and early 1940s the grass tennis courts at Roland Park were selected by the National Lawn Tennis Association to host the qualifying rounds for the Davis Cup matches. Teams from Australia, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the United States all participated. The Roland Park Golf Course was officially closed in 1962 when all of the property on the west side of Falls Road was sold. That same year, the West Course at Five Farms opened. Two years later, the stately Olivier Mansion, which served as the original Five Farms Clubhouse, was demolished and replaced with a new building.

Squash courts, now international, were added to the Roland Park facility in 1963. The Club continues to host professional squash tournaments. The Club expanded its racquets program and added paddle tennis courts to the Roland Park campus in 1976. The club's swim complex was first built circa 1960. Renovations began some thirty years later, and the current facility, consisting of three independent pools, opened at Five Farms in 1996. New tennis courts, also at Five Farms, debuted in 2007.

Starting in the fall of 2021, the clubhouse at Five Farms underwent a major renovation. The renovation included remodeled nearly all of the first floor of the building, expanding the grill, adding a formal dining room, outdoor covered bar area and a rooftop bar. It opened in late summer of 2022.

Golf courses and rankings

Its current golf facility at Five Farms has two courses, the East Course and the West Course. Its East Course was designed by A. W. Tillinghast in 1926. In 2015, Keith Foster was brought in to restore the course. He removed trees, realigned the bunkers, upgraded the greens complexes, and re-grassed the fairways.[6] The East Course has received numerous accolades and still enjoys praise from numerous golf organizations:

RankCourseOrganizationListEdition
39East Course at Five FarmsGolfweekGolfweek's Best 2020: Top 200 Classic Courses[7]2020
52East Course at Five FarmsOutpost ClubOutpost Club US Top 100[8]2021
65East Course at Five FarmsTop 100 Golf CoursesTop 100 Golf Courses of the USA 2020[9]2020
75East Course at Five FarmsGolf MagazineTop 100 Courses in the U.S.[10]2020–2021
80East Course at Five FarmsOutpost ClubOutpost Club World Top 100[11]2022
102East Course at Five FarmsGolf DigestAmerica's Second 100 Greatest Golf Courses[12]2021–2022
East Course at Five Farms
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Black 75.1/141 458496427157504586379362202357145743339918960745245123838436107181
Blue 72.9/136 4364563791504525743543601803341 38542738016457442542018036833236664
White 70.6/129 4084183611383915663313071513071 34838336914555941139715636231306201
Gold 68.8/128 4004183471383855043313071512981 34838331114550340648613135429675948
Par Men's 44434544335 4443544343570
SI Men's 5111177391315 12210184681614
Red 73.6/140 3954103511243155013313031252855 34137730913750140038412835029275782
Par Women's 55434544337 4543555343875
SI Women's 7311155191317 48618210121614
West Course at Five Farms
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Blue 73.0/133 5201912655494244023701824143317 43236749622037543214541859334786795
White 70.6/127 5111712484813983653701493863079 41034145819933439013036256731916270
Gold 68.1/124 4561452484463833653371303102820 41031342017533433012033552829655785
Par Men's 53454443436 4453443453672
SI Men's 7151713119135 81421216418106
Red 72.9/130 4561452004463833353371303102742 38031342015530033011033545527985540
Green 67.4/120 2521141853713233053111032582222 30027732015525926311030045524394661
Par Women's 53454443536 4453443453672
SI Women's 5171513971311 81021416418126

Golf tournaments

YearTournamentCourseWinnerScoreTo par
1899U.S. OpenRoland ParkScotland Willie Smith315+27
1928PGA ChampionshipEast Course at Five FarmsUnited States Leo Diegel6 & 5
1932U.S. AmateurEast Course at Five FarmsCanada Ross Somerville2 & 1
1965Walker CupEast Course at Five FarmsTie: U.S. vs Great Britain & Ireland12 & 12
1988U.S. Women's OpenEast Course at Five FarmsSweden Liselotte Neumann277-7
2007Senior Players ChampionshipEast Course at Five FarmsUnited States Loren Roberts267−13
2008Senior Players ChampionshipEast Course at Five FarmsUnited States D.A. Weibring271−9
2009Senior Players ChampionshipEast Course at Five FarmsUnited States Jay Haas267−13
2017Big Ten Men's Golf ChampionshipEast Course at Five FarmsUnited States Illinois829−11
2018Big Ten Men's Golf ChampionshipEast Course at Five FarmsUnited States Illinois836−4
2026U.S. Senior Amateur[13]East Course at Five Farms
2032U.S. Women's Amateur Championship[14]East Course at Five Farms

References

  1. "History – Baltimore Country Club". www.bcc1898.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  2. "Baltimore's Open shot". www.baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  3. "Golf – Baltimore Country Club". www.bcc1898.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  4. "Platinum Clubs of America" (PDF). www.platinumclubnet.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  5. "A New Country Club". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. June 4, 1898. p. 7. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  6. "Baltimore Country Club". www.golfdigest.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  7. "Golfweek's Best 2020: Top 200 Classic Courses". www.golfweek.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  8. "OC US Top 100". www.outpostclub.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  9. "Top 100 Golf Courses – USA". www.top100golfcourses.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  10. "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." www.golf.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  11. "OC World Top 100". www.outpostclub.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  12. "America's Second 100 Greatest Golf Courses". www.golfdigest.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  13. "Baltimore Country Club Awarded Two USGA Amateur Championships". www.pressboxonline.com. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  14. "Baltimore Country Club Awarded Two USGA Amateur Championships". www.pressboxonline.com. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  15. "Our Friend, Kevin Spacey". www.baltimorestyle.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.

39.442°N 76.663°W / 39.442; -76.663

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