Congressional Country Club

Lore & Background

The club was founded in 1921 by two Indiana Republican congressmen, Oscar E. Bland and O.R. Luhring, who felt that existing Washington-area golf clubs did not cater well to members of Congress and other government officials. Then-Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover was recruited to serve as the club's first president, and former President William Howard Taft was given honorary membership. To fund construction, the club offered $1,000 lifetime memberships to a wide group of leaders in business and members, and the club opened on May 23, 1924, in a ceremony attended by President Calvin Coolidge, Mrs. Coolidge, and Chief Justice Taft.

The club's finances in its early years were precarious and badly impacted by the Great Depression. By the late 1930s, it was unable to meet its obligations. In 1941, the club's lien holder foreclosed and held a public auction of its assets. Several members reorganized themselves as Congressional Country Club, Inc. and offered the sole bid of $270,000.

In 1943, during World War II, the Congressional Country Club was requisitioned by America's wartime intelligence service, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), for use as a training facility and billeting returning OSS agents from active duty overseas. The OSS's rent payments and reimbursement for post-war restoration works—they were said to have 'ripped the course to shreds'—enabled the club to pay off its debts and gain a firm financial footing.

Despite its name, by the 2000s, the political component of its membership had dwindled, and politicians were said to shy away from the club due to concerns around ethics and elitism. While the club had once offered a membership discount to members of Congress, this had been discontinued in the 1970s; the club's high initiation fees (then over $100,000) and long waiting list dissuaded most from joining. By 2011, it was said that zero members of Congress numbered amongst its members. A former club president described the membership as largely 'doctors and lawyers', in addition to many lobbyists.

Reader's Guide

Congressional has two 18-hole golf courses: the world-renowned Blue Course and the Gold Course. The Blue Course was designed by Devereux Emmet and has been renovated over the years by numerous architects, including Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones, and, before the 2011 U.S. Open, by Rees Jones. In 2019, Andrew Green began a wholesale restoration of the Blue Course to Devereux Emmet's 1924 original design and a remodeling of the club's practice facilities.

The course was included in the Links series, and in 2011 is to be available for the Virtual Championship at World Golf Tour. Both courses are known for their rolling terrain, tree-lined fairways, and challenging greens. Water hazards also come into play on both courses. The Blue Course has hosted all of the significant 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 was redesigned by Robert Trent Jones in 1957 and Rees Jones twice, in 1989 and 2006. The course measures 7,574 yards (6,926 m) from the back tees.

It is a par 72 (but plays as a par 71 for all PGA tour events, with hole 11 reduced to a par 4) with a course and slope rating of 75.4/142. Bent grass is used for the fairways and for the greens. Until 2009, when it was renovated, Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua) was used for the greens. The Gold Course has always been shorter than 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 underwent a complete renovation by Arthur Hills. Not only did Hills lengthen the course, but he also reconstructed the tees, fairways, greens, and cart paths. The course is now 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 (6,258 m) from the back tees. It is a par 71 with a slope rating of 73.6/135. Bent grass is used for the fairways, and Poa annua grass is used for the greens.

Did You Know?

• The Blue Course was originally designed to finish on a par-three 18th hole, playing over the lake to a green that finished in a natural amphitheater below the clubhouse.
• For the 1964 U.S. Open (and 1976 PGA Championship), two holes from the adjoining Gold Course (5th & 14th hole) were inserted into the Blue Course routing. The 1997 U.S.