Westchester Country Club

Westchester Country Club is one of the premiere country clubs in America. Its extensive amenities include a historic residence with three restaurants and two banquet rooms, two eighteen hole courses, one nine-hole course, an indoor swimming pool, squash courts, grass tennis courts and a stand-alone beach, outdoor pool and restaurant facility on Manursing Island.

Westchester Country Club
View towards sportshouse
Club information
LocationHarrison, New York,
at 99 Biltmore Avenue,
Rye, New York, U.S.
Established1922
TypePrivate
Total holes36
Tournaments hostedThunderbird Classic (1963–65)
Westchester Classic (later Buick Classic, and now The Barclays) (1967–2007)
Senior Players Championship (2011)
Women's PGA Championship (2015)
Websitewww.wccclub.org
South Course
Designed byWalter Travis
Par71
Length6,566 yards
Course rating71.7
West Course
Designed byWalter Travis
Par72
Length6,752 yards
Course rating73.5

History

The Westchester Country Club (or Westchester Biltmore Country Club) was founded in 1922 by John McEntee Bowman[1] , who hired Walter Travis to design two golf courses in the Town of Harrison, New York, as a luxury resort hotel. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963. The South Course was originally designed for women and higher handicap golfers. Around 1997, the South Course was reconstructed with longer tees, new sand and grass bunkers, water hazards, and some new greens. The South Course is now more competitive with the West Course to accommodate low handicap golfers.

Tournaments

Westchester Country Club hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship in 1923.[2] The club hosted its first PGA tournament in 1963 with the Thunderbird Classic, also in 1964 and 1965. There was no tour event at Westchester in 1966, and starting in 1967, the Westchester Classic became an annual stop on the PGA Tour through 2007. Jack Nicklaus won the rain-delayed inaugural event (and $50,000) on a Wednesday,[3][4] and Steve Stricker the last, the initial event of the first FedEx Cup Playoffs.[5][6] (The tournament name has changed several times since then due to sponsorship switches, and is now called The Northern Trust.)

On January 14, 2008, an article in the Journal News announced the PGA Tour's desire to terminate its affiliation with Westchester Country Club. The decision was made primarily because of Tiger Woods' absence in the tournament in 2007 (following his consecutive victories in the WGC-Bridgestone and PGA Championship),[5] and the tournament's subsequent low TV ratings and low attendance. On January 26, a compromise agreement was made between the club and the PGA Tour at a town hall meeting at the club; WCC was paid $1.1 million to move the event from Harrison to Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, for 2008.

In a second compromise agreement, the PGA Tour awarded Westchester a major tournament on the Champions Tour. The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship was played on the renovated West Course in 2011, won by Fred Couples.

In June 2015, Westchester hosted its first LPGA major, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, won by Inbee Park.

Notable members past and present
The starter's shack in 2002. The person in the photograph is Bob Watson, Jr.
16th hole, West Course
  • Ernie Els and Club Caddie Trevor Spencer during the 2006 Buick Classic
  • 9th hole, South Course
  • Christmas Eve 2006
  • flower bed
  • 9th hole, West Course
  • view heading towards pro shop
  • 3rd green, South Course
  • PollyPark Road Entrance
  • 9th hole, South Course

References
  1. Suzanne Clary. "The Horse Show Bride and Groom". Weston Magazine Group. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  2. "Women's Amateur".
  3. "Nicklaus goes 15 under with 65 in 3rd round". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 30, 1967. p. 15.
  4. "Jack wins Classic despite Sikes' rush". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 31, 1967. p. 13.
  5. Ferguson, Doug (August 19, 2007). "Changing course". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. C3.
  6. "Stricker strikes back". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 28, 2007. p. C2.
  7. "Ralph Branca". March 3, 1990.
  8. "Swiss Precision at Westchester Country Club". Club and Resort Business.
  9. "The Ballad of Old Bet". Westchester Magazine. December 2017.

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