12/08/2015
Shocking News Flash !!! The Most Prestigious and Legendary Golf Clubs in the World have Pools, Fitness Centers and Casual Dining... and They THRIVE !!!!
Every year, professional golf holds tournaments called the “Major Championships.” These four tournaments are the most prestigious tournaments in golf. In calendar order, they are the Masters, the US Open, The Open Championship (usually called the British Open and played in the UK), and the PGA Championship. While the Masters is always held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the others move around, playing at various top-notch clubs. All these venues are historic and beautiful, many with rich histories going back over a hundred years.
Three of the four Majors are in the US. Here are some of those venues:
• Pinehurst in North Carolina (hosted a Major in 2014, 2008, 2005, etc.). On its iconic campus, this 120-year-old club offers a spa, tennis, fitness center, a kids club for 3-12 year olds as well as access to their own private lake that allows boating, fishing, and swimming.
• The Olympic Club in San Francisco (hosted a Major in 2012, 1998, 1987, etc.). Over 100 years old, the private Olympic has two clubhouses. One has two swimming pools, fitness center, cardio center, handball and squash courts, circuit training facilities and basketball courts. The other has a swimming pool, exercise center and massage services.
• Congressional Country Club in Bethesda (hosted Majors in 2011, 1997, 1995, etc.). Only 91 years young, this private club is fun. It has a bowling alley, tennis, grand ballroom, two outdoor pools, fitness center, paddle tennis, spa and massage services as well as a whirlpool bath. And of course, like all the other clubs, they have casual dining. They even brag about their plasma TVs.
• Winged Foot in New York has hosted Majors since 1929 and has a pool located just off the first tee.
• Up our coast, there’s Pebble Beach (2019 scheduled, hosted in 2010, 2000, 1992, etc.) with lots of stuff too, including spa and massage services, a beach a tennis club with a fitness center, yoga and aerobic classes, Pilates, swimming pool, a whirlpool bath and tennis too. Not bad for a club that started in 1919, ten years before the RSF Golf Club opened.
• And even youngsters like Whistling Straights in Wisconsin (hosted a Major in 2015, 2010, etc.) are in on the act. Opened in 1998, this club has what’s called a “Sports Core Health and Racquet Club,” with all the amenities you could imagine – swimming, whirlpools, fitness, salon, tennis, spa services, croquet, bocce ball, etc.
We could keep going, listing even more golf venues that host the Majors that are family friendly and not only survived, they thrive and maintain their prestige (Oakmont, Winged Foot, Oakland Hills, Inverness, Montclair, Medinah, Kiawah Island, Atlanta Athletic Club, etc., etc., etc.). These venues are highly sought after even beyond the Majors, including the Ryder’s Cup, Senior PGA, Women’s PGA and US Amateur tournaments.
And all these legendary clubs have something in common besides hosting the Majors, the most prestigious tournaments in professional golf.
Regardless their age and time honored history, they have aged gracefully, either creating or maintaining vibrant assets beyond golf that are integrated with the golf experience and suit all ages. Most importantly, they’ve enhanced the experience and ensured its future for the next generation of golfers.
It would be nice to do that here in Rancho Santa Fe.
Go Club!
www.covenantclub.org
