Club History

Founded in 1882 and located in Brookline, Mass., The Country Club is one of the oldest clubs in the United States and one of five charter members that founded the United States Golf Association in 1894. It has played host to 17 USGA national championships, more than all but one other club. And it has served as the site for a number of the game's most important events. These include the 1913 U.S. Open, won by amateur and Brookline-native Francis Ouimet, which began the golf boom in America; the 1999 Ryder Cup that featured the U.S. team's dramatic Sunday comeback; 1902 U.S. Women's Amateur, the club's first national championship, won by Genevieve Hecker; and four U.S. Opens (1913, 1963, 1988, 2022), three of which finished in playoffs.

Originally a horse-racetrack, the golf course grew over time and therefore is not the design of any one architect. The first six holes were laid out by three club members in 1893. The following year, Willie Campbell became the Club's first golf professional and expanded the course to nine holes and then a full 18 by 1899. After an additional land purchase, two club members designed three new holes, which opened in 1908, followed by the final six holes which were completed by 1927. Rees Jones led course updates and changes for the 1988 U.S. Open and then Gil Hanse began a restoration of the course in 2019 to create a cohesive design dating back to its original form. The Club currently features three nines—the Clyde, the Squirrel and the Primrose, with the original Clyde and Squirrel nines comprising what's known as the Main Course. The 2022 U.S. Open was played on a composite course that includes 15 holes from the Main Course and 3 holes from the Primrose. The short 12th hole, known as "the Redan" was used in an Open for the first time since 1913.

The Club is located on land in what is now called the Town of Brookline, Massachusetts, which is considered to be a part of the ancient tribal homelands of the Massachusett Tribe. We acknowledge and respect the people of the Massachusett Tribe, past and present, and the connection that exists between these peoples and the land itself.

In addition to golf, the Club has facilities for tennis, platform paddle tennis, swimming, curling, fitness, skeet shooting, ice skating, and hockey. The century-old main clubhouse — yellow clapboard and three stories high — includes a room from the property's original 1860 farmhouse.

General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Kristen LaCount is one of the first women to run a major private club in the country. Her ascent through the organization reinforces the club's priority on investing in the education and training of professional staff.