Interlachen Country Club
Encyclopedia
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
in Edina, Minnesota
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
which has hosted several national golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournaments, including the 1930 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
(won by Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
on his way to winning the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (golf)
The Grand Slam in golf is winning all the golf's major championships in the same calendar year.-The Men's Grand Slam:The Grand Slam in men's golf is an unofficial concept, having changed over time. In the modern era, The Grand Slam is generally considered to be winning all four of golf's major...
), the 2002 Solheim Cup
2002 Solheim Cup
The 7th Solheim Cup Match was held between September 20 and September 22, 2002 at Interlachen Country Club, Edina, Minnesota, USA. Team USA won the trophy for the fifth time by a score of 15½ to 12½ points...
, and the 2008 U.S. Women's Open.
History
Interlachen's history dates from November 16, 1909, when several members of the Bryn Mawr Golf Club decided to found a new golf club and purchased farmland alongside a suburban MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
streetcar line. The club was officially incorporated on December 31, and the original golf course was opened on July 29, 1911. It was a nine-hole course, and was designed by Willie Watson, a well-known course architect of the time. George Sargent
George Sargent (golfer)
George Sargent was an English professional golfer.Sargent was born in Dorking in Surrey, and began his golf career at age twelve at Epsom Downs Golf Club in his home county. In 1900 he finished fourth at The Open Championship...
, who won the 1909 U.S. Open and was later president of the PGA of America
Professional Golfers' Association of America
Founded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is made up of more than 28,000 men and women golf professional members...
, was the head professional for a few years.
In 1919, the club decided to redesign the course. The new 18-hole course, which is largely the same today, was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1921. Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was a golf course architect who designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 US states and 35 other countries all around the world...
made some alterations in 1963, and Geoffrey Cornish
Geoffrey Cornish
Geoffrey Cornish is a golf course architect, author, and a fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He has designed over 200 courses, including 9-hole additions, around the world.-Early life:...
renovated it in 1986. The course is consistently ranked Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
's list of the 100 best courses in the United States (#44 in 2005, #62 in 2007), and #1 in Minnesota. The course is over 6,800 yards long, and is a par 73.
The first major tournament held at Interlachen was the Western Open
Western Open
The Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open...
in 1914. In July 1930, the club was the site of the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
championship. Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
had already won the British Amateur
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
and the British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
that year, and continued his run by winning at Interlachen by two strokes over Macdonald Smith
Macdonald Smith
Macdonald "Mac" Smith was one of the top golfers in the world from about 1910 to the mid 1930s. He was a member of a famous Scottish golfing family....
. Jones completed
his unprecedented Grand Slam
Grand Slam (golf)
The Grand Slam in golf is winning all the golf's major championships in the same calendar year.-The Men's Grand Slam:The Grand Slam in men's golf is an unofficial concept, having changed over time. In the modern era, The Grand Slam is generally considered to be winning all four of golf's major...
by winning the U.S. Amateur later in the year. The club was scheduled to host the 1942 U.S. Open, but the event was cancelled after the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The club also hosted the 1935 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, which was won by Glenna Collett Vare 3 & 2 over Patty Berg
Patty Berg
Patricia Jane Berg was an American professional golfer and a founding member and then leading player on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer...
. Berg was a 17-year-old member of Interlachen, and was playing in her first national tournament. She went on to an illustrious amateur and professional career, and was a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
The 2002 Solheim Cup
2002 Solheim Cup
The 7th Solheim Cup Match was held between September 20 and September 22, 2002 at Interlachen Country Club, Edina, Minnesota, USA. Team USA won the trophy for the fifth time by a score of 15½ to 12½ points...
was held at Interlachen, with the United States retaking the cup by a score of 15½ to 12½. Europe was ahead 9-7 heading into the last day, but the U.S. staged a comeback in the singles matches for the narrow win.
Inbee Park
Inbee Park
Inbee Park, also known as In-Bee Park, is a South Korean professional golfer.-Early life and amateur career:Park was born in Seoul. She began playing golf at the age of 10. After moving to the United States, she won nine events on the American Junior Golf Association circuit and was a five-time...
won the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen on June 29, 2008.
Tournaments
- 1914 Western OpenWestern OpenThe Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open...
, won by Jim Barnes - 1916 Trans-Mississippi AmateurTrans-Mississippi AmateurThe Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or west of the Mississippi River. From 1987 to 2009, the field...
, won by Harry Legg - 1930 U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, won by Bobby JonesBobby Jones (golfer)Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level... - 1935 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, won by Glenna Collett Vare
- 1986 USGA Senior Amateur Championship, won by R.S. Williams
- 1993 Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
, won by the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
over Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
& IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 19-5 - 2002 Solheim CupSolheim CupThe Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force behind its creation.The inaugural Cup was held in 1990,...
, won by the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
over EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, 15½-12½ - 2008 U.S. Women's Open, won by Inbee ParkInbee ParkInbee Park, also known as In-Bee Park, is a South Korean professional golfer.-Early life and amateur career:Park was born in Seoul. She began playing golf at the age of 10. After moving to the United States, she won nine events on the American Junior Golf Association circuit and was a five-time...
External links
44.9174309°N 93.3780089°W