Latrobe Country Club
Encyclopedia
Latrobe Country Club is a private golf
club located near Latrobe, Pennsylvania
. It is the home course of Arnold Palmer
. The grounds are actually located in Unity Township in Westmoreland County
, south of Latrobe, and nearer Youngstown
.
(U.S. Route 30
) just west of Youngstown. By the summer of 1921 work was well underway on the golf course and clubhouse. Among those on the job was a teenager named Milford (Deacon/Deke) Palmer, Arnold Palmer's father.
From that hilly plot of ground emerged a short but imaginative nine-hole course. Despite tough economic times, the Club made steady progress over the next two decades. Additional tracts of land were purchased, allowing for revisions that greatly improved the course. In 1944, the Unity Land Company was created and became owner of the property and financed further expansion of the clubhouse and other facilities.
By the early 1960s sufficient land had been acquired to enable plans for an 18-hole course. Both Deacon and Arnold Palmer contributed heavily to the design of the new nine holes and the revamping of the existing holes to fit the layout. Construction began in 1963 and the new course opened for play the following season. The then 6,377 yard, par-72 course has matured into a beautiful and demanding test of golf.
Course improvement and the modernization and expansion of the clubhouse was accelerated when Arnold Palmer purchased the Club in 1971. The interior of the clubhouse was redesigned. Tennis courts, maintenance buildings and cart storage areas were all constructed. Over the years, many of the holes have been revised and lengthened, a modern irrigation system was installed, permanent cart paths were added and a practice range was created.
Deacon Palmer, who had become the grounds superintendent in 1926 and the golf professional in 1931, remained active until his death at the age of 71 in February 1976.
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....
club located near Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
. It is the home course of Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
. The grounds are actually located in Unity Township in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, south of Latrobe, and nearer Youngstown
Youngstown, Pennsylvania
Youngstown is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Youngstown was incorporated on 2 April 1831. The population was 400 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
History
Latrobe Country Club was founded in 1920 by a group of leading industrialists, bankers and professionals from Latrobe, PA. The group had acquired 63 acres (254,952.2 m²) of the Kennan Farm bordering on what was then the National Lincoln HighwayLincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
(U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
) just west of Youngstown. By the summer of 1921 work was well underway on the golf course and clubhouse. Among those on the job was a teenager named Milford (Deacon/Deke) Palmer, Arnold Palmer's father.
From that hilly plot of ground emerged a short but imaginative nine-hole course. Despite tough economic times, the Club made steady progress over the next two decades. Additional tracts of land were purchased, allowing for revisions that greatly improved the course. In 1944, the Unity Land Company was created and became owner of the property and financed further expansion of the clubhouse and other facilities.
By the early 1960s sufficient land had been acquired to enable plans for an 18-hole course. Both Deacon and Arnold Palmer contributed heavily to the design of the new nine holes and the revamping of the existing holes to fit the layout. Construction began in 1963 and the new course opened for play the following season. The then 6,377 yard, par-72 course has matured into a beautiful and demanding test of golf.
Course improvement and the modernization and expansion of the clubhouse was accelerated when Arnold Palmer purchased the Club in 1971. The interior of the clubhouse was redesigned. Tennis courts, maintenance buildings and cart storage areas were all constructed. Over the years, many of the holes have been revised and lengthened, a modern irrigation system was installed, permanent cart paths were added and a practice range was created.
Deacon Palmer, who had become the grounds superintendent in 1926 and the golf professional in 1931, remained active until his death at the age of 71 in February 1976.
Covered Bridges
When Arnold Palmer was designing the back nine at Latrobe Country Club, he wanted to create something that was innovative, yet reflective of western Pennsylvania's rich culture and traditions. He found his inspiration in a watery hazard. A picturesque creek cuts comes into play on several challenging holes on the back nine. So instead of building utilitarian rain shelters on this part of the course, Palmer decided to construct covered bridges that could provide protection when storms kicked up. These beautiful, red, covered bridges are so popular that artists and photographers from across the United States now come to Latrobe just to capture their image.Tree Carving
When Latrobe Country Club was founded in 1921, the golf course was built on farmland. It's hard to imagine today, but back then there were very few trees on this relatively open parcel of land. So, Deacon Palmer embarked on a massive tree planting campaign. About 75 percent of the trees found on the course today were planted by Deacon. One of them, a red pine between the first and eighteenth hole, died recently and was in the process of being cut down. Arnold Palmer suggested that the stump be left and converted into a giant carving of his father. His brother, Jerry, hired renown local woodcarver Joe King to transform the 12 feet (3.7 m) red pine into a sentimental tribute to their father.External links
- http://www.latrobecountryclub.com/ - Official Site