The Country Club

The Country Club was incorporated on October 2, 1899 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The first location was leased on Gilmer Drive (1300 East 900 South) near the current site of East High School. The original initiation fees were $25.00 for men and $10 for women; the annual dues were $15.00. In 1899 the first Utah Amateur Tournament was staged there. R.B. Harkness was the initial winner of the event that was to become the oldest continuous amateur golf tournament in the United States. However, all was not well at The Country Club. The Salt Lake Herald reported that the turf at Gilmer was impossible. The course was rocky and dusty in dry weather and ankle deep in mud in wet weather. The membership was rapidly outgrowing the weed-ridden course, and the modest clubhouse desired a more elegant gathering place to play golf and house social functions.

In 1905 the Club then moved to the “Forest Dale” location at 900 East 2500 South. It was one of the few old Spanish Mission-style buildings in Utah and the first structure in the state built specifically as a golf clubhouse. Although The Country Club featured golf, there were also three tennis courts to accommodate players of that game. On Independence Day, 1906, a gala grand opening party christened the opening of the full 9-hole golf course. Spectators watched the golfers from the veranda or sat in lawn chairs to witness tennis matches. A buffet dinner and dancing completed festivities. Many other golf and social events took place at The Country Club including a visit from President William H. Taft. By 1910, the club location that had once appeared so ideal to the membership was beginning to lose its appeal. The heavy, sour loam grew a thick-bladed grass that left a stiff stubble when cut. Members now wanted eighteen holes and there was talk of adding a polo field, but the limited acreage at Fairmont Park precluded such expansion.

In 1920 the new site of The Country Club was chosen and development of the golf course began. The course formally opened at 2 p.m. on May 12, 1921. Despite the immaturity of the course, the Utah State Championship was played in October. Construction on a new clubhouse began in September 1922 with a completion date set for the following February. The elegant new clubhouse had its grand opening on July 7, 1923. The Country Club was the site of many PGA events over the years including the Utah State Golf Championships, the Utah State Amateur, Bob Hope and Bing Crospy’s USO Charity golf tournament, and the 44th Western Open Championship.

In 2002 The Country Club underwent a 9.2 million dollar renovation bringing back the look of the original 1924 clubhouse. The 80,000 square foot clubhouse offers members and their guests a variety of areas to hold private functions, a breathtaking formal dining room for weddings and special Club events, two restaurants, and a fully equipped fitness facility complete with indoor golfing cages and a massage therapist. Walking into the Clubhouse has the feel of walking into a stately home. Large fireplaces, oriental rugs, antique chandeliers and furnishings help create an intimate ambiance loved by our members and their guests – the perfect combination of gracefully aged elegance and top-notch amenities. “In looking back over the past hundred years, it might appear that things have not really changed very much. Certainly the location is different, the golf course and facilities far exceed the club’s humble beginnings at Gilmer Park, and memberships selling for $25.00 in the olden days peaked as high as $115,000 in 1998.

Today, approximately 440 golfing members and 150 social members enjoy the clubhouse and 18-hole championship par-72 golf course sitting on 175 acres with commanding views of the mountains and city. The Club resides on the south east side of Salt Lake City on the foothills of the Wasatch mountain range just 10 minutes from downtown Salt Lake and 20 minutes from world-class skiing at Snowbird, Alta or the Park City resorts. In addition, the Club also has a swimming pool complete with a very popular summer swim and dive team for children. A wide variety of golf tournaments and social activities are always complimented by unparalleled food and service.

Customs have modified, new equipment has developed, and dress has modernized, but the basic premise laid down by our founding fathers remains the same. The Country Club exists to provide a luxurious and gracious social environment, to promote camaraderie and sportsmanship among its members, and to provide a superior setting for the game of golf.