A golf clubhouse is typically a large space that consists of dining rooms, the bar, locker rooms, plus much, much more. Their architectural design, including the use of golf club awnings, mean that they often exude a certain character.
Inputting together a list of the greatest golf clubhouses in America, we considered a number of different things, including how they make space of their respective square footage, how well people can flow through it, and the feeling of the entrance. However, the main consideration that the below list is based on is how much it makes you want to spend your time there.
No matter if you prefer the amenities and grandeur of the newest clubhouses or the character and history of the earliest, a well-designed clubhouse has the potential to create a lasting impression on any golfer or none golfer that sets foot in it.
Los Angeles Country Club – Los Angeles, California
The country club moved to the location that it is currently in back in 1911 and upon doing so hired one of its members Summer Hunt, who was also an architect, to design the clubhouse. In preparation for the Walker Cup in 2017 and the U.S. Open in 2023, the clubhouse was subject to extensive restoration.
Augusta National Golf Club – Augusta, Georgia
It was gardener Dennis Redmond that was responsible for building the plantation house back during the 1850s that is the clubhouse for this classic golf course. You can also start your own business by getting an LLC in Georgia. It was one of the first-ever concrete poured buildings within the southern part of America, which is why it has been able to stand the test of time and eventually become the clubhouse.
Whisper Rock Golf Club – Scottsdale, Arizona
As Trent Rathbun, general manager, states, this clubhouse was designed in order to fall in line with the traditional values of golf, as well as making it look as if it had been there for much longer than it actually had. The architect that was responsible for delivering this outcome was Douglas Fredrikson, with the vernacular design of the southwest.
Indian Creek Country Club – Indian Creek, Florida
The cathedral-like clubhouse was designed in 1929 by the Swiss architect, Maurice Fatio. Due to it being so well received, it was emulated by so many other golf courses throughout America, thus becoming something of a standard vernacular.
Bighorn Golf Club – Palm Desert, California
Boasting an impressive 80,000 square feet and a $70 million price tag, this clubhouse was designed by the architects and planners, Swaback Partners. The building is a bold marriage between travertine, limestone, and other earthy materials, and large modernist angles that make it perfectly fit its desert surroundings.
Calusa Pines Golf Club – Naples, Florida
It is widely reported that the owner, Gary Chensoff, journeyed to in excess of one hundred different golf clubs throughout America in order to take a look at their clubhouses and seek inspiration for making his own. The clubhouse that was built in 2003 has the look of one that was built in the early 1900s.
Martis Camp Golf Club – Truckee, California
Prior to designing the clubhouse, the architect responsible, John Sather, spent a whole summer living on the site in order to get a better feel for the place so that he could tailor the clubhouse into the land. This resulted in a structure that is perfectly wedded to a point of land that overlooks the fairway of the 18th hole and the valley beyond that.
Oakmont Country Club – Plum, Pennsylvania
This dual gable clubhouse was designed by the architect Edward Stotz. The side of the building that is now facing the golf course was initially intended to be the arrival side, however, the change turned out to be quite advantageous as it now has a very commanding presence with it overlooking the green on the 9th hole.
Medinah Country Club – Medinah, Illinois
The country club was first founded back in 1920 by a group of Shriners from Chicago. The architect that they turned to for the design of the clubhouse was Richard G. Schmind, who was responsible for co-designing a Medinah Temple for them. The result is a large 110,000 square foot building that combines Italianate, Louis XIV, and Byzantine styles of architecture.
The Country Club – Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
This country club was founded off the back of a group of Bostonians who purchased the land back in 1882. The clubhouse was created out of an old barn that was renovated to become the first one in the entire country of America.
Congressional Country Club – Bethesda, Maryland
The designer of this clubhouse based his design on the Spanish Colonial Revival style and it was built back in 1924. Over the many years since then, there have been a number of additions made to the building, whilst still maintaining its strong relationship with the actual golf course that it sits on.
Baltusrol Golf Club – Springfield, New Jersey
This clubhouse is now a national historic landmark due to it being considered something of a masterpiece of the Tudor revival style. It was designed by an architect called Chester H. Kirk back in 1910 after the original building (a former farmhouse) was completely destroyed by a fire.
National Golf Links of America – Southampton, New York
Jarvis Hunt, the founding member, and a Chicago-based architect, designed this 25,000 square foot clubhouse back in 1912. It incorporates a porch that is completely screened in that is affectionately known by members as The Birdcage.
The Alotian Club – Roland, Arkansas
Designed by architect Mark Finlay, who also designed a number of other buildings on the property, this clubhouse is completely covered in white clapboard, giving a nod to the world-famous Augusta National. This is where the founder spent his days playing golf as he grew up.
Friar’s Head Golf Club – Baiting Hollow, New York
The clubhouse here directly overlooks Long Island Sound and was made using pieces of stone that were shipped from across the Sound in Westchester County.
