Formed in 1894 in Arlington , Washington Golf and Country Club is the oldest golf club in Virginia and was the ninth club to join the USGA . WGCC has a long , rich tradition of outstanding golf , including hosting many prestigious championships as well as counting several American presidents ( Teddy Roosevelt , Taft , Wilson , Harding , and Coolidge ) as members of this time-honored club . Harding was an avid golfer who played regularly at WGCC during his brief presidency ( he served only two years , having succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage related to a heart condition in 1923 ). Harding was such a golf fanatic that bad weather did not deter him . Even in the dead of winter and despite the fact Harding was not an accomplished golfer ( he rarely broke 100 ), Secret Service Agents would paint the president ’ s golf balls orange so the Chief Executive could enjoy his favorite pastime — even in the snow — at his home club .
Building on the genius of such legendary architects as Donald Ross , William Flynn , Hugh Wilson , and Walter J . Travis , all of whom worked on Washington Golf and
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Country Club , the course underwent a major renovation in 2020 by renowned architect , Tom Doak . Although Doak wisely elected to retain much of the routing and some of the iconic holes from the layout that had existed since 1923 ( e . g ., No . 3 at WGCC is one of the finest par 4s in Virginia ), he created several new designs , including the par-3 , 14th hole , one that appears destined to become a classic .
Beautifully framed by strategic bunkers as well as various trees and large bushes that together with the topography form a natural amphitheater , the 14th is an extremely challenging hole . Played downhill from a highly elevated tee — which makes the tee shot even more difficult in windy conditions — the 14th offers no safe bailout ( even short of the green is a hard “ up and in ” given the major false front ) and thus to create any realistic chance to make par , the golfer must reach the green with his or her approach .
Even after hitting the green on the 14th , the severely undulating putting surface — made even more testing by a deep depression on the left side of the green , especially when the pin is in the back left —
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Doak Tees : 203 yards
Flynn Tees : 168 yards
PAR 3 YARDAGES
Ross Tees : 124 yards
often makes two-putting for par a distinct challenge that requires a very deft touch . While the old adage says that “ it takes only one good shot to make a par ”, at the 14th at WGCC , even one shot that is “ less than good ” on this demanding hole almost guarantees a bogey or worse .
In May and in celebration of its recent renovation , Washington Golf and Country Club will host the VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship . WGCC will be a superb venue for this great event , and the VSGA looks forward to returning to this distinguished club for a championship for the first time since 2014 .
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JON HOOD |