The Country Club of Rochester (CCR) is a championship golf course in the towns of

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and Pittsford, in suburban

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

History

On January 1, 1885, members of the Genesee Valley Club founded the golf club, on a farm four miles east of downtown. The original course was of a rather primitive design, reflective of the early era of golf. In 1912, the club hired the Scotsman Donald Ross to design a more modern course on the same grounds. Ross became one of the most famous golf course architects in the game's history. Years later, the Country Club of Rochester course was refined by

Robert Trent Jones Robert Trent Jones Sr. (June 20, 1906 – June 14, 2000) was a British–American golf course architect who designed or re-designed more than 500 golf courses in 45 U.S. states and 35 countries. In reference to this, Jones took pride in sayi ...

, a local man who was inspired by Ross as a boy, and ultimately followed in his hero's footsteps to become one of the most famous architects in the game. The golfing legend

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger ...

started caddying at the Country Club of Rochester when he was 7½ years old. He progressed to become the assistant club professional, and won the 1914 U.S. Open. Later named head pro at CCR, Hagen went on to be one of the most influential figures in the history of golf, winning 11 majors, 44 official tournaments and dozens of exhibitions, while becoming one of the greatest ambassadors the game of golf has ever known.

Sam Urzetta Samuel Urzetta (March 19, 1926 – April 8, 2011) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1950 U.S. Amateur. Urzetta attended St. Bonaventure University where he captained the basketball team and led the nation in free-t ...

, who won the 1950

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

, served as head golf professional at the club for 37 years, 1956 to 1993. Urzetta also holds the current course record with an 18-hole score of 61, which he shot three times. He was succeeded as head golf professional by his son, Michael. The Country Club of Rochester hosted the 1953

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open, one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, W ...

, the first women's open sanctioned by the

USGA The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

. It also hosted the

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). F ...

in 1962, and the U.S. Women's Open again in 1973.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial PGA Website for the Country Club of Rochester
{coord, 43.1230, -77.5367, display=title, type:edu_region:US-NY Golf clubs and courses in New York (state) Golf clubs and courses designed by Donald Ross Sports venues in Monroe County, New York Sports in Rochester, New York 1895 establishments in New York (state)