Foxburg Country Club, established in 1887, is the oldest

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

in continuous use in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is located in Foxburg,

Clarion County, Pennsylvania Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Coun ...

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, approximately north of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

on a hill rising about 300 feet above the Allegheny River. The course was listed in 2007 as Foxburg Country Club and Golf Course on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The clubhouse contains the American Golf Hall of Fame.

History

The course was built by Joseph Mickle Fox. Fox was introduced to golf in 1884 while traveling in Great Britain to play in cricket matches, as a member of the

Merion Cricket Club Merion Cricket Club is a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania, founded in 1865. The current clubhouse is its sixth, the last four having been designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and his partner, Allen Evans, who was also a founder ...

, also known as "The Gentlemen of Philadelphia." After participating in a cricket match in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, Fox visited St. Andrews to see the game of golf being played. Tom Morris Sr., the old bearded pro at St. Andrews took a liking to Fox and taught him the fundamentals of the game, sold him equipment and gutta percha balls to bring back to the United States. Fox was so intrigued by golf, that upon his arrival back to his summer estate in Clarion County, he made an eight-hole course on the nearby Fox Estate. In 1887, due to local enthusiasm for golf, the club decided to build a more spacious golf course and Fox provided the land rent free, for what was to become Foxburg Country Club. The club was established and the golf course was expanded to nine holes in 1888. Historic buildings and objects at the club are the 1912 seasonal home adapted for use as a clubhouse in 1942, a stone well house built about 1890, and nine golf-related stone troughs. The troughs held sand and water that were combined by the golfers into small mounds that were used in place of tees. They were in use until about 1930. The clubhouse was originally designed by the architecture firm of Starrett & van Vleck. It is a three-story Rustic Adirondack style building, with a broad

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

. ''Note:'' This includes Many golfers who have played at Foxburg have stated that it is an easy course, but also challenging due to the amount of trees and brush. Foxburg Country Club is a throwback and considered a "must play" by true lovers of the game of golf if passing through on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. The course is approximately five minutes south of the Interstate.

American Golf Hall of Fame

The Foxburg Country Club is home to the American Golf Hall of Fame. This museum houses an extensive collection of extremely old and valuable golf clubs and artifacts from many different eras (prior to 1900) of the game. The museum is free and located on the top floor of the Foxburg Clubhouse.

References

External links

Foxburg Country Club and American Golf Hall of Fame and MuseumFoxburg Country Club Historic Marker, Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Museums in Clarion County, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Clarion County, Pennsylvania Sports museums in Pennsylvania 1887 establishments in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state historical marker significations National Register of Historic Places in Clarion County, Pennsylvania Golf museums and halls of fame