Merion Golf Club is a private

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

club located in Haverford Township, Delaware County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, a township bordering

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to the northwest along the historic Main Line. The club has two courses: the East Course, and the West Course. The East Course has been consistently rated in the top 10, #5 in 2015, by ''

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'' in the annual "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses", and it has hosted five U.S. Opens, most recently in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

History

Original course

Claus Johnson, the eldest son of John Johnson and Christina Skute, was born sometime prior to 1712 and died about 1786. He married, 30 March 1734, Rebecca Bankson, the daughter of Andrew Bankson Jr., and his wife Gertrude Boore. Claus and Rebecca were living in Neshaminy, Bensalem, Bucks County, PA. in 1740 when he contributed 10 shillings to Gloria Dei, and also at the time of the church census on 20 November 1743. In 1744 they bought a farm in Haverford Township, now in Delaware County, from Amos Lewis. The East course of the Merion Golf Club now occupies that property and their former home is the clubhouse. Claus was a vestryman at Old St. Davids Church in Radnor from 1760 to 1770 and it is presumed that he is buried there. The Merion Golf Club came to being in 1896, when members of the Merion Cricket Club (founded in 1865) opened a golf course in

Haverford Township, Pennsylvania Haverford Township is a home rule municipality township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.Hugh Wilson, a

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

graduate, and fine player, to design it. Merion East opened in September 1912, and the original course was closed. The West Course, also designed by Wilson, opened in May 1914. The Merion Golf Club did not officially separate from the Merion Cricket Club until 1941.

Wilson's research pays off

Hugh Wilson had never designed a golf course, so he went on a seven-month trip to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

to study British courses. Several features of Merion East are derived from famous British courses, not the least of which are Merion's distinctive Scottish-style bunkers, which are now known as the "white faces of Merion" (named by top amateur player Chick Evans). Wilson's layout covers only of land, a very small area for a golf course. It was ranked 5th in ''

s "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses" in 2015, and

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...

has said of Merion East, "Acre for acre, it may be the best test of golf in the world." Wilson's designs were the first courses designed to provide both significant penalties (in terms of hazards and boundaries) for deviation from lines of play, and multiple possible means for reaching the pin from the tee. The West Course in particular is relatively little altered from Wilson's design, while the East Course has had alterations made to accommodate the widening of Ardmore Avenue. The club was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

in 1992 for its contribution to these innovations in the sport. Merion has held 18

United States Golf Association 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 ...

(USGA) championship tournaments, more than any other course. The first two, the 1904 and 1909 U.S. Women's Amateurs, were held at the original Haverford course. The first USGA men's tournament held at the East Course was the 1916 U.S. Amateur, won by Chick Evans. This was also the first time Bobby Jones appeared in a national championship; he was 14 years old. Jones would win his first U.S. Amateur in 1924, also held at Merion.

Bobby Jones completes Grand Slam

In 1930, the U.S. Amateur returned to Merion in late September. Earlier that year, Bobby Jones had won the

British Amateur The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 1 ...

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later ...

, and U.S. Open, so anticipation was high to see if he could complete the sweep of all four major championships of the time, the "impregnable quadrilateral." Jones won the medal in the stroke play qualifier and cruised through the first four rounds of match play, to the final 36-hole match against Eugene Homans on Saturday. A gallery of 9,000 was on hand for the start of the match; this swelled to 18,000 by the afternoon round, forcing the competitors to be escorted to the tees and greens. After the morning round, Jones was comfortably ahead by seven holes, and when both players parred the 11th hole Jones had an 8 & 7 victory (eight holes ahead with seven to play). Searching for words to describe the unprecedented feat, Atlanta newsman O. B. Keeler used the term " Grand Slam", which has stuck ever since. Seven weeks after the tournament, Bobby Jones retired from competitive golf at age 28.

Hogan's comeback from accident

Merion's 1950 U.S. Open was the site of Ben Hogan's comeback, 16 months after a head-on collision with a bus which shattered his pelvis and nearly killed him. On the 72nd hole (and 36th of the day), in extreme pain and facing an uphill shot of over into the wind, Hogan needed a par to force a playoff, as he had just bogeyed the long par-3 17th (and the par-4 15th). From the fairway, Hogan used a 1-iron to hit a superb shot which stopped on the distant green and two-putted from for par. Hogan then defeated

Lloyd Mangrum Lloyd Eugene Mangrum (August 1, 1914 – November 17, 1973) was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle." Early life and family Mangrum ...

and George Fazio in an 18-hole playoff on Sunday to win the tournament.

Hy Peskin Hyman Peskin (November 5, 1915 – June 2, 2005) was an American photographer known for several famous photographs of American sports people and celebrities published by ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''Life''. He was a pioneer of sports photography, w ...

's photograph of Hogan's 1-iron shot, taken from behind during Hogan's follow-through, is among the most famous pictures in golf. Lost for over three decades, the club resurfaced in the early 1980s, and now resides in the USGA Museum. The point on the 18th fairway where Hogan hit the famous shot is commemorated with a plaque.

Trevino defeats Nicklaus

The U.S. Open in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

at Merion resulted in another playoff, this time between

and

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

, arguably the top two players in the world at the time. Both had missed putts on the 72nd hole to win on Sunday, Trevino for par and Nicklaus for birdie. In the Monday playoff, Nicklaus had trouble early in the bunkers and was behind the rest of the round. Trevino, the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

champion, won by three strokes for his second U.S. Open title. It was the second of four times that Nicklaus was a runner-up to Trevino at a major championship.

Strengthened course tests new generation

Following

David Graham David Graham may refer to: Authors and intellectuals * David Graham (American poet), American writer and poet *David Graham (author) (1919–1994), pen name of British writer Robert Hale * David Graham (Canadian academic), Canadian academic admini ...

's win at the U.S. Open at Merion in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, it was felt by many that the relatively short course of about , small course area of (which limits gallery size), and lack of grounds to hold corporate tents and other infrastructure would preclude Merion from holding a major again. However, following some land acquisition nearby and lengthening of the East Course to nearly , many of these concerns appeared to be addressed. After successfully hosting the U.S. Amateur in 2005, the USGA awarded a fifth U.S. Open to Merion, held in

, 32 years after its last hosting of the national championship.

Justin Rose Justin Peter Rose, (born 30 July 1980) is an English professional golfer who plays most of his golf on the PGA Tour, while keeping his membership on the European Tour. He won his first major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf C ...

captured his first major by posting a score of one-over-par 281 for 72 holes, good for a two-stroke victory over

Phil Mickelson Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970), nicknamed Lefty, is an American professional golfer who plays for LIV Golf. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including six major championships: three Masters titles (2004, 2006, 2010), two ...

and

Jason Day Jason Day (born 12 November 1987) is an Australian professional golfer, PGA Tour member and winner of the 2015 PGA Championship. He is a former world number one in the World Golf Ranking, having first achieved the ranking in September 2015. ...

. Most of the players who competed in the 2013 Open had very high praise for the course, which featured long, difficult rough following a wet spring. The lowest 18-hole score for the tournament was three-under-par 67, posted by several players, including Mickelson. The course held up very well as a premium test of golf, in spite of pre-tournament worries from some golf media people that many low scores would be posted by the modern generation of players.

Wicker baskets

On the East Course, all pins are topped with

wicker Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

baskets instead of the usual flags (which are used on the West Course). As one story goes, when Hugh Wilson was in England studying their golf courses, he happened upon local sheep herders and their flocks. These shepherds held staffs that they used for herding, and the staffs all had wicker baskets at the top. In those baskets, they kept their lunch for the day so that no animals could get into it. Wilson decided to use the idea at Merion, though the exact origin has never been fully verified. One effect is that the baskets are visible even if the wind is not blowing – but they do not give the golfer any indication of wind direction at the green. They have been used since at least 1916, and are featured in the club's logo. The pin markers at Merion East have several other unique features. At , including the baskets, they are taller than standard flagsticks. The poles are solid metal instead of the standard fiberglass, and the baskets themselves are colored red on the first nine holes and orange on the second nine. Interestingly, the 1950 U.S. Open was the only USGA championship held at Merion East in which the pins were marked with flags instead of wicker baskets. In 2013, club historian John Capers indicated that he did not know the reason for the substitution, but speculated that it came about because a player in the previous year's U.S. Women's Amateur, held on the same course, was unnerved when her ball bounced off a basket during match play. Up until around 1980, the wicker baskets were made on site by a member of the grounds crew staff. Since then, a woman, whose name and location in South Carolina are purposely kept anonymous, creates the current baskets. Anyone who wins a USGA event at Merion receives a wicker basket top. Wickers are destroyed if the wicker baskets are broken. The golf course assistant superintendents collect the wickers every night, so they will not be stolen.

Tournaments at Merion

Major championships

^ 18 hole playoffs: 1950, 1971

Amateur championships

*East Course opened in 1912, first used in 1916 U.S. Amateur

International team competitions

Scorecard

Merion Golf Club in popular culture

Merion Golf Club plays a prominent part in the novel "Back Spin" by

Harlan Coben Harlan Coben is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists. Among his novels ...

. The novel features a U.S. Open championship taking place at Merion Golf Club, during which the son of Jack Coldren, the golfer leading the pack, is kidnapped. It is also the inspiration for the name of the Marion Club in Mario Golf for the

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

References

External links

Official Site

* ttp://trenhamgolfhistory.org/index.html Trenham Golf History– U.S. Opens at Merion {{Authority control Golf clubs and courses in Pennsylvania Sports venues completed in 1896 Walker Cup venues Curtis Cup venues National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Haverford Township, Pennsylvania Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Golf clubs and courses on the National Register of Historic Places 1896 establishments in Pennsylvania