Cherry Hills Country Club
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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado United States |
| Established | 1922 |
| Type | private |
| Total holes | 27 |
| Tournaments hosted | 2005 U.S. Women's Open 1993 U.S. Senior Open 1990 U.S. Amateur 1985 PGA Championship 1978 U.S. Open 1976 U.S. Senior Amateur 1960 U.S. Open 1941 PGA Championship 1938 U.S. Open |
| Website | chcc.com |
| Championship Golf Course | |
| Designed by | William Flynn |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,157 yards |
| Course rating | 74.7 |
| Rip Arnold Course (par 3) | |
| Designed by | William Flynn |
| Par | 27 |
| Length | 665 yards |
Cherry Hills Country Club is a private country club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. The club was founded in 1922 and designed by William Flynn.[1] The club features a championship 18-hole golf course, a 9-hole par three course, eight tennis courts, and a lap pool. The nine hole course is called the Rip Arnold Course, named for the man who was the club's head golf professional from 1939 to 1962. The club hosts a Pro-Member Invitational every September named for Warren Smith (golfer), head professional at Cherry Hills from 1963 to 1991. A bas relief of Smith, who was honored as the PGA of America's Golf Professional of the Year in 1973, now sits near the 10th tee at the course. The championship eighteen hole golf course measures 7,160 yards and is a par 72. However, the course plays much shorter because the average elevation of the course exceeds 5,300 feet (1,600 m) above sea level. In 2005 Cherry Hills completed a $12 million dollar renovation on the club house facilities.[citation needed] As of 2006, the membership fee is $95,000.[citation needed] The club's signature colors are cherry red and white.
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[edit] USGA championships
Cherry Hills has hosted seven United States Golf Association (USGA) championships, including U.S. Open competitions in 1938, 1960, and 1978. It hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1990, won by Phil Mickelson.[2] The 1993 U.S. Senior Open was contested at Cherry Hills, with Jack Nicklaus winning. Most recently, Birdie Kim won the 2005 U.S. Women's Open which was contested at Cherry Hills. The U.S. Amateur will return to the club in 2012.[3]
Three U.S. Opens have been played at Cherry Hills, the first won by Ralph Guldahl in 1938. In 1960, Arnold Palmer won the Open with a score of four under par. After three unsuccessful attempts, Palmer finally drove the first green (355-yard par four) in the fourth round on his way to victory. Tied for the lead with Palmer as he came to the par-5 17th hole, 47-year old Ben Hogan hit his third shot into the water and bogeyed. He hooked his final tee shot and triple-bogeyed the final hole to finish four strokes back at even par, which ended his chances of a tenth major championship. Playing with Hogan, a 20-year old collegian named Jack Nicklaus from Ohio State bogeyed the final hole and finished second, two strokes behind Palmer, and was the low amateur.[4] As a result of Palmer's feat, the USGA commissioned construction of a new tee prior to the 1978 U.S. Open, which extended the hole 50 yards. The '78 Open is the most recent Open held at Cherry Hills, and it was won by Andy North with a score of one over par. Until 2006, this was the most recent U.S. Open in which the winning score had been over par.
A significant restoration by noted architect Tom Doak was carried out during 2008 and opened for play in spring 2009. The course was extended to over 7500 yards (6858 m) and many trees were removed. In addition, several original bunkers that had been removed over the years were restored, bringing the course more in-line with William Flynn's original design.
[edit] PGA Championships
There have been two PGA Championships held at Cherry Hills. The first, which was held in 1941 (when the PGA Championship was conducted in a match play format), was won by Vic Ghezzi with a score of "one-up" over Byron Nelson. In 1985, Hubert Green won the PGA Championship with a score of six under par 278.
[edit] Major tournaments hosted
| Year | Tournament | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | U.S. Open | Ralph Guldahl |
| 1941 | PGA Championship | Vic Ghezzi |
| 1960 | U.S. Open | Arnold Palmer |
| 1976 | U.S. Senior Amateur | Lewis Oehmig |
| 1978 | U.S. Open | Andy North |
| 1983 | U.S. Mid-Amateur | Jay Sigel |
| 1985 | PGA Championship | Hubert Green |
| 1990 | U.S. Amateur | Phil Mickelson |
| 1993 | U.S. Senior Open | Jack Nicklaus |
| 2005 | U.S. Women's Open | Birdie Kim |
| 2012 | U.S. Amateur | |
| 2014 | BMW Championship |
Bolded Years are major championships on the PGA Tour.
[edit] References
- ^ "Cherry Hills Country Club - Club History". Cherry Hills Country Club. http://www.chcc.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=223314&ssid=69989&vnf=1. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
- ^ "The 104th U.S. Amateur Championship". United States Golf Association. 2004. http://www.usamateur.org/2004/history/past-champions.html. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
- ^ Cotton, Anthony (2009-02-06). "Cherry Hills gets 2012 U.S. Amateur". Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_11645565.
- ^ "Hole by hole for the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open Championship". United States Golf Association. 2005. http://www.uswomensopen.com/2005/course/holebyhole.html. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 39°38′34″N 104°57′44″W / 39.642896°N 104.962194°W
