Cherry Hills Country Club

Cherry Hills Country Club

Club information
Location	Cherry Hills Village, Colorado United States
Established	1922
Type	private
Total holes	27
Events hosted	2014 BMW Championship 2012 U.S. Amateur 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. 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 golf balls travel farther in high altitudes. In 2005 Cherry Hills completed a $12 million dollar renovation on the club house facilities. As of 2006, the membership fee is $95,000. The club's signature colors are cherry red and white.

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. 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.

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 ten under par 278.

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. After laying up on the par-5 17th hole, 47-year old Ben Hogan spun his third shot back from the cup 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 easily the low amateur. 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.

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.

Arnold Palmer iced tea drink

According to common stories amongst members, the classic Arnold Palmer iced tea drink is reported to have been started at the club. Allegedly, Palmer grew angry at the bartender because the bartender refused to mix lemonade in his iced tea.

External links

• Official website