Westchester Country Club
| File:WCC best shot 800.jpg A view looking towards the sportshouse | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Rye, New York,  United States |
| Established | 1922 |
| Type | Private |
| Events hosted | The Barclays |
| Website | Westchester Country Club |
| Designed by | Walter Travis |
The Westchester Country Club (or Westchester Biltmore Country Club) was founded by John McEntee Bowman, who hired Walter Travis to design two golf courses in Rye, New York as a luxury resort hotel. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963. The South Course was originally designed for women and higher handicap golfers. Around 1997, the South Course was reconstructed with longer tees, new sand and grass bunkers, water hazards, and some new greens. The South Course is now more competitive with the West Course to accommodate low handicap golfers.
Tournaments
Westchester Country Club hosted its first PGA tournament in 1963 with the Thunderbird Classic. The Thunderbird was also held in 1964 and 1965. While no PGA tournament was held at the club in 1966, starting in 1967 the 'West Course' annually hosted the Westchester Classic stop on the PGA Tour until 2007. (The tournament name has changed several times since then due to sponsorship switches, and is now called The Barclays.) The 2008 event was hosted by the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, NJ, and the 2009 will be held at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ. The event is expected to return to WCC for a final time in either 2010, 2011, or 2012.
Notable Club Members - Past & Present
- Jackie Gleason, actor/ comedian (star of The Honeymooners)
- Ralph Branca, pro-baseball player
- Robert Merrill, renown vocalist
- Ernie Anastos, TV news anchorman
- Scott Shannon, radio disc jockey
- Mark Simone, radio/TV personality
- John Daly, moderator on TV show What's My Line?
- Mario Gabelli, founder and CEO of the eponymous Gabelli Asset Management
- David Hartman, American television personality
- John Mara, New York Giants owner
- Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express
- Earl G. Graves, CEO of Black Enterprise magazine
- Ezio Pinza, opera singer
- Frederic Salerno, President of Verizon Telephone Company
- Gene Tunney, heavyweight boxing champion
- Robert Diamond, CEO, Barclays Capital
- Albert Pirro, husband of former Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro
- Generoso Pope, Sr., first person of Italian descent to become a self-made millionaire in the United States
- John N. Mitchell, Attorney General during Nixon Administration
- Howard Hughes, business tycoon
- Ed Sullivan, legendary television personality
- Johnny Carson, legendary comedian / television Personality
- Jimmy Roberts, NBC Sportscaster
- Kenneth Cole, fashion designer
External links
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