Brooklawn Country Club is a private country club in Fairfield, Connecticut. Founded in 1895, Brooklawn became one of the earliest members of the United States Golf Association (USGA) when it was admitted on January 22, 1896. Sited on the property's highest point, the club's 57,667-square-foot clubhouse was opened in 1916.
Brooklawn's championship golf course traces to a nine-hole layout, designed by members shortly after the club's founding. In 1899, the first professional hired by the club was Tom Morris, the great nephew of Old Tom Morris, and the grandson of Old Tom's brother George, who laid out the links at Hoylake (now Royal Liverpool) in 1869. In 1911, the acquisition of additional property enabled the course to expand to 18 holes. In 1930, the course was completely redesigned by the noted architect A.W. Tillinghast, and it continues to undergo improvements under the direction of architect Ron Forse. Brooklawn has hosted five USGA championships:
1974 U.S. Junior Amateur (won by David Nevatt)
1979 U.S. Women's Open (won by Jerilyn Britz)
1987 U.S. Senior Open (won by Gary Player)
2003 U.S. Girls' Junior (won by Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff)
2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open (won by Annika Sörenstam)
The course was scheduled to host the 2020 U.S. Senior Women's Open, but it was canceled because of the pandemic, but was held in 2021.
Several widely recognized golfers have been associated with the club. One of the early champions in women's golf, member Georgianna Bishop, won the 1904 U.S. Women's Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Gene Sarazen, one of only five golfers to have won all the current major championships and inventor of the sand wedge, was assistant golf professional before emerging on the national stage. He still holds the course record (63). In 1943, Sarazen presented a collection of his championship medals, including major tournaments and the Ryder Cup, to the club, which subsequently donated them to the USGA Museum in Far Hills, New Jersey. Julius Boros, a Fairfield native, is an honorary member of the club and played frequently at Brooklawn, stunning the gallery with a hole-in-one at the second hole during an exhibition match in 1961. President William Howard Taft was also an honorary member.
Brooklawn's golf course measures 6,711 yards, is rated at 73.3 and plays to a slope of 138. In addition to the golf course, club facilities include a practice tee and putting green; a tennis center with seven Har-Tru courts and clubhouse; three platform tennis courts and warming hut; and a swimming pool with casual dining facilities. The clubhouse includes a bowling center with eight lanes; men's and women's locker rooms; golf pro shop; dining room; grill room; living room; ball room; private dining and meeting spaces; and a wrap-around porch overlooking the course for outdoor dining and social events.
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