The Country Club — the storied host of this year’s U.S. Open located in Brookline, Mass. — is regarded as one of the world’s best courses, but where exactly does it land on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses lists?
It turns out that The Country Club is so highly esteemed, it actually appears on both GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the U.S., and GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World lists.
In GOLF’s most recent ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S., The Country Club’s Clyde/Squirrel course came in at an impressive No. 22, sandwiched between San Francisco Golf Club (No. 21) and Somerset Hills in New Jersey (No. 23). There are 27 total holes at The Country Club, and this week’s U.S. Open is being contested on a composite layout, which includes some holes from The Country Club’s third nine.
The Country Club’s first 18 holes were built by Willie Campbell and completed in 1899, seven years after the first six holes opened for play in 1882, making it one of the oldest clubs in the U.S. Along with Newport Country Club, Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, Chicago Golf Club, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, The Country Club was a founding member club of the USGA.
The Country Club is also one of only two Massachusetts courses that have a place on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World ranking. The other course? Myopia Hunt Club, the 1898 H.C. Leeds design.
So where does The Country Club rank in terms of the top world courses? In GOLF’s 2021-22 ranking, The Country Club came in at No. 40, 32 spots ahead of its state-mate, Myopia Hunt.
This year marks the fourth time the U.S. Open has been played at The Country Club, and by virtue of its immense prestige, more championships are surely in its future.
