Last Updated on November 25, 2020 by
The Del Monte Golf Course is the oldest functioning golf course in California. In 1896, it was built alongside the course at the Presidio in San Francisco. Because of the Spanish-American War, the course at Presidio was temporarily converted back into a practice drill field. And this made the Del Monte Golf Club the oldest functioning golf course which continues its operations west of the Mississippi River.
The story of California golf itself is the main story of Del Monte Golf Course. It all started with the Hotel Del Monte which was built in Monterey, California. If you are talking about the grandest hotels back then, you can’t underrate Hotel Del Monte. It is a resort sanctuary devoted to giving the best services to guests from all around the world. Since the introduction of the game of golf in the early 1890s, Hotel Del Monte in California was dedicated to giving the best to its visitors including a golf course. The 9-hole Del Monte Golf Course was constructed offsite because the hotel’s land had been filled up with a polo field and racetrack. The offsite golf course construction was done on wide land leased from a man called David Jacks. That’s the golf course you know today. In this article, we are going to talk about the oldest golf club course in California, and in America as a whole.
The Table Below Contains The Four Oldest Golf Courses In America.
| Oldest Golf Course In America | Brief History |
| Oakhurst Links | Regardless of whether a large amount of folks has provided muddied info about probably the oldest golf course for America, the Oakhurst Links is considered probably the oldest golf course in America. In 1888, a male named Russell Montegue designed as well as built the Oakhurst with the friends of his. |
| Dorset Field Club | According to the information we got from the Dorset Field Club, it all started in 1886 when William Kent, Frank Holley, and Arvin Harrington, the first president of the club designed the 9 hole course with a name assigned to each hole. |
| Foxburg Country Club | Joseph Mickle Fox, a man from the family of the popular rich Fox family from Philadelphia, is the founder of the club. |
| Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Willie Davis built the original golf course of the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club with just 12 holes. 1981 was also the founding date of the club. However, the golf course was expanded from 12 holes to 18 holes. |
A Championship Pedigree
If you’re thinking age alone is its main nobility, then you’re wrong! Del Monte Golf Course became popular as a venue for numerous golf competitions on the West Coast soon after its opening. Del Monte Golf Course hosted a lot of events in the early part of the 20th century, including the Del Monte Cup, 1916 Western Amateur Championship, and the Pacific Coast Open. Ever since then it continues hosting golf tournaments yearly including the Monterey City Amateur and Monterey Open.
Four Oldest Golf Courses In America
There are always arguments when it comes to which golf course is the oldest in America since different golf clubs claim that they are the oldest. However, it is widely acknowledged that modern golf evolved in Scotland. It was from Scotland that it was brought to the United States in the mid-17th century.
1. Oakhurst Links
Even if a lot of people have given muddied information about the oldest golf course in America, the Oakhurst Links is regarded as the oldest golf course in America. In 1888, a man named Russell Montegue designed and built the Oakhurst with his friends. Russell decided to build his golf course in front of his house after he had learned about golf in Scotland. And this golf course served as the Oakhurst Clubhouse for a long time. In 1888, the very first tournament was held at Oakhurst.
2. Dorset Field Club
Whether you’re talking about the home to the oldest continuously functioning golf course or perhaps the oldest continuously functioning golf club in America, the Dorset Field Club is probably the number one choice. According to the information we got from the Dorset Field Club, it all started in 1886 when William Kent, Frank Holley, and Arvin Harrington, the first president of the club designed the 9 hole course with a name assigned to each hole. Dorset Field Link was the initial name given to the course following the Scottish tradition. In 1896, the board members changed the name after the creation of the clubhouse.
3. Foxburg Country Club
Certainly, anytime there’s any discussion about which golf course is the oldest in America, the Foxburg Country Club is another classic golf club that people bring up. Joseph Mickle Fox, a man from the family of the popular rich Fox family from Philadelphia, is the founder of the club. Joseph Mickle Fox fell in love with the game of golf and went all the way to learn golf in Scotland, after which he brought back some golf equipment to help him continue playing golf.
4. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
In 1891, Willlie Davis built the original golf course of the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club with just 12 holes. 1981 was also the founding date of the club. However, the golf course was expanded from 12 holes to 18 holes. Before the current course was designed and built by William Flynn and Dick Wilson of Toomey in 1931, it had four major revisions.
Final Thoughts
The Del Monte Golf Course may be the oldest functioning golf course in California. In 1896, it was created alongside the course in the Presidio in San Francisco. Due to the Spanish-American War, the course at Presidio was temporarily managed to convert back again into a practice drill area. And this also made the Del Monte Golf Club probably the oldest functioning golf course that continues it operations west of the Mississippi River. We’ve come to the final chapter of this informative blog post. We hope you were able to find resources in your quest to know the oldest golf course in California. Please do not hesitate to contact us for questions or comments. Thanks!
