Multiple sources have told Northern Ohio Golf that The Country Club, the gorgeous William Flynn design in Pepper Pike, will undergo an $11 million renovation after the completion of the 2022 golf season. Further, word is that the golf course portion of the improvements will be completed under the watchful eye of star architect Gil Hanse.
Opened in its current Pepper Pike location in 1930, the course has hosted the 1935 U.S. Amateur won by Lawson Little and the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur won by Lydia Ko.
As it sits right now, The Country Club is a beautifully flowing golf course with an incredible stone clubhouse, a dream of a locker room, and solid practice areas. But it does not always get the same recognition as some other top courses in the region. “One of the best courses you’ve never heard of” is a common reviewer’s claim.
Perhaps it is ranking status driving this renovation. Perhaps it’s about joining the conversation again for hosting national championships. Or maybe it really is being done just for the members.
Gil Hanse has an impressive list of original designs (Streamsong Black, Olympic Course in Rio), renovations (Colonial CC, TPC Boston, Royal Sydney) and restorations (Olympic Club, Los Angeles CC, Yale GC, Oakland Hills, Baltusrol, etc).
Brit Stenson of IMG Design re-opened some of the playing corridors with a low-key renovation in 1992. But this 2022 renovation comes with a master plan. So the hefty price tag likely covers more than just a golf course restoration.
One source indicated that the master plan for the renovation has not yet been finalized (nor perhaps has a contract with Hanse), so the club has not made any official announcement yet. But when that announcement is made, we’ll bring the details…
