Kahkwa Club

During the earliest days of the United States, the state of Pennsylvania maneuvered deftly to assure it had at least one port city. The result was the thin strip of Lake Erie coast that separates New York from Ohio. And, as years passed, citizens of Erie (the town) only saw fit to develop a championship golf course to match its lakeside property.

Donald Ross was hired to design the original nine holes for the club, and was then recalled to fashion an additional nine when the property across what is now Kahkwa Club Road was acquired. The current front nine consist of Ross’s newer holes, while the back were the original. Although just a few blocks from the beach, the wind has a greater impact on play than the water. The only drink players will see during a round is the forced carry at No. 3, a par three aptly named “Pond.”

The club’s first outside championship, the Women’s Western Open, was won during 1958 by Patty Berg, and then the U.S. Women’s Open was won by JoAnne Carner during 1971. The club has continued to host amateur events for women ever since. The most notable championship was the outright U.S. Women’s Amateur, which was won by Jane Park during 2004.