Kenwood (Kendale)

Kenwood Country Club was founded in 1930 by members of Cincinnati Country Club. Donald Ross was called in to help choose an appropriate property on the outskirts of Cincinnati but it was Bill Diddel who was then selected to set out two championship-sized courses (No. 1 and No. 2) on the 500-acre tract that was acquired.

No. 1 was the 18-hole layout where the US Amateur (1933) and US Women’s Open (1963) were held. In more recent times, the extension of the Interstate 71 highway resulted in a number of holes being removed and relocated, though the Kendale is still a composite of all the original holes.

For the national championships, existing holes 10 to 18 on the Kendale were played as #1 and #9 on the No.1 course and current holes 3, 4 and 5 were played as #16 to #18 on that layout. Four of the existing Kenview holes were also used so only holes #10 and #13 of the No.1 have been totally lost.

Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design was chosen to upgrade the Kenview and Kendale courses in 2019, with work starting on the latter layout first. Fairways were widened, trees removed, cart paths relocated and bunker placement altered, along with the installation of new irrigation and the introduction of bentgrass green surrounds on reconstructed putting surfaces.