Oak Ridge

The Oak Ridge Country Club was founded by a group of 150 enthusiastic individuals as the first Jewish private golf club in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The club initially hired head professional William Clark to lay out the first nine holes. Luckily for him, employee loyalty paid off: The club added a second nine (the current front nine) during 1942, and it maintained Clark as its architect-in-residence.

The course remains just a touch over 6,600 yards, not much longer than after when Clark made his final touches. That distance, however, is stiffened by the trees that have matured across the club’s nearly 100 years in existence. One wonders if there was disagreement that led to the 20-year gap between construction of the two nines: According to the club’s history, the organization also shuffled between at least three names before the course was finally solidified as Oak Ridge Country Club.