Worcester Country Club

Worcester Country Club hosted the first “official” Ryder Cup match between the USA and Great Britain in 1927. Team Captains were Walter Hagen (US) and Ted Ray (GB). The Americans won convincingly, USA 9½ - GB 2½, an impressive result for the USA team who suffered heavy defeats in the two informal “unofficial” Ryder Cup matches, played firstly in 1921 at Gleneagles (King’s) and secondly in 1926 at Wentworth (East). The 1929 Ryder Cup was played at Moortown.

Everyone interested in golf knows, or ought to know, that Worcester Country Club hosted the inaugural Ryder Cup match between the USA and Great Britain in 1927. USA captain Walter Hagan shepherded his team to a convincing 9½ points to 2½ points victory over Ted Ray’s beleaguered British team. “One of the chief reasons for our failure was the superior putting of the American team.” Commented Ted Ray. “They holed out much better than we did.”

Worcester Country Club was founded in 1900 and the club moved to its current location in 1914. Donald Ross designed the layout and former US President William Howard Taft, who hit the ceremonial opening drive, formally declared the course open.

With five par threes, Donald Ross’s Worcester Country Club is tougher than the modest 6,650 yards on the scorecard. With par set at 70, and seven par fours which stretch out beyond 400 yards, Worcester is no easy walk in the park. The par three 6th measures 207 yards from the back tees and it was here in 1925 that Walter Hagen bagged his first hole-in-one, which was witnessed by Bobby Jones and Tommy armour. The 6th green is sited on an elevated plateau with only the flag visible from the tee. Hagen used a one iron and it was also the first ace to be recorded on this extremely tough par three.

Apart from the Ryder Cup, Worcester Country Club played host to the 1925 US Open which was won by Scotsman Willie MacFarlane after he beat Bobby Jones in a play-off. In 1960 the club hosted the US Women’s Open which Betsy Rawls won. It’s therefore fair to say that Worcester Country Club is one of a small, select group of worldwide clubs to have hosted premier men’s, women’s and international tournaments.