Denver Country Club history

Cherry Hills Country Club was founded in 1922 by a group of prominent members from Denver Country Club who wanted a golf club and nothing else.

His second place finish was the best by an amateur since 1933 and has not been achieved since.

In 1934, after a decade of discussion and difficulty finding a portable water source, the Denver Country Club opened its first pool with water from an artisan well donated by Ella Weckbaugh whose property adjoined the Club.

Ralph Guldahl, the 1937 champion, easily defended his title with a six shot victory. It all started in 1938 with the United States Open.

So, in 1941 the PGA Championship was played for the first time in The Mile High City with Vic Ghezzi defeating Bryon Nelson on the 38th hole.

A group of individuals, led by members of Cherry Hills, formed a corporation for the first Denver Open golf tournament held in 1947.

Thirty years after staging its first national championship, Cherry Hills hosted what many consider as the greatest tournament in championship golf history, the 1960 United States Open . Arnold Palmer, who had won the Masters that April, was seven shots behind the leader going into the final round.

Recognition of the Country Club neighborhood’s significance first occurred in 1979 when the western half of the district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1983, Jay Sigel won the United States Mid-Amateur to become the only golfer ever to win both the United States Amateur and Mid-Amateur in the same year.

Along the way Cherry Hills welcomed the world’s finest male professional golfers for the first time since 1985.

Apart from Mickelson's record-breaking performance, 1989 champion Chris Patton set a dubious record of his own for the biggest defeat of a defending champion when his opponent aced the 12th hole to win, 8 and 6.

Already a United States Senior Open winner in 1991, Nicklaus relied heavily on his trusted 1-iron to keep the ball in play all week at Cherry Hills.