The Columbia Golf Club was organized on September 29, 1898, by nine men with a mission to promote "educational, literary and scientific purposes; social activities and mutual improvements; and to support athletic exercise, outdoor sport and amusement." The first location of the Club was on the east side of Brightwood Avenue, later known as Georgia Avenue, in the neighborhood of Schuetzen Park. In a short time, the Club moved to a site further north on the west side of the avenue where a vacant lot was converted into a crude nine-hole golf course. The Columbia Golf Club was disbanded following the last round of golf on December 31, 1910. At the time, 200 of the 600 members became supporters of the newly created Columbia Country Club.
The opening of the new Columbia Country Club occurred on the evening of January 1, 1911. The Connecticut Avenue site had been purchased in 1909 from the Chevy Chase Land Company. The certificate of incorporation is dated August 25, 1909. The clubhouse was designed by Club member Frederick B. Pyle. Our suburb city property is 126 acres of beautiful green terrain and a small body of water. The golf course is widely recognized as a Walter Travis design. Walter J. Travis, a pioneer in golf course architecture, and a legend in golf in the early decades of the 20th century, certainly laid claim to the design as his own. Herbert Barker and Columbia Founding Member Dr. Walter S. Harban, both close associates of Travis, are often noted as the official designers.
The Club has hosted three national golf championships - the 1921 United States Open, the 2003 United States Junior Amateur Championship and the 2021 United States Girls' Junior Championship. The 1921 U.S. Open was won by Jim Barnes, the 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur was won by Brian Harman, and the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship was won by Rose Zhang, who also holds the competitive course record of 62.
