The main clubhouse at Merion Golf Club.
I recently had the honor of being a guest at Merion Golf Club, and can’t wait to share the experience. Most people know Merion Golf Club for its acclaimed East Course. With a rich history that includes some of golf’s most cherished moments, why wouldn’t they.
The East Course has long been regarded as one the top 10 golf courses in America and has played host to 19 USGA Championships including 5 U.S. Opens. In 1930, Merion witnessed one of golf’s most sacred red moments as Bobby Jones captured his Grand Slam, after winning the British Amateur, British Open, and U.S. Open championships earlier in the year Jones captured the 4th major championship of 1930 by winning the U.S. Amateur Championship played on the East Course. Needless to say, Merion Golf Club has played an important role in the success of the USGA and the game of golf.
What most people don’t realize is that Merion Golf Club consists of two golf courses; the East Course and the West Course.
Hugh Irvine Wilson
Both courses were designed by Hugh Wilson an acclaimed amateur golfer and member of the original Merion Cricket Club. In 1910 at the age of 32, Wilson was challenged with the task of designing the East Course, having never designed a golf course before building the East Course he decided to spend 7 months abroad researching golf courses in Scotland and England. It’s amazing to think that Wilson at age 32 never having designed a golf course would deliver a masterpiece, even Jack Nicklaus noted that acre for acre the East Course may be the best golf in the world. After finishing work on the East Course, Wilson turned his attention to building the West Course at Merion Golf Club. While the West Course doesn’t garner national acclaim it is a perfect complement to the East Course.
No matter which course you’re playing at Merion if you want to warm up you’ll need to visit the practice facility located off the back of the East Course. The practice facility is world class featuring Titleist practice balls, multiple greens for chipping and putting, bunkers, driving range, and indoor teaching facility. The practice facility is about a 5-minute drive from the West Course and golf carts are available to shuttle you between the East Course and the practice facility.
My day at Merion began on the West Course, which is probably best described as the family course. The West Course provides a similar experience to that of most golf courses around the country in that players are allowed to use golf carts, the pins feature flags, and you’ll see players of all ages and skill level out on the course. Behind the 18th green you’ll find a charming log cabin no larger than 1000 sq. ft. that doubles as the starter’s station and clubhouse. Inside the log cabin is a full bar and some of the best food around, featuring daily specials prepared by the Merion culinary team.
Leading up to my visit to Merion the area had been receiving lots of rain, to be honest I was constantly checking the weather and hoping I wouldn’t get rained out. I only had one day available during my trip to play and I was praying it wouldn’t be a rain out. Waking up that early morning in May, it felt like a fall day with temperatures in the high 50s. The sun was nowhere to be found, but luckily there was only a small chance of rain. Given all the recent rain I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of course conditions, however even after days of rain, Merion was nothing short of phenomenal.
Throughout the round on the West Course there would be a sprinkle here and there but nothing that lasted long or impacted the experience. Every inch of the course was meticulously maintained, not even the bunkers showed any sign of the inches of rain the area had recently received. Making our way around the West Course I couldn’t help but think about our afternoon tee time on the East Course. On the West Course we had a golf cart and on this early morning we pretty much had the course to ourselves as we zipped around going hole to hole. Most would consider the West Course short at 5,989 yards from the back tees, but there are plenty of trees and hazards to keep most golfers honest. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the West Course, it was a great opening act leading up to the legendary East Course.
After playing 18 on the West Course we headed back to the main clubhouse located at the East Course for lunch. The food was absolutely wonderful, I had a cup of their famous snapper soup, and a cheeseburger. During lunch, I enjoyed meeting some of the members and staff at Merion Golf Club. One thing is for sure, everyone at Merion is aware of its special place in golf and are committed to the time honored traditions of the club. Merion Golf Club is truly a special place full of special people, I felt as if I had entered the league of extraordinary gentleman and was honored to be invited.
After lunch I had 2 hours until our tee time on the East Course. My gracious host had to step away and attend to business so I was left to explore Merion and get ready for the East Course. I ended up walking every inch of the clubhouse soaking in as much history as I could. From the replica trophies to the spike marks in the wooden floor, I wanted to experience as much as I could. I couldn’t resist a stop into the Pro Shop, which does more business per square foot than nearly any other pro shop in the country. I wear a lot of neck ties so I couldn’t resist the custom Merion Golf Club tie by Vineyard Vines, and I also picked up a putter cover for my daughter back home in Florida. After exploring as much as I could, I headed back to the practice area and spent the majority of my time working on my short game. Once I felt I had a good rhythm, I headed back to the clubhouse and worked on the putting green. You’ll find two practice greens, one just outside of the clubhouse and another closer to the street where you’ll notice members pull up in their car to hit a few putts from time to time.
Finally, our tee time on the East Course had arrived, we actually ended up being the last group to go out on the course. As you can imagine by this time I’ve worked myself into a tizzy, to be honest I’m amazed my ball got off the 1st tee. Lucky for me I was with a great group of men who quickly put me at ease and made the round special. Like most rounds of golf, I always feel that I could have played better but nonetheless I enjoyed every minute of the experience. My biggest regret was that I didn’t bring a camera, I’m so used to snapping photos with my iPhone I don’t tend to carry a camera around. The strict no cell phone policy at Merion meant I would have to imprint the images permanently into memory!
Click here to read our full article on the East Course at Merion Golf Club.