The TOUR heads to the Washington, D.C. area this week for the AT&T National. Learn more about the host, Congressional Country Club.
| Fast facts |
| Director of Golf | Michael V. Giuffre |
| Original architect | Devereut Emmet (1924) |
| Course redesign | Rees Jones (1989) |
| Par value | 71 |
| Number of TOUR events as host venue | AT&T National (2007-2009, 2012), Kemper Open (1980-86, 2005), the U.S. Open (1964, 1997, 2011) and the PGA Championship (1976) |
| Yardage history | 7,574 (2011) |
| Grass | Bentgrass (tees, fairways, greens); Fescue (rough) |
| Tournament Stimpmeter | 14.5 ft |
| Sand bunkers | 96 |
| Water hazards | 5 |
| Course tour | Click here |
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| Course record (at the AT&T National) |
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| Player
Anthony Kim
Hunter Mahan | Year
2009
2009 | Round
1st
4th | Finish
3rd
2nd |
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| Course origins |
Congressional Country Club was established in 1924. A group of legislators met in 1921 and decided the best way to break down the barrier between them and the country was through the formation of a country club, and to invite as comembers, professional businessmen from around the country. Today the club membership is more family orientated. Some of the original founding members include Calvin Coolidge, Warren Harding, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, Harvey S. Firestone, William C. Carnegie, William Randolph Hearst and Walter P. Chrysler.
The club has quite a history with tournament golf, playing host to the 1949 U.S. Junior Amateur, 1959 Women's Amateur, the U.S. Open in 1964, 1997 and 2011, the 1976 PGA Championship, Kemper Open from 1980-1986, 1995 U.S. Senior Open and the AT&T National from 2007-2009.
The Blue course closed in 2009 for a greens renovation that rebuilt all 19 greens (including practice green), with sub-air systems, soil moisture measuring systems, and replaced the Poa annua with bentgrass. A new tee on No. 3 adds 10 yards and creates a slight dogleg left, as the fairway was shifted right to bring landing zone bunkers back into play. A new tee on No. 4 adds 40 yards and the fairway was shifted left to create a sharper dogleg. No. 6, which played as a long par-4 the last two U.S. Opens, will be a risk/reward par-5 this year.
A new tee on No. 9 adds 30 yards. The par-3, 218-yard No. 10 was the finishing hole at the 1997 U.S. Open, and now plays in the opposite direction. The fairway on No. 11 was shifted right, against the stream. A new tee on No. 12 adds 55 yards and is actually the front tee of the adjacent No. 15. A new tee on No. 15 adds 50 yards, bringing the landing zone bunkers along right side of slight dogleg left back into play. The fairway bunkers were moved further down the drive zone on No. 16, and the rough was lowered on No. 17 to tempt tee shots to clear the steep hillside at the end of the fairway. This is the first year the AT&T National will be played at Congressional since the course changes were completed. --Source: Golf Course Superintendents Assocation of America |
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