Hershey Country Club
Encyclopedia
Hershey Country Club is a country club
located just outside the eastern city limits of Hershey, Pennsylvania
, which was founded in 1930 by Milton S. Hershey
.
The golf course
in the club hosted the PGA Championship
in 1940
, which Byron Nelson
won and the Hershey Open
from 1933 to 1941. The club has two 18 hole golf courses; the 7,061-yard, par-71 East Course which was designed by George Fazio
in 1969, and the 6,860-yard, par 73 West Course which was designed by Maurice McCarthy circa 1930. The PGA Championship was contested on the West Course and the LPGA
Lady Keystone Open
was held on the course for almost 20 years. The club also hosted a Nationwide Tour
event for eight years and the Pennsylvania Open Championship
15 times.
Head golf pros at the club have included Hall of Famers
Henry Picard
(1934-41) and Ben Hogan
(1941-51).
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
located just outside the eastern city limits of Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
, which was founded in 1930 by Milton S. Hershey
Milton S. Hershey
Milton Snavely Hershey was an American confectioner, philanthropist, and founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company and the "company town" of Hershey, Pennsylvania....
.
The golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in the club hosted the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
in 1940
1940 PGA Championship
The 1940 PGA Championship was a golf competition held at Hershey Country Club. Byron Nelson won the competition....
, which Byron Nelson
Byron Nelson
John Byron Nelson, Jr. was an American PGA Tour golfer between 1935 and 1946.Nelson and two other well known golfers of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within seven months of each other in 1912...
won and the Hershey Open
Hershey Open
The Hershey Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1933 to 1941. It was played at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pennsylvania on what is now called the West Course. It was played as a 72-hole stroke play event every year except 1938. That year, it was played as an 126-hole...
from 1933 to 1941. The club has two 18 hole golf courses; the 7,061-yard, par-71 East Course which was designed by George Fazio
George Fazio
George Fazio was an American professional golfer and a golf course architect.Fazio, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a respected player in the mid-twentieth century and competed in seven Masters Tournaments from 1947 to 1954...
in 1969, and the 6,860-yard, par 73 West Course which was designed by Maurice McCarthy circa 1930. The PGA Championship was contested on the West Course and the LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
Lady Keystone Open
Lady Keystone Open
The Lady Keystone Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1975 to 1994. In its first year it was a satellite tour event but became a full event in 1976...
was held on the course for almost 20 years. The club also hosted a Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
event for eight years and the Pennsylvania Open Championship
Pennsylvania Open Championship
The Pennsylvania Open Championship is the Pennsylvania state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pennsylvania Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1912 at a variety of courses around the state...
15 times.
Head golf pros at the club have included Hall of Famers
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
Henry Picard
Henry Picard
Henry Gilford Picard was an American professional golfer.Picard was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and learned to play golf while caddying at the Plymouth Country Club. Picard, already a talented player by his early 20s, came to prominence after coaching from the leading instructor Alex Morrison...
(1934-41) and Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
(1941-51).
Tournaments hosted
- Hershey OpenHershey OpenThe Hershey Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1933 to 1941. It was played at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pennsylvania on what is now called the West Course. It was played as a 72-hole stroke play event every year except 1938. That year, it was played as an 126-hole...
(PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
) – 1933-39, 1941 - PGA ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipThe PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
– 1940 - Lady Keystone OpenLady Keystone OpenThe Lady Keystone Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1975 to 1994. In its first year it was a satellite tour event but became a full event in 1976...
(LPGA Tour) – 1978-94 - Hershey Open/The Reese's Cup ClassicThe Reese's Cup ClassicThe Reese's Cup Classic was a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour from 1997 to 2004. It was played at the Hershey Country Club, East Course, in Hershey, Pennsylvania...
(Nationwide TourNationwide TourThe Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
) – 1997-2004 - Pennsylvania Open ChampionshipPennsylvania Open ChampionshipThe Pennsylvania Open Championship is the Pennsylvania state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pennsylvania Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1912 at a variety of courses around the state...
– 1935, 1953-62, 1964-66, 1971-72 - Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferencePennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceThe Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. The conference is composed of 16 full-time members within Pennsylvania and one associate member in New York...
championship - National Collegiate Athletic AssociationNational Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III - 2010 - PGA Professional National ChampionshipPGA Professional National ChampionshipThe PGA Professional National Championship is a golf tournament for golf club professionals and teachers who are members of the Professional Golfers' Association of America...
- 2011