Rock Creek Park Golf Course
Encyclopedia
Rock Creek Park Golf Course (also known as Rock Creek Golf Course) is a golf course
located in Washington, D.C.
, in the United States
. The entire course lies within Rock Creek Park
, a national park
owned and maintained by the National Park Service
division of the United States Department of the Interior
.
The course is located at the intersection of 16th Street NW and Rittenhouse Street NW. The course is bordered by Military Road NW in the south, Rock Creek
and Beach Drive NW on the west, Sherrill Drive NW on the north, and 16th Street NW in the east. Walter Reed Army Medical Center
is immediately to the northwest.
Rock Creek Park Golf Course is one of three golf courses in Washington, D.C., all of which are owned by the National Park Service. The other two are East Potomac Park Golf Course
and Langston Golf Course
.
described the course one way in 1999:
Services at the course include a large putting green, snack bar, and golf school. Players have criticized the maintenance of the course in the past. However, at least one reviewer says that Rock Creek's "weedy fairways, shaggy greens,[and] no frills" clubhouse is "honest" municipal golf.
neighborhood proposed building a golf course in Rock Creek Park. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
, which controlled the city and the parks within it at the time, approved the plan in November 1906 (although there was opposition, which believed money should be spent on public health
project first). Construction began in 1907, and a nine-hole course opened on July 1, 1909. The course's first clubhouse was a former farm house, and its first concessionaires were N.B. Frost and H.D. Miller. After a year, the concession was turned over to Severine G. Leoffler, Sr. His firm had first started managing Park Service courses in the city in 1921. Loeffler, who rose from extreme poverty to own a popular local restaurant and then became a noted concessionaire for the National Park Service, administered Rock Creek Park Golf Course and other city golf courses for the next four decades.
Rock Creek Golf Course proved popular in its first few years. In July 1924, the Corps of Engineers agreed to expand the course to 18 holes. However, construction needs were so extensive that the entire course was shuttered in December 1924. The course re-opened in 1926 with all 18 holes open for play. The first golfers to tee off on the new, complete course were four members of the United States Congress
, who hit the first ball at 5:53 AM.
Twice in the 1930s the clubhouse suffered extensive fires. The first incident occurred in January 1933, when the clubhouse was damaged by a fire. A larger fire burned the clubhouse to the ground in March 1937. Maintenance of the course was a major issue in the 1940s. Golfers complained about the course so vehemently that U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands
began an investigation and asked the Park Service to delay renewing the firm's contract. A consultant strongly criticized the Leoffler firm's stewardship of the course. The firm built a new clubhouse on the course in 1965. But in 1968, Leoffler told the Park Service to close the course, as it was making no money.
The National Park Service threatened to close Rock Creek Golf Course in 1981. The number of rounds played at Rock Creek rose from 9,500 in 1979 to 41,500 in 1980. But a Park Service report concluded that the course had been allowed to seriously deteriorate since 1965, despite about $100,000 in course repairs in the past three years. The Leoffler company declined to renew its concessions contract in 1981, and the National Park Service said it would close the park without a new concessionaire. In mid-1982, however, a management team compose of local businessmen James R. Brock, Frank Coates, and William Torpey took over course management, leading to a significant increase in rounds played. The new management team lasted only a year. In late 1982, the National Park Service awarded the concession to a new company, Golf Course Specialists, Inc.
Rock Creek Golf Course came close to closing again in the 1990s. The National Park Service began soliciting public input on a new master plan for Rock Creek Park, the first such document in 80 years. The Park Service proposed four plans for comment, one of which would have closed the golf course. After eight years of debate and study, a new master plan was adopted which retained Rock Creek Park 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...
located in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The entire course lies within Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
, a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
owned and maintained by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
division of the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
.
The course is located at the intersection of 16th Street NW and Rittenhouse Street NW. The course is bordered by Military Road NW in the south, Rock Creek
Rock Creek (Potomac River)
Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is long, with a drainage area of about...
and Beach Drive NW on the west, Sherrill Drive NW on the north, and 16th Street NW in the east. Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
is immediately to the northwest.
Rock Creek Park Golf Course is one of three golf courses in Washington, D.C., all of which are owned by the National Park Service. The other two are East Potomac Park Golf Course
East Potomac Park Golf Course
East Potomac Park Golf Course is a golf course located in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The course includes an 18-hole course, two 9-hole courses, and a miniature golf course. It is the busiest of the city's three golf courses...
and Langston Golf Course
Langston Golf Course
Langston Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course in Washington, D.C., established in 1939. It was named for John Mercer Langston, an African American who was the first dean of the Howard University School of Law, the first president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute , and the first African...
.
Course description
Rock Creek Golf Course is known as a challenging course. The front nine holes are short par 4s and long par 3s, although the broad fairways have some elevation differences. The fairways of the back nine are tight, with dense deciduous woods on either side. Elevation changes on the back nine are even more significant, and many of the greens are quite small. The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
described the course one way in 1999:
- Want a unique, virtually free, profoundly humbling golf experience? Try the back nine at Rock Creek Golf Club. Rock Creek is one of two remaining public golf courses in the city, not as well known as East Potomac Park perhaps, but unforgettable once you've scrambled up the precipitous slopes in the shadow of towering trees, dodged deer and leaped deep ravines in a single bound. And that's in the fairway. The front nine is so wide open it's boring. The backside seems to have been designed by a mountain goat. Not a flat lie in the place, but one spectacular vista after another, not to mention almost comically devious golfing challenges.
Services at the course include a large putting green, snack bar, and golf school. Players have criticized the maintenance of the course in the past. However, at least one reviewer says that Rock Creek's "weedy fairways, shaggy greens,
History
Rock Creek Park was established on September 27, 1890. In January 1905, citizens in the BrightwoodBrightwood, Washington, D.C.
Brightwood is a neighborhood located in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C. Brightwood and the rest of Ward 4 are represented in the Council of the District of Columbia by Muriel Bowser.- Geography :...
neighborhood proposed building a golf course in Rock Creek Park. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, which controlled the city and the parks within it at the time, approved the plan in November 1906 (although there was opposition, which believed money should be spent on public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
project first). Construction began in 1907, and a nine-hole course opened on July 1, 1909. The course's first clubhouse was a former farm house, and its first concessionaires were N.B. Frost and H.D. Miller. After a year, the concession was turned over to Severine G. Leoffler, Sr. His firm had first started managing Park Service courses in the city in 1921. Loeffler, who rose from extreme poverty to own a popular local restaurant and then became a noted concessionaire for the National Park Service, administered Rock Creek Park Golf Course and other city golf courses for the next four decades.
Rock Creek Golf Course proved popular in its first few years. In July 1924, the Corps of Engineers agreed to expand the course to 18 holes. However, construction needs were so extensive that the entire course was shuttered in December 1924. The course re-opened in 1926 with all 18 holes open for play. The first golfers to tee off on the new, complete course were four members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, who hit the first ball at 5:53 AM.
Twice in the 1930s the clubhouse suffered extensive fires. The first incident occurred in January 1933, when the clubhouse was damaged by a fire. A larger fire burned the clubhouse to the ground in March 1937. Maintenance of the course was a major issue in the 1940s. Golfers complained about the course so vehemently that U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands
United States Senate Energy Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests is one of four subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.-Jurisdiction:...
began an investigation and asked the Park Service to delay renewing the firm's contract. A consultant strongly criticized the Leoffler firm's stewardship of the course. The firm built a new clubhouse on the course in 1965. But in 1968, Leoffler told the Park Service to close the course, as it was making no money.
The National Park Service threatened to close Rock Creek Golf Course in 1981. The number of rounds played at Rock Creek rose from 9,500 in 1979 to 41,500 in 1980. But a Park Service report concluded that the course had been allowed to seriously deteriorate since 1965, despite about $100,000 in course repairs in the past three years. The Leoffler company declined to renew its concessions contract in 1981, and the National Park Service said it would close the park without a new concessionaire. In mid-1982, however, a management team compose of local businessmen James R. Brock, Frank Coates, and William Torpey took over course management, leading to a significant increase in rounds played. The new management team lasted only a year. In late 1982, the National Park Service awarded the concession to a new company, Golf Course Specialists, Inc.
Rock Creek Golf Course came close to closing again in the 1990s. The National Park Service began soliciting public input on a new master plan for Rock Creek Park, the first such document in 80 years. The Park Service proposed four plans for comment, one of which would have closed the golf course. After eight years of debate and study, a new master plan was adopted which retained Rock Creek Park Golf Course.
External links
- Rock Creek Park Golf Course Web site, hosted by Golf Course Specialist, Inc., a National Park Service concessionaire which manages the course