Firestone Country Club

Firestone Country Club Profile

The Firestone Country Club is a private golf club located in Akron, Ohio, United States.

The Club comprises three courses-those of the North, South, and West-each of which hosted a televised golf event, respectively the American Golf Classic, the CBS Golf Classic and the World Series of Golf, in 1973; no other club has so hosted three tournaments.

One of three three World Golf Championships constituent events, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, directed by the International Federation of PGA Tours and sanctioned on the PGA and European Tours, is contested at the Club, which serves also as a home course for the University of Akron Zips collegiate side.

History

Harvey Firestone commissioned the club in 1929 as a park for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Its first course, the South, was designed by Bert Way. It opened on August 10, 1929 with Mr. Firestone driving the first ball. A major redesign by Robert Trent Jones added over 50 bunkers, two ponds and brought the course up to a 7,189 yard par 70. The course was redesigned by Goldforce in 1985.

The North course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1969. Firestone’s West was the last course to be added, opening in 1989. First conceived by Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva, it went through a dramatic redesign in 2002 by Tom Fazio.

A driving range was added in 1994; it was the first area of the club open to the public. The range now boasts heated stalls and a well stocked pro shop. Finally, in 1999, a nine-hole course, the Raymond C. Firestone, was opened for public play.

Tournaments

The Rubber City Open was the first tournament to be held at Firestone. It began in 1954 and was held yearly until a much bigger fish came along. The PGA Championship came to Firestone for the first time in 1960; the championship then returned in 1966 and 1975. This exposure led to a new event, the American Golf Classic, which ran from 1961 to 1976.

Since 1962, the World Series of Golf, now known as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, has been held at Firestone, usually on the South course. These challenging holes have been the spot for many fantastic moments in golf. In the 1975 PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus pulled out a remarkable par on the 16th hole, considered to be the hardest hole on Firestone’s courses. He then went on to close the five-stroke lead held by Bruce Crampton, ultimately winning his 4th PGA Championship. Tiger Woods also had a memorable moment when his “shot in the dark” on the 18th hole grabbed him the victory at the 2000 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (NEC was the title sponsor through 2005).

Firestone’s North is used less frequently in televised events, but hosted the 1976 American Golf Classic as well as the 1994 World Series of Golf.

(source .. wikipedia) reproduced under GFDL

[ Anything to add? Spotted an error? Click here to improve this entry ]

Images