Fort Washington Country Club

In 1923, a group of Fresno residents formed the Fort Washington Golf Club, selected club officers and purchased 126 acres of land to build a golf course near the Fort Washington schoolhouse.^[2][3] The land, at the time, was an undeveloped grain field. The course was designed by Los Angeles-based golf architect William Watson.

The club began with 40 members and the first golf ball was hit on June 17, 1923, by then president of the club, Dr. Arthur Albright.^[4][5] The original members paid an initiation fee of $50 (equivalent to $923 in 2024), and monthly dues of $2.75, (equivalent to $51 in 2024). During the Roaring Twenties, the game of golf expanded greatly in popularity and the new course at Fort Washington joined Sunnyside Country Club, founded in 1911, as a golfing facility serving the Fresno area. Riverside Country Club, also in Fresno but to the west, opened the same year.^[6] At the time the course opened, there were nine completed holes and the other nine were under construction. A small 25 feet (7.6 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m) clubhouse was included in the 1923 construction.^[5]

Over the following years, the clubhouse was expanded, the depth of the water well was doubled, fairways were planted with grass and the roadways were improved.^[7][5] The roadway improvements included palm trees contributed by Kearney Park and planted by club members.^[4] The greens landscaping work was overseen by William Watson, who designed the original course and the greenskeeper was Roy E. Miller, who won the Fresno City Title in 1925.^[8] Employees of the Sugar Pine Lumber Company who were also members, built a distinctive log archway in 1928. The archway was removed in 1994.^[4]

Olin Dutra, winner of the 1934 U.S. Open, served as the club professional from 1924 to 1928 and was succeeded by Bill Lindgren, then Art Melville in 1929. Melville was born in Carnoustie, Scotland and earned a reputation for his golf skill in the San Joaquin Valley. Melville guided the club through the difficult years of the Great Depression where membership dwindled, as well the outbreak of World War II. Melville later recalled having to "send the old golf balls to the factory to be recovered, since there were no new ones" during the war effort.^[9] He continued in his capacity at the club for 32 years.^[5] Bob Silva succeeded Melville and served as club professional from 1967 to 1983.

The club has hosted eight California State Open tournaments, stretching over many years. It hosted the 1992 Fresno Open, a tournament on the Ben Hogan Tour, won by Mike Springer. It served as the final PGA Tour qualifying school course to earn a tour card in 1980.^[5][6] In 2001, Fort Washington co-hosted the U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf Championship, along with San Joaquin Country Club. That tournament was won by Tim Jackson.

The club name was changed to Fort Washington Golf and Country Club in 1970. The facility was scouted as a potential filming location for the 1980 sports comedy film Caddyshack. The Fort board of directors decided against giving the film crew permission due to not wanting to "inconvenience the members."^[5] A new clubhouse was built in 1991.^[4]

Source^[10]

• Official website