Claremont Country Club ☆ Follow

Claremont Country Club is an 18-hole, par-72 golf course located in the Rock Ridge area of Oakland, California. The course is situated on 107 acres of land that includes the historic H.P. Livermore residence site, now occupied by the clubhouse. The layout is a certified design by the renowned architect Alister MacKenzie, who redesigned the course between 1926 and 1929. MacKenzie, who also designed Augusta National Golf Club and Cypress Point Club, worked on the project while visiting his friend and future business partner, Robert Hunter, who was a faculty member at UC Berkeley and a member of the club. The course's origins date back to 1897 when it was founded as the Oakland Golf Club near Lake Merritt. In 1903, the club incorporated as Claremont Country Club and moved to its current location. The initial nine holes, designed by club professional George Smith and his brother Alex Smith, opened in December 1904. Nine additional holes were added in 1909 to complete the 18-hole layout, with official credit for the original design given to John "Pop" Smith. Subsequent modifications included expansions by Willie Watson and Robert Hunter in 1921, which added length and altered the 12th and 13th holes. Claremont is known for its challenging terrain and strategic design, earning it the nickname "Little Jewel" from Sam Snead after he won the 1937 Oakland Open there. The course features abundant water sources, a legacy of the quarry purchased in 1932 by Charles A. Beardsley, which has provided low-cost water for irrigation for over 90 years. The landscape is characterized by meandering fairways and creeks, with hundreds of trees planted in the 1960s that later required management for drainage and sunlight. A significant restoration project began in 2001, aiming to return the course to its original 1929 MacKenzie design. This effort involved reconstructing greens 4, 7, 11, and 12, and repositioning bunkers based on a 1930 aerial photograph. The restoration work was largely completed between 2004 and 2007. The club has maintained its status as one of only 15 clubs in The Alister MacKenzie Society with certified MacKenzie course designs, preserving the architectural integrity established nearly a century ago.