Hershey Country Club ☆ Follow

Hershey Country Club is a country club located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which was founded in 1930 by Milton S. Hershey. The club is a private, premier golf and recreation club with two championship level courses. The club has two 18 hole golf courses; the 6,860-yard, par 73 West Course which was designed by Maurice McCarthy circa 1930, and the 7,061-yard, par-71 East Course which was designed by George Fazio in 1969.

The West Course is a romping parkland set about the hills and their glens. The diagonals and angles used in conjunction with the hills and water features instill a lot of its identity while the greens move a lot more intricately than they appear. While the trees are usually close at hand, there is sufficient width for various playing corridors throughout. The signature hole of the West Course is the par-3 fifth hole with High Point Mansion, Milton S. Hershey's former home, as a spectacular backdrop. Designer George Fazio captured the natural beauty of central Pennsylvania's countryside with views that golfers can appreciate on every hole. The East Course boasts numerous natural hazards, rolling fairways, and daunting greens, stretching 7,061 yards with a rating of 74.5 and a slope of 136.

The golf course in the club hosted the PGA Championship in 1940, which Byron Nelson defeated Sam Snead on the par 3 12th hole in a playoff and won and the Hershey Open from 1933 to 1941. 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. In 1941 Ben Hogan became the Head Golf Professional and served until 1951. Of his 63 tournament wins, 52 occurred during his tenure as Hershey's golf professional, including six majors.