Saint Clair Country Club (Championship)

Overview: Saint Clair Country Club's Championship Course is a private 18-hole layout at 2300 Old Washington Road in Upper St. Clair, south of Pittsburgh. The course occupies rolling Western Pennsylvania ground, with mature trees, shaped fairways, water and strategically placed bunkers. The current championship routing is identified with Dick Wilson and Joe Lee, and the longest published tee set measures 7,023 yards at par 72. Its character comes from demanding approaches and a firm, undulating set of putting surfaces rather than from one repeated design trick.

History: Saint Clair Country Club was founded in 1916, when Tom Bendelow's original work formed the basis of the club's golf story. The club's official history distinguishes that early design from the present Championship Course, which was designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee in the late 1960s. The Championship Course was renovated in 2006 and again in 2020 in the spirit of the Wilson and Lee design. The original Bendelow heritage survives in the club's separate Terrace Nine, so the two routings should not be treated as the same course.

Did You Know? Saint Clair's 16th is a 418-yard uphill par four that the club's head professional describes as a difficult home-stretch hole. A bunker added on the right side removed an easy bailout, while the undulating green makes distance control especially important. The club is also known for firm, fast greens, a playing characteristic that gives the closing holes a precise, demanding finish.