Seattle Golf Club

Overview: Seattle Golf Club is a private 18-hole course on the Highlands north of the city, with a par of 72 and 6,836 yards in the live record. Robert Johnstone’s 1908 course established the core routing across a wooded site, and the modern course still works through tall Douglas firs, narrow fairways, quick greens and changing views toward Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The design has been lengthened and adjusted over time, but its historic bones remain central to the way the round unfolds.

History: The club was established in 1900 after earlier Seattle courses in Fremont and Laurelhurst. Members purchased the Richmond Beach Road property in 1907, cleared heavily forested ground and began playing the new course in 1908. Ted Robinson made major changes in 1968, including the practice area, and Arnold Palmer lengthened several holes in 1996. The club’s tournament history includes the 1927 Western Amateur, the 1952 U.S. Amateur and the 1961 Walker Cup, when the United States team featuring a young Jack Nicklaus won 11-1.

Did You Know? Seattle’s original 1908 course was carved from dense forest with teams of workers and hand-clearing methods that included blasting stumps and rocks. The club’s long caddie tradition has also produced more than 65 Evans Scholars, linking the course to a major educational program beyond the fairways.