The Denver Country Club is the oldest country club west of the Mississippi and one of the oldest in the United States.
Founded in 1887, the Denver Country Club originally centered around horse racing but soon expanded to tennis, polo, golf and a myriad of other sports. Through its over 125 years of existence the Club is always evolving to stay with the times while holding true to the traditions that have made the DCC what it is today. Current facilities include an 18-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a multi-dimensional Olympic-size swimming pool, a croquet and lawn bowling pitch, skate house and skating rink, fitness facility and, dining and banquet facilities. In 2007, a major addition was added to the historic clubhouse to enhance its beauty while maintaining its historic nature.
The Denver Country Club has been a leading golf venue since its first course was built at its original Overland Park location in 1893/1894. It was the first club west of the Mississippi to be admitted to the United States Golf Association (1896) and was one of the founding members of the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association in 1901. The Club held its first men’s golf championship the same year (1895) as the United States Open and United States Amateur. The DCC’s first women’s champion was held two years later in 1897.
The Club’s members were some of this country’s top early players. In December of 1900 two of those members, (Walter Fairbanks and Frank Woodward) and the Club’s professional (John Russell), took on the world’s greatest player Harry Vardon in a match that was front page news in Denver and across the West.
Today the course strives to retain the best of classical golf architecture while adjusting for the tremendous changes in golf technology. It is first and foremost a members’ course and those who have played the course their entire lives indicate that they never tire of the many challenges that the golf course presents.
