Lancaster Country Club (Founded in 1900) held its first Major championship from July 9-12, 2015. The tournament, which carried a then women’s golf record purse of $4.5 million, attracted 135,000 spectators, a Championship record.
The then twenty-year-old In Gee Chun of South Korea won the championship, her first Major, with a score of 272, eight below par, shooting rounds of 68 and 66 over the weekend.
Rory Connaughton, the club’s greens chair, says
“We see ourselves as a venue for championship women’s golf. The area, community and club embraces women’s sport, and our club has seen it as a great opportunity to be a community asset. The USGA estimates a $25-$30 million economic impact from a Women’s Open.
In 2016, the club installed a new irrigation system on the main course, and some new tees and the adjustment of fairway mowing lines accompanied this.
Around 2019, they built a 14,000+ sq ft putting ‘playground’ right out in front of the clubhouse, with a fire pit and outdoor dining. That allowed us to eliminate the practice putting green we had built in 2013.
Most recently, the bunkers – they were aging, and the liner in them was failing – on the Old Course was rebuilt in 2021 and 2022. The Lancaster Country Club restored eleven of William Flynn’s original bunkers.
The Lancaster Country Club worked with architect Jim Nagle of Forse Design.
The 2024 US Women’s Open will be held between May 28 and June 2. The prize will be $11M.