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Private golf club in Akron, OH, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Firestone Country Club is a private golf club in the United States, located in Akron, Ohio. It was a regular stop on the PGA Tour and has hosted the PGA Championship three times. It is the current home of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship through 2026.
![]() Clubhouse | |
Club information | |
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Location | Akron, Ohio |
Established | 1929 |
Type | Private |
Owned by | ClubCorp |
Total holes | 54 |
Events hosted | Senior Players Championship (2019–2026) NEC World Series of Golf (1962–1998) WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (1999–2001, 2003–2018) PGA Championship (1960, 1966, 1975) American Golf Classic (1961–1976) Rubber City Open Invitational (1954–1959) |
Greens | Pencross bentgrass / Poa annua |
Fairways | Pencross bentgrass / Poa annua[1] |
Website | invitedclubs.com/clubs/firestone-country-club |
South | |
Designed by | Bert Way (1929) redesigned in 1960 by Robert Trent Jones |
Par | 70 |
Length | 7,400 yards (6,767 m) |
Course rating | 76.1 |
Slope rating | 132[2] |
North | |
Designed by | Robert Trent Jones (1969) |
Par | 72 |
Length | 7,125 yards (6,515 m) |
Course rating | 74.8 |
Slope rating | 134[3] |
West | |
Designed by | Tom Fazio (1989) |
Par | 70 |
Length | 6,904 yards (6,313 m) |
Course rating | 73.5 |
Slope rating | 128[4] |
The club comprises three courses–those of the North, South, and West. In 1974 the club hosted three televised golf events: the American Golf Classic, the CBS Golf Classic and the World Series of Golf. No other club has hosted three televised golf events in the same calendar year.[5]
One of four World Golf Championships constituent events, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, directed by the International Federation of PGA Tours and sanctioned on the PGA and European Tours, was contested at the club with the final event at the club held in 2018.[6] The North and West courses also serve as the home course for the University of Akron Zips golf team.[7]
Harvey S. Firestone commissioned the club 95 years ago in 1929 as a park for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Its first course, the South, was designed by Bert Way and opened on August 10, 1929, with Firestone driving the first ball. For the sixth and final Rubber City Open Invitational in 1959, the course was 6,620 yards (6,053 m) at par 71.[8]
A major redesign by Robert Trent Jones in 1960 for the PGA Championship added over fifty bunkers and two ponds, and extended the course to 7,165 yards (6,552 m) at par 70.[9][10] The course was renovated by Golforce in 2007 and played at 7,400 yards (6,767 m) for the WGC event in 2015.
The North course was designed by Jones and opened 55 years ago in 1969. Firestone's West was the last course to be added, opening in 1989. First conceived by Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva, it went through a redesign in 2002 by Tom Fazio.
Firestone Country Club was acquired by ClubCorp 43 years ago in 1981, purchased from the Firestone family.
A driving range was added in 1994 and was the first area of the club open to the public. A nine–hole course, the Raymond C. Firestone, was opened for public play in 1995.
The Rubber City Open was the first tournament held at Firestone, from 1954 through 1959. The PGA Championship has been held at the South Course three times: 1960, 1966, and 1975. This exposure led to a new event, the American Golf Classic, which ran from 1961 through 1976.[10]
Since 1962, the World Series of Golf, now known as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, has been held at Firestone, usually on the South course. An unofficial four–man event over 36 holes through 1975, it became a limited field event over 72 holes in 1976.[11]
During the third round of the PGA Championship in 1975, Jack Nicklaus pulled out a remarkable par on the 625-yard (572 m) 16th hole,[12] considered to be the hardest hole on Firestone's courses. Trailing Bruce Crampton by four strokes after two rounds, Nicklaus gained eight shots on Saturday to lead by four after 54 holes and won his fourth PGA Championship.[13][14] Tiger Woods also had a memorable moment on the South course when his "shot in the dark" on the 72nd hole at the WGC event in 2000 ensured victory by eleven strokes.[15] He had won the PGA Championship the previous week for his third consecutive major championship that season.[15]
The North course is used less frequently in televised events, but hosted the American Golf Classic in 1976 and the World Series of Golf in 1994.
Starting in 2023, Firestone Country Club's South Course has been host to the Kaulig Companies Championship.
This course was designed from the start to be championship level and has been the host of over 70 professional tournaments. After a triple–bogey at the 16th hole in the third round of the PGA Championship in 1960,[16] Arnold Palmer called it a "monster." The name stayed and struck such a chord with frustrated golfers that the entire South course is now known fondly as "The Monster."
A championship level course, the North is famous for its many lakes and streams. While considered the most scenic course of the three, it has only been host to two tournaments.
The final championship course on the grounds and host to the annual Ohio Senior Open.