2024. Prices and selections may vary and are updated frequently.
This is widely regarded as the best country club in the US, and also has one of the best golf courses in the whole world. Some people just call this the Bethesda Country Club, and everyone knows which country club they’re talking about. This is one country club with a legendary past, and a bright future, with plenty of famous politicians and businessmen as members.
It all started with a couple of Congressmen back in the early 1920s. There were already a couple of country clubs in the Capitol back then, but these members of Congress wanted a country expressly focused on Congressmen. More specifically, they wanted a plush place where they can meet with businessmen (also known as lobbyists and donors).
When the place opened in 1924, the guests included President Coolidge and the First Lady, along with Chief Justice William Howard Taft (who was also an ex-President).
Coolidge and Taft became lifetime members, and so did Presidents Hoover, Wilson, and Harding. Eisenhower and his cabinet were regular guests to the golf course. In more recent times, Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama have also been visitors.
During WWII, the country club was leased to the government. It became the training ground for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), which was the predecessor of the CIA. Here, the OSS trained their operatives in parachuting, sabotage, and espionage.
The Bethesda club has hosted plenty of prestigious golf events here. These include the 1959 USGA Women’s Amateur, the 1964 U.S. Open, the 1976 PGA National Championship, the 1995 U.S. Senior Open, and the 1997 U.S. Open (in which Jack Nicklaus played his 150th major tournament).
The Congressional hosted the AT&T National several times, and again hosted the US Open on 2011. Over the next 2 decades, Congressional is slated to host 2 National Championships and 5 Major Championships. Getting into the Congressional Country as a member will take some doing. It’s not just the $120,000 initiation fee, it’s also the fact that there’s a 10-year waiting list. People really want to join this country club, for obvious reasons.