The Club

Established in 1900, Seattle Golf Club offers members and their guests a welcome respite from outside distractions with a golf course Arnold Palmer once described as “one of the most outstanding golf courses in the Northwest, if not the nation.” The historic clubhouse overlooks the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, providing a peaceful and serene setting for all occasions.

The Golf Course

Designed in 1996 by golf legend Arnold Palmer and renovated in 2022 by Thad Layton of the Arnold Palmer Design Company, the course provides a true test of golf for players of every level of skill. The challenging, beautiful and quiet golf course is surrounded by hundred-year-old Douglas firs, is immaculately maintained, and invites the technical and thoughtful golfer to not only admire the course's spectacular beauty, but to also test his or her skills against the narrow fairways and speedy greens. Staring down the first fairway, you can’t help but imagine the likes of legends such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones embarking on this exact challenge, eager to try their hand at this one-of-a-kind test of skill, patience and resolve.

Seattle Golf Club Scorecard

The Clubhouse

Built in 1908 by Cutter & Malmgren, the clubhouse retains its original objective of creating a vacation-style lodge by providing spacious banquet facilities and decks with magnificent views. Our member areas feature locker rooms, common areas for entertaining and meetings, and formal dining. Dress codes are strictly enforced at all times (denim is prohibited).

History

Seattle Golf Club has been the leader in amateur golf in the Pacific Northwest; a core value of the club’s illustrious history and future that sets it apart.

Seattle Golf Club has an extensive history of hosting prestigious golf competitions, including the 1927 Western Amateur, 1952 USGA Amateur Championship, 1961 Walker Cup, 1981 USGA Senior Amateur, the Pacific Coast Amateur in 1967, 1987, 1999 and 2016, and the NCAA Men’s PAC-10 Championship in 2009. The club is scheduled to host the USGA Men’s Senior Amateur again in 2027.

The 1961 Walker Cup at Seattle Golf Club was the first time the historical event was held west of Minneapolis. A star-studded ten player team represented the United States, including Deane Beman, a winner of the British Amateur, Charley Coe, Don Cherry and a 21-year-old Jack Nicklaus, who would soon turn professional. The US captain was Jack Westland, who is forever associated with Seattle Golf Club through his win of the 1952 US Amateur here. The United States dominated the competition, winning 11 points to 1 point over the Great Britain team. To read more about the Walker Cup, please click here: Walker Cup History

An important steward of Seattle Golf Club’s success in the golf community is the Head Golf Professional, of which the Seattle Golf Club has had an incredible total of just four throughout its 125-year history.

Seattle Golf Club Head Golf Professionals:
Robert Johnstone (1905-1937)
Bill Zongker (1937-1974)
Pat Caso (1974-1994)
Doug Doxsie (1994-present)

This remarkable consistency in the Golf Shop fosters the preservation of the rich history and traditions of the Club.

Bill Zongker shows a new driver to members at Seattle Golf Club.

1961 United States Walker Cup team.

Tradition

In 1959, H.A. Flaeger, a member of the Seattle Golf Club and historian wrote, "Seattle Golf Club...has carried on the grand traditions of its founders, through two World Wars, through depressions, panics, gasoline rationing, special assessments and prohibition. During all their years the club has been unique in having maintained a spirit of warmth and intimacy throughout the membership that the writer feels certain is unequaled in any social club. Officers, committees and members all have given most generously of their time and abilities in order that Seattle Golf Club shall maintain its lofty position. May that tradition, spirit and lofty position continue forever."

Seattle Golf Club caddies, 1922.

One of the many signature traditions of Seattle Golf Club is its devotion to supporting caddies. The Club has remained committed to developing and fostering the education of golf's young enthusiasts. In 1959, the Club initiated the Alex Rose Memorial Caddie Scholarship Fund, which later merged with the best-known caddie scholarship fund, the Evans Scholar program. Currently, there are more than twelve thousand graduates and over one thousand Evans Scholars currently in school, making it the largest privately funded college scholarship program in the nation. Over the years, Seattle Golf Club has seen over 65 caddies awarded Evans scholarships.

To learn more about the Western Golf Association and the Evans Scholars Foundation, please click here: Evans Scholars Foundation

In 2000, then-president Bruce Nordstrom opened a book commemorating the club's 100th anniversary with the following note. "'Respect for tradition.' This phrase characterizes the pervading spirit of Seattle Golf Club. Today's membership is the fortunate heir to the countless experiences of those who have gone before us. There is such a rich heritage that we may cherish and look up to that I regard it as an immeasurable asset."

Reading club documents, both past and present, reveals a continuity of purpose and a sense of care and humanity. Now, even as the Seattle Golf Club hits its 125th anniversary milestone, it is not difficult to imagine the founding fathers strolling into today's clubhouse and blending seamlessly with our current members. This living tribute exemplifies the founding members' unwavering vision for the legacy of Seattle Golf Club.