A view of the 18th green at Baltimore Country Club's Five Farms (East) course.
Sep. 30, 2008
The final major of the Champions Tour season will take place at Baltimore Country Club's Five Farms (East) Course. Learn more about this historic venue:
| Fast facts |
| Original architect |
A.W. Tillinghast (1926) |
| Course redesign |
Keith Foster (2006) |
| Course superintendent |
Timothy S. Kennelly |
| Number of Champions Tour events as host venue |
2 (including 2008) |
| Course ranking |
Ranked 6 (out of 30) in difficulty on the Champions Tour in 2007 |
| Yardage history |
7,037 yards |
| Grass |
Bentgrass, perennial ryegrass (tees); Perennial ryegrass (fairways); Bentgrass (greens); bentgrass; bluegrass; ryegrass; fescue (rough) |
| Tournament Stimpmeter |
10.5 ft |
| Sand bunkers |
96 |
| Water hazards |
5 |
| Course tour |
Click here |
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| Course record |
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Player
Tom McKnight
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Year
2007 |
Round
4th |
Finish
T17 |
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| Holes-in-one |
| There have been no aces recorded during the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. |
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| 2007 Rankings |
| Most Difficult Hole |
 |
The par-4 452-yard 13th This hole, named "Evergreens", is one of many holes that roll up and down over the Maryland hills. The tee shot is best played splitting the bunkers that lie on the left and right side of the driving zone. The second shot, usually with a medium or long iron, is over a deep valley. A bunker guards the right front and a shot missed left will find a bunker as well. At first glance the green appears benign, but it is quite sharply pitched from back to front and will bedevil the unwary putter.
2007: 0 eagles, 25 birdies, 183 pars, 89 bogeys, 12 double bogey, 2 others. |
| Easiest hole in 2007 |
 |
The par-5 583-yard fourth One of several famous holes on the course, the "Barn" hole doglegs 90 degrees to the left in the driving zone. The length can be reduced by driving over the barn that guards the corner, but avoid out-of-bounds left and native grass long and right. A straightaway drive will bring cross-bunkers 170 yards from the green into play on the second shot. If those are successfully carried, the approach is with a short iron or pitched shot to the smallest green on the course, which is well bunkered left, right and behind the green. A potential birdie, but every shot must be struck well.
2007: 3 eagles, 126 birdies, 155 pars, 22 bogeys, 4 double bogeys and 1 others. |
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| Baltimore CC |
2007 rankings |
| 1 |
4 |
427 |
4.151 |
5 |
| 2 |
3 |
157 |
2.9 |
15 |
| 3 |
4 |
452 |
4.151 |
5 |
| 4 |
5 |
583 |
4.682 |
18 |
| 5 |
4 |
379 |
3.92 |
14 |
| 6 |
4 |
362 |
3.842 |
17 |
| 7 |
3 |
202 |
3.212 |
3 |
| 8 |
4 |
435 |
4.132 |
9 |
| 9 |
4 |
433 |
4.145 |
7 |
| 10 |
4 |
389 |
4.135 |
8 |
| 11 |
3 |
189 |
3.068 |
10 |
| 12 |
5 |
608 |
4.894 |
16 |
| 13 |
4 |
452 |
4.302 |
1 |
| 14 |
4 |
451 |
4.029 |
12 |
| 15 |
3 |
180 |
3.048 |
11 |
| 16 |
4 |
384 |
3.952 |
13 |
| 17 |
4 |
458 |
4.177 |
4 |
| 18 |
4 |
496 |
4.277 |
2 |
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| Course origins |
| Baltimore Country Club was founded on January 12, 1898, at its Roland Park location. The club was a success from the start with 600 members enjoying its 150 acre facility less than five miles from downtown Baltimore. A year after opening, the club gained immediate recognition in the golf world by hosting the fifth United States Open Championship, which was won by Willie Smith. By the 1920s the decision was made to acquire land to the north of the city and expand the popular golfing amenities to a second location. The East Course at Five Farms, designed by A.W. Tillinghast, officially opened in September of 1926 and was instantly recognized as a masterpiece of golf course architecture. |
In October of 1930 the Roland Park clubhouse sustained fire damage; prior to completing repairs, it was virtually destroyed by a second fire on January 5, 1931. The new "downtown" clubhouse was formally opened on April 1, 1932. The fine federal style detailing of the main dining room, the walnut paneling and black Belgian marble of the foyer, as well as the rough stone and pine of the Grille Room, remain practically unchanged to this day. The Duck Pin Bowling Lanes were built in 1932 and remain in use today. During the late 1930s and 40's the grass tennis courts at Roland Park were selected by the National Lawn Tennis Association to host the qualifying rounds for the Davis Cup Matches. Teams from Australia, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United States all participated. The Roland Park golf course was officially closed in 1962 when all of the property on the west side of Falls Road was sold. That same year the West Golf Course at Five Farms was opened. Two years later the stately Olivier Mansion, which served as the orginal Five Farms clubhouse, was demolished and replaced with a new building.
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Squash courts, now international, were added to the Roland Park facility in 1963. The club continues to host professional squash tournaments that draw participants from around the world. The club expanded its racquets program and added paddle tennis courts to the Roland Park campus in 1976. The clubs swim complex, consisting of three independent pools, opened at the Five Farms campus in 1996.
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Today, the memberhsip is some 2,000 members strong. Baltimore Country Club is one of only seven clubs nationwide to operate on two campuses.
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The par 70 East Course, with back-to-front pitched greens, limited water hazards and 96 bunkers, has received many honors, including the No. 37 ranking in Golfweek's March 2005 list of "America's Top 100 Classic Courses (pre-1960)" and the No. 63 ranking in GOLF Magazine's September 2005 list of "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." The USGA lists Baltimore Country Club as one of the first 100 clubs established in the United States. The East Course at Five Farms has hosted several major championships, including the 1928 PGA Championship, the 1932 USGA Amateur Championship, the 1965 Walker Cup Matches and the 1988 U.S. Women's Open Championship.
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| Baltimore Country Club's second couse at Five Farms, the West, was redesigned in 1990 by Bob Cupp and Champions Tour member and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Tom Kite. The par 72 West Course gives club members two outstanding golf courses to choose from on a daily basis. -- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America |
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| Tournament course history |
| Canterbury GC |
Beachwood, Ohio |
1983-1986 |
| Sawgrass CC |
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. |
1987 |
| TPC Sawgrass (Valley) |
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. |
1988-1989 |
| Dearborn CC |
Dearborn, Mich. |
1990 |
| TPC Michigan |
Dearborn, Mich. |
1991-2006 |
| Baltimore CC/Five Farms (East) |
Timonium, Md. |
2007-present |
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