View source for Inverness Club

{{Short description|Private golf club in Toledo, Ohio}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox golf facility
|name = Inverness Club
|image = [[File:Inverness Club Toledo Logo.png|180px]]
|location = [[Toledo, Ohio]] 
|establishment = {{Start date and age|1903|02|23}}
|type = Private
|owner = <!-- name of organization/company -->
|operator = <!-- name of organization/company -->
|holes =  18
|tournaments = {{plainlist|
*{{nowrap|[[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] ([[1920 U.S. Open (golf)|1920]], [[1931 U.S. Open (golf)|1931]], [[1957 U.S. Open (golf)|1957]], [[1979 U.S. Open (golf)|1979]])}}
*[[PGA Championship]] ([[1986 PGA Championship|1986]], [[1993 PGA Championship|1993]])
*[[U.S. Amateur]] (1973)
*[[U.S. Senior Open]] (2003, 2011)
*[[U.S. Junior Amateur]] (2019)
*[[Solheim Cup]] (2021)
*[[NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships|NCAA Men's Championship]] ([[1944 NCAA Golf Championship|1944]], [[2009 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship|2009]])}}
|website = [http://www.invernessclub.com/ Inverness Club]
|course1 = <!-- individual course name, can leave blank if same as article title-->
|designer1 = [[Donald Ross (golf course architect)|Donald Ross]] 
|par1 = 71
|length1 = {{convert|7730|yd|m|0}}
|rating1 = 78.4
|slope1 = 151
|record1 =
|nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Inverness Club
| embed        = yes
| nrhp_type    = hd
| nocat        = yes
| image        = Inverness Club from Dorr.jpg
| caption      = Main building, seen from Dorr Street
| location     = 4601 Dorr St., [[Toledo, Ohio]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|41|38|47|N|83|39|1|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = Ohio#USA
| built        = 1919
| architect    = Ross, Donald; Devore Company
| architecture = Bungalow/Craftsman, Tudor Revival
| added        = May 10, 1993
| area         = {{convert|203|acre|1}}
| refnum       = 93000398
<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}
[[File:Inverness Club, Toledo, O. - DPLA - 73dec2e0524d370a89fa330d98a2de6b (page 1).jpg|alt=Image of the exterior of the Inverness Club House, with people seated on porch stairs, in 1910.|thumb|Inverness Club, 1910]]
'''Inverness Club''' is a private [[Country club|golf club]] in [[Toledo, Ohio]].

Opened in 1903, the club has hosted four [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Opens]], two [[PGA Championship]]s, two [[NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship|NCAA Men's Championships]], and the [[Solheim Cup]]. Inverness is the only club to have hosted the U.S. Open, [[U.S. Amateur]], [[U.S. Senior Open]], and [[U.S. Junior Amateur]]. From 1935 to 1954, it also hosted the [[Inverness Invitational Four-Ball]]. It is slated to host the 2027 [[U.S. Women's Open]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Roland |first=Kyle |date=January 6, 2022 |title=Inverness to host 2027 U.S. Women's Open |url=https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/golf/2022/01/06/inverness-to-host-2027-u-s-women-s-open/stories/20220106019 |publisher=Toledo Blade}}</ref> and the 2029 [[U.S. Amateur]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Pine |first=Julie |date=November 17, 2021 |title=Inverness Club Selected to Host 2029 U.S. Amateur |url=https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2021/11/inverness-club-host-2029-us-amateur-toledo-ohio.html#returnable |publisher=USGA}}</ref>

[[Byron Nelson]], who served as the club's head golf professional from 1940 to 1944, considered it his "home course." S.P. Jermain, the club's founder and first Board President, conceived the [[Ryder Cup]]. The championship course was designed by architect [[Donald Ross (golf course architect)|Donald Ross]].

==History==
Inverness was founded in 1903, when many of Toledo's wealthiest citizens purchased a parcel of land and built a nine-hole golf course. The course was eventually expanded to 18 holes. In 1916, the club hired Donald Ross to construct a championship-caliber golf course, which was finished by the end of 1918. In his unpublished book, ''Golf Has Never Failed Me'', Ross discussed the design of Inverness and only six other courses, out of the hundreds he designed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

Before 1920 in the United States, golf professionals were prohibited from entering country clubs' clubhouses, as they were seen as little more than servants to the club members. As professional golf tournaments began to appear in the early part of the 20th century, the visiting pros were treated the same as the home pros.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usga.org/articles/2011/07/inverness-chime-clock-ticks-on-21474841075.html |title=Inverness Chime Clock Ticks On |publisher=USGA |date=July 26, 2011 |first=Dave |last=Shedloski}}</ref>

By 1920, attitudes had begun to change. Sylvanus Pierre Jermain, "the father of public golf in Toledo",<ref>[http://www.toledosattic.org/details_item.asp?key=47&did=1 Toledo's Attic<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082620/http://www.toledosattic.org/details_item.asp?key=47&did=1 |date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> lobbied the [[United States Golf Association|USGA]] and the members of Inverness to allow all players, including pros, into the clubhouse at the upcoming [[1920 U.S. Open (golf)|1920 U.S. Open]]. Both parties agreed, and Inverness thus became the first golf club in the U.S. to allow pros in the clubhouse.

When the U.S. Open returned to Inverness in 1931, [[Walter Hagen]] gathered other professional golfers to purchase a gift for the club in gratitude for its pioneering stance.<ref>[http://www.ussenioropen.com/2003/press/grandfather-clock.html A Paradigm Shift in Golf History – USGA<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> They bought a grandfather clock that still stands in the clubhouse, with a brass plate  inscribed:
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left: 2em;">
God measures men by what they are
Not by what they in wealth possess
This vibrant message chimes afar
The voice of Inverness
</poem>
[[Byron Nelson]] was the head professional at Inverness Club from 1940 to 1944. He considered Inverness his home course and credits his time there for his record breaking performance, winning 18 of 35 PGA tournaments including 11 in a row, in 1945. [[Lloyd Gullickson]] became the head professional at Inverness Club, succeeding Nelson. Gullickson remained at Inverness as the head professional until his retirement in 1965.<ref name="GIC">{{cite book|title = Golf in Columbus at Wyandot Country Club|isbn = 9781626197466|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zKXVBAAAQBAJ&q=Lloyd+Gullickson+golf&pg=PA46|last1 = Case|first1 = William R.|year = 2014| publisher=History Press }}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Herman Lang, who was the first assistant to Nelson in 1941, was the head pro from 1966-1980.

In preparation for championships, the course has been renovated four times. In 2016, Inverness Club engaged golf course architect, Andrew Green, who carefully researched original drawings and historic photography to restore the artistry of Ross's design. In addition, Green modernized tee boxes and bunkering systems that are fitting to today's championship courses. Green's design has restored Ross's classic championship design, with Inverness Club now playing over 7,700 yards.

Inverness was ranked #47 on Golfweek Magazine's America's Top 200 Classic Courses and #88 by Golf Digest.{{When|date=January 2025}}

==Tournaments==
Winners of major tournaments held at Inverness Club include:

;U.S. Open
*[[1920 U.S. Open (golf)|1920]] – [[Ted Ray (golfer)|Ted Ray]]
*[[1931 U.S. Open (golf)|1931]] – [[Billy Burke (golfer)|Billy Burke]] (holds records:  winning score 589, 144 holes)
*[[1957 U.S. Open (golf)|1957]] – [[Dick Mayer]]
*[[1979 U.S. Open (golf)|1979]] – [[Hale Irwin]]

;U.S. Amateur
*1973 – [[Craig Stadler]]

;PGA Championship
*[[1986 PGA Championship|1986]] – [[Bob Tway]]
*[[1993 PGA Championship|1993]] – [[Paul Azinger]]

;U.S. Senior Open
*2003 – [[Bruce Lietzke]]
*2011 – [[Olin Browne]]

'''U.S. Junior Amateur'''
*2019 – [[Preston Summerhays]]

;Solheim Cup
*[[2021 Solheim Cup|2021]] – {{flagicon|Europe}} Europe

;Future championships
*2027 [[U.S. Women's Open]]
*2029 [[U.S. Amateur]]

The club also hosted the [[NCAA Men's Golf Championship]] in 1944 and 2009.

==Scorecard==
{{Golf18|center=true|title=Inverness Club}}
{{Black18|78.4/151|399|487|274|516|172|534|481|607|464|3,934|387|378|229|556|482|472|451|483|358|3,796|7,730}}
{{Gold18|74.9/146|392|439|240|430|164|455|456|570|367|3,513|370|378|170|519|450|440|408|411|331|3,477|6,990}}
{{Silver18|M:72.0/137<br/>W:78.6/146|387|394|197|385|141|430|434|522|344|3,234|345|368|152|495|420|417|393|411|305|3,306|6,540}}
{{Blue18|M:69.6/133<br/>W:76.3/140|369|350|161|346|118|385|387|522|305|2,943|333|368|141|495|390|389|393|346|305|3,160|6,103}}
{{White18|M:65.8/122<br/>W:71.5/131|286|350|161|297|103|348|360|448|274|2,627|205|268|111|428|307|367|284|346|262|2,578|5,205}}
{{Par18|4|4|3|4|3|4|4|5|4|35|4|4|3|5|4|4|4|4|4|36|71}}
{{End}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.invernessclub.com/ Inverness Club]

{{toledo}}
{{U.S. Open golf venues}}
{{Solheim Cup venues|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Sports in Toledo, Ohio]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Lucas County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses in Ohio]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses designed by Donald Ross]]
[[Category:Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio]]
[[Category:Solheim Cup venues]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1903]]
[[Category:1903 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses on the National Register of Historic Places]]