May 3, 2021 - Sports
America's No. 1 golf course to allow women for first time
- Kendall Baker, author of Axios Sports
Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images
Pine Valley, home to the No. 1-ranked golf course in the U.S., voted this weekend to allow female members and unrestricted women's play for the first time in its 108-year history, Golf Digest reports.
Details: The exclusive club is located in the tiny town of Pine Valley, New Jersey, which is 20 miles south of Philadelphia and has just one public road.
- The town's 23 houses are owned by Pine Valley members, and the land is leased from the golf club, which also delivers the mail.
- The club has a secret list of 1,000 members, which is believed to include/have included notable names like George H.W. Bush, Sean Connery, Jack Nicklaus and Roger Goodell.
- Previously, women could only play as guests on Sunday afternoons, and there was a time when they weren't even allowed on the property.
The big picture: Of the 3,670 private golf clubs in the U.S. today, fewer than a dozen remain men's only.
Go deeper: America's 100 greatest golf courses (Golf Digest)