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Club
History
In
1921, a meeting of 13 State College residents was held which resulted
in the incorporation of the Centre Hills Country Club in December
of that year. Among the group were Penn State faculty members and
administrators and State College professional and business leaders.
From the start, the Club was a "town and gown" organization.
Eighty-five
acres of land were purchased on which stood a barn that had been
built about the year 1845. This barn was remodeled into a clubhouse,
with many changes and additions having been made to the structure
over the years. Originally, there were accommodations for 32 overnight
guests on the third floor "particularly for visiting teams
at the times of tournaments." The original clubhouse structure
is approximately ten years older than the first building built on
the Penn State campus!
In
addition to the golf course, the present Club facilities include
tennis courts, and a swimming pool. A dining room, as well as a
grill room, is maintained, with a select social program for members
and guests.
A champion
golfer, Mr. A. H. Finley, laid out the initial nine-hole course;
and Mr. Francis James, widely known golf architect, supervised the
construction. These original nine holes remain essentially unchanged
although two new greens and several new tees have been constructed.
The upper tee on number four hole was inaugurated by U.S. President
Dwight D. (Ike) Eisenhower. He used his new five wood and put his
ball on the green.
The
Club operated with nine holes of golf until 1964 when land was acquired
south of Branch Road. On May 15, 1967, the second nine, across Branch
Road, was opened. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones and built
by Herbert R. Imbt on land purchased from Gordon Kissinger.
The
construction of a third nine (referred to for several years as the
"phantom" nine) was started in the spring of 1992. The
planning and designing of the holes were initiated in accordance
with a route plan design of Edmund B. Ault. When the land was acquired,
Herbert R. Imbt, President of the Club at the time and also contractor
for the Mount Nittany Expressway, used excess fill from the Expressway
to assist in the contouring effort, at no expense to the Club. The
expansion extends out beyond hole #14 and continues along the Expressway
and over to approximately Panarama Village. S & A Homes has
purchased the land around the course for the development of Canterbury
Crossing. Brian Ault, E. B. Ault's son, is continuing with the details
and finishing touches on the course.
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Our
Mission
The
mission of Centre Hills Country Club is to become Central Pennsylvania's
finest golf facility with outstanding support facilities to match.
The Board of Directors shall target a course to establish a superb
golf and dining facilities that will serve present and future members
into the next century.
The
Mission Statement has been submitted by the Long Range Planning
Committee and approved by the Board of Directors on November 21,
1995.
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Model
Family Country Club House
Centre
Hills Country Club is the premier private country club in Centre
County. Situated on a gently sloping hilltop, our clubhouse overlooks
natural vistas of incomparable beauty, including an exceptional
view of Mount Nittany. The golf course boasts twenty-seven holes
of beautifully maintained fairways and greens conveniently located
within two miles of downtown State College. Other activities include
swimming, tennis and some of the area's finest dining.
The
clubhouse opened in 1922 when the founding members renovated an
80-year-old barn into a "model family country club house."
Today, the club's dining and banquet facilities are still housed
within the hand-hewn beams of that original barn. Centre Hills Country
Club is a charming location to host your special event. It provides
not only the setting, but the food and service to create a lasting
impression.
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Club
News
Some
of you may of heard about the ongoing debate over non-conforming
clubs. Here is the USGA and WPGA's stance on the subject. First,
all clubs used in any competition (being governed by the USGA rules
of golf) must comply with Rule 4 of the USGA's rules of golf having
to do with equipment. The host course should have a list of non-conforming
clubs available in case of questions. The penalty is disqualification
from the event. Secondly, any scores made with non-conforming clubs
are not acceptable for handicap purposes.
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