Merion Golf Club - East

Merion Golf Club was founded in 1896 as part of the Merion Cricket Club. In 1910, Hugh Wilson, a young insurance broker and Princeton golf captain, was assigned to design a new course. He traveled to Britain to study the great links, then created the East Course opening in 1912 on just 110 acres in Ardmore on Philadelphia's Main Line.

Merion East is where Bobby Jones completed the original Grand Slam by winning the 1930 U.S. Amateur, and where Ben Hogan hit his famous 1-iron on the 72nd hole to force a playoff at the 1950 U.S. Open, just 16 months after his near-fatal car accident. The course has hosted five U.S. Opens (1934, 1950, 1971, 1981, 2013) and more USGA championships than any other club.

The course is famous for wicker basket flagsticks used instead of traditional flags since the 1930s. The dramatic quarry holes (16, 17, 18) provide one of golf's most celebrated closing stretches.

A compact masterpiece on 110 acres with only two par 5s and a par of 70. Despite modest yardage at 6,846 yards, the course is extraordinarily demanding with tight fairways, deep bunkers, and small contoured greens marked by signature wicker basket flagsticks.

The closing stretch through the old quarry (holes 16-18) is among the most dramatic in golf. Walking with a caddie is standard.

Precision is everything at Merion. The course rewards accurate iron play to small greens. The wicker baskets do not indicate wind direction, so read wind independently.

On the quarry holes, study hazards carefully before committing to a line. Play conservatively on 16 and 17, then give yourself the best angle into 18.