Linwood Country Club

Linwood Country Club opened in 1921 during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. The course was designed by Herbert Bertram Strong, a British transplant to Long Island, who built many courses in Florida and the rest of the U.S. Strong also introduced the first “island” green. At the time of purchase, some of the 10 separate tracts of land were meadows but most was farm land used for the raising of cows and chickens. Legend exists that Absegami Indians used the land as a beaching area for their canoes during their summer sojourn.

The Clubhouse was designed by the architect who built the Traymore Hotel in Atlantic City. It was built of hollow tile coated with white stucco and topped with a green roof. Turrets were integral to the original design and persist to this day, although parts of the old building have been surrounded by additions erected through the ensuing years. The clubhouse was planned to sit on a knoll so that many parts of the golf course could be seen from the building. A large ballroom was planned, as was an indoor swimming pool. No plans for a driving range were included.

The golf course officially opened with a golf tournament on March 20, 1921 and the laying of the cornerstone. A group photograph of the laying of the cornerstone is on display at the club. The original cornerstone is enclosed by internal walls in the current coat room related to the construction of 2000.

The history of Linwood Country Club after its grand opening in 1921 has been clouded by the lack of in house written records, some of which were destroyed in a fire. Many of the long range plans of the original planners were beset by circumstances that were not envisioned at the start.

In 1971, club officials carried out a major reconstruction with enlargement of the dining room to 5,200 square feet actually doubling the size including terrace and corridor. The capacity was increased to 300 persons plus a dance floor as well as a new bar adjacent to the men’s locker room. Perhaps the most apparent change in the golf course was the result of the 1998-2001 reconstruction which allowed the development of the driving range.