Oh, the stories Congressional can tell

By Vicky Moon
GPA Correspondent

Congressional Country Club's rich history will add another chapter with this week's AT&T National. Photo by Vicky Moon.

BETHESDA, Md. - As the AT&T National opens today just outside of the nation's capitol, we see that at least few things have changed since Congressional Country Club opened with a formal gala on Friday, May 23, 1924.

The Washington Post, which cost 2 cents at the time, had a front-page story on the event. As President Calvin Coolidge, an honorary life member, and his wife Grace Coolidge made a grand entrance, hundreds of flares burst into the air. The newspaper declared that the beauty of the $1million institution in the Maryland hills was a "striking feature of country rendezvous."

And then, there was an interesting sidebar under the headline "Traffic Jam Found Worst Since Burial of Unknown": "Two narrow, Maryland roads lead from the District line to the Congressional Club's new home, and these last night became the scene of the worst traffic jam since the celebrated one that attended the burial of the Unknown Soldier."

Well ... the road leading to the entrance remains two lanes and as far as traffic jams are concerned, that remains to be determined.

The stately club was founded in 1921 by congressmen Oscar E. Bland and O.R. Lubring of Indiana. Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce, was the first president of Congressional. Members included Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Astor, Pierre S. duPont, Ogden Armour, William Randolph Hearst, and Walter P. Chrysler.

Since then, presidents, lobbyists and diplomats have debated the merits of legislation while playing a friendly game of golf during the day, and dancing at weddings and galas in the palatial Mediterranean style clubhouse in the evening.

The opening gala was attended by nearly 7,000 people, the receiving line took four hours and the buffet dinner cost $1.60. (This week a chicken Caesar wrap will cost $7, a Pepsi $4 and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich $3.)

The cream of Washington society attended the opening - Secretary of State Charles Evan Hughes, Chief Justice William Howard Taft, and Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon. The evening concluded with dancing to the Navy Band and the toe tapping society orchestra of Meyer Davis.

This week the perpetually tan, golf obsessed Ohio Rep. John Boehner, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, joined tournament host Tiger Woods and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in Wednesday's pro-am. Romo's girlfriend, entertainer Jessica Simpson, was scheduled to sing the National Anthem at the opening ceremonies.

Back in 1924, the morning after the gala, Gene Sarazen and Max Marson played an exhibition match along with club pro Jimmy Crabbe and Freddie McLeod of the Columbia Country Club. With two par-6 holes set at 600 yards on the course designed by Donald Ross, The Washington Herald noted: "There is much speculation among club members as to how far Sarazen and Marson will carry."

The Mediterranean-inspired clubhouse with Palladian windows and Spanish terra cotta barrel-tiled roof was originally designed by Philip Julien in 1923. Julien, of Washington, D.C., also did a number of large apartment buildings in the city along with several large Spanish-inspired movie theatres. His original drawings on linen are part of the club's archive collection.

In the history of Congressional Country Club, the 1964 U.S. Open tournament stands out above all others. Besides sizzling sex scandals (which seem to be a dime a dozen here lately), Washington is noted for its sultry summers. The temperature for the final 36 holes that Saturday soared above 100 degrees.

Ken Venturi shot 66 for his morning round of 18 holes and one writer has since aptly described the conditions as a "sweltering midday stew."

Next to broke and in need of a win, all eyes were on Venturi. Many thought he would sink from the scorching heat before the last putt. His afternoon score of 70 gave him a four-shot victory over Tommy Jacobs, and remains as one of the most memorable moments in golf. (With temperatures expected to be in the low 80s with isolated showers this week, the chance of such a sequel is low.)

And what's next for Congressional Country Club? Well, landscape design guru Rees Jones has stepped in on several occasions to renovate the original layout. Most notably, his work was seen in the 1995 U.S. Senior Open won by Tom Weiskopf and again in 1997 when South African Ernie Els won his second U.S. Open title in a dramatic finish.

Jones is set to reprise his restoration skills for the 2011 U.S. Open. The headlines will once again be written, and no doubt yet another traffic jam will be reported.