Firestone Country Club
Firestone Country Club is a private golf and country club located in Akron, Ohio, founded in 1929 by industrialist Harvey S. Firestone as a recreational facility for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.[1][2] The club features three championship 18-hole golf courses totaling 54 holes, including the renowned South Course, originally designed by Bert Way and opened in 1929, later redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1960 to host major professional tournaments.[3][4] The North Course, also designed by Jones and opened in 1969, and the Fazio Course, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2001, complement the club's offerings, which extend to fine dining, lodging, and event spaces for members and guests.[5] Renowned for its storied role in professional golf, Firestone hosted PGA Tour events consecutively for 65 years from 1954 to 2018, beginning with the 1954 Rubber City Open Invitational.[6][4][7] The South Course has been the site of three PGA Championships—in 1960 (won by Jay Hebert), 1966 (Al Geiberger), and 1975 (Jack Nicklaus)—along with the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational from 2002 to 2018, where Tiger Woods secured a record eight victories.[4][6] Today, owned and operated by Invited (formerly ClubCorp since 1981), the club continues its legacy by hosting the PGA Tour Champions' Kaulig Companies Championship annually through 2026 and maintaining top rankings, with the South and North courses rated No. 1 and No. 2 in Ohio by Golfweek in 2023.[8][6]History
Founding and Establishment
In 1915, Harvey S. Firestone purchased 1,000 acres of land in Akron for employee welfare initiatives, which later became the site of the club.[9] Firestone Country Club was founded in 1929 by Harvey S. Firestone, the president of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, in Akron, Ohio, with the primary purpose of serving as a private recreational facility for the company's employees.[1][10] This initiative reflected Firestone's commitment to employee welfare amid the economic uncertainties of the late 1920s, providing a space for leisure activities including golf, tennis, and swimming to boost morale among the rubber industry's workforce.[2] The club's initial golf course, an 18-hole layout known as the South Course, was designed by English golf professional Bert Way, who completed the work swiftly over the winter and spring of 1929.[10][4] The course opened for play in August 1929, with Harvey Firestone himself hitting the ceremonial first drive to mark the occasion.[11] This par-71 design, measuring approximately 6,306 yards, emphasized a north-south routing that took advantage of the site's natural terrain, establishing the club as a key recreational asset from its inception.[4] Membership in the early years was open exclusively to employees of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, with no initiation fees required to encourage broad participation among the Akron-based workforce of around 10,000 individuals.[12] With no initiation fees and annual family dues originally set at $35, the club provided accessible recreation during the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, when it offered essential outlets for relaxation and community building for rubber industry workers facing economic hardship. By 1963, dues had increased to $144.[12] This employee-focused model underscored the club's role as a corporate benefit, fostering loyalty and well-being in an era of widespread unemployment and industrial challenges.[13]Course Development
The South Course at Firestone Country Club was originally designed by Bert Way and opened in 1929 as the club's inaugural 18-hole golf layout.[3][11] In 1960, Robert Trent Jones Sr. led a comprehensive redesign of the South Course to prepare for its first PGA Championship, lengthening it to over 7,000 yards, adding more than 50 bunkers, two ponds, and other hazards that elevated its difficulty and earned it the nickname "The Monster," particularly for the extended par-5 16th hole.[14][15][16] The North Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., opened in 1969 and established the club's 36-hole core facility, featuring water hazards on over half its holes and integration with the surrounding reservoir.[17][18] Firestone added its third course, initially called the West Course, in 1989 under architects Geoffrey S. Cornish and Brian Silva.[19][20] This layout was fully redesigned by Tom Fazio in 2002, introducing links-style elements such as wide fairways and strategic bunkering. It was renamed the Fazio Course in 2020 following additional bunker renovations.[21][22] Subsequent updates to the South Course included further lengthening to more than 7,400 yards in the early 2000s, along with bunker additions and renovations in 2007, to adapt to modern professional play while preserving its demanding character.[3][16][20]Modern Era and Legacy
In the mid-20th century, Firestone Country Club transitioned from an exclusive recreational facility for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company employees to a broader private membership model, reflecting the evolving needs of the club beyond its corporate origins. Initially established in 1929 as a perk for company workers with no initiation fee and annual family dues of just $144 by 1963, the club opened to non-employee members following its sale by the Firestone family to ClubCorp in 1981, marking the end of direct corporate control and the beginning of a more traditional private club structure.[12][23][24] Under ClubCorp's ownership—later rebranded as Invited Clubs—the club underwent significant updates in the 2010s and beyond, including the introduction of stay-and-play packages for non-members starting in 2019, which broadened access while preserving its private status. These initiatives, combined with course enhancements such as bunker renovations on the Fazio Course in 2020 and lodging upgrades in 2022, modernized the facilities without altering their championship caliber. Firestone's management emphasized sustainable improvements, such as drainage enhancements and bedding overhauls in club rooms, to enhance member and guest experiences.[24][25][26][27] Firestone Country Club endures as a cornerstone of American golf, with its South and North courses ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Northern Ohio by Golfweek in 2023, underscoring its status among the nation's elite layouts. This prestige has intertwined the club with the expansion of professional golf, serving as a venue that elevated the sport's visibility through decades of high-profile play.[28][29] Beyond the fairways, the club's legacy manifests in its deep-rooted connections to the Akron community, where it continues to foster local pride and economic ties as a preserved emblem of industrial-era benevolence. By maintaining the original ethos of accessibility and excellence envisioned by founder Harvey Firestone, the club supports regional traditions while adapting to contemporary demands, ensuring its role as a cultural landmark in Northeast Ohio. The club's ongoing role in professional golf continued in 2025 with the Kaulig Companies Championship, which raised over $2.1 million for local charities, bringing the total charitable contributions from events at Firestone to more than $35 million.[30][31][32]Golf Courses
Tee Boxes and General Features
Firestone Country Club's three 18-hole golf courses each provide five sets of tee boxes designed to accommodate players of varying abilities, from professional-level challenges to family and junior play. These include the Championship tees for advanced golfers, Member tees for regular club members, President's tees for intermediate players, Family tees for casual groups, and Junior tees for younger participants. Yardages, course ratings, and slope ratings differ by course, with the longest configuration on the South Course reaching 7,400 yards from the Championship tees, offering a rating of 76.1 and slope of 132. The North Course's Championship tees measure 7,125 yards with a rating of 74.2 and slope of 139, while the Fazio Course's extend to 6,904 yards from its back tees, rated at 73.1 with a slope of 132. These options allow for customizable difficulty, ensuring accessibility while maintaining the club's reputation for rigorous play.| Tee Box | Yardage (South Course) | Rating/Slope (South Course) |
|---|---|---|
| Championship (Blue) | 7,400 | 76.1 / 132 |
| Member (White) | 6,655 | 71.6 / 124 |
| Hybrid/Green | 6,243 | 69.0 / 118 |
| President's/Family | ~5,900 | N/A (varies by setup) |
| Junior (Red) | 5,155 | 70.4 / 123 |