The Park Country Club
Encyclopedia
The Park Country Club of Buffalo, Inc. is a country club
located in the Town of Amherst
, just outside Williamsville, New York
, a suburb
of Buffalo
, USA. The club was founded in 1903 in the City of Buffalo in what is now known as Delaware Park, but which was known simply as The Park at the time. The Park Club hosted the 1934 PGA Championship
.
in 1928. The current clubhouse was designed by noted architect
Clifford C. Wendehack
and was originally decorated by George Hoag of Prentiss & Company. The clubhouse is a built of "brick
and stone
of many varieties, French
fossil
and Jeanne d’Arc
having been blended with Holland brick," according to contemporary newspaper
reports. The clubhouse has since been expanded, including kitchen
facilities and lounge and locker rooms, in consistent English Gothic
and Tudor
style.
dining and dancing. Other leisure
facilities include tennis
, volleyball
, swimming and diving
, and lawn bowling, as well as a golf course
designed by Colt & Alison
.
In 1934 the golf course was the venue for the PGA Championship
, one of professional golf's four major championships
. The tournament was won by Paul Runyan
, who defeated Craig Wood
in the final at the second extra hole.
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
located in the Town of Amherst
Amherst, New York
Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 122,366. This represents an increase of 5.0% from the 2000 census. The town is named for Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer of the colonial period...
, just outside Williamsville, New York
Williamsville, New York
Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,573 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, USA. The club was founded in 1903 in the City of Buffalo in what is now known as Delaware Park, but which was known simply as The Park at the time. The Park Club hosted the 1934 PGA Championship
1934 PGA Championship
The 1934 PGA Championship was a golf competition held at The Park Country Club in Williamsville, New York. The competition was won by Paul Runyan, who defeated Craig Wood in the final at the second extra hole....
.
Clubhouse
The club moved out of the city to its current location on Ellicott CreekEllicott Creek
Ellicott Creek is a stream in Western New York, United States. It is a tributary of Tonawanda Creek, which in turn into the Niagara River.-Course:...
in 1928. The current clubhouse was designed by noted architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Clifford C. Wendehack
Clifford C. Wendehack
Clifford Charles Wendehack was an American architect noted for the design of clubhouses at country clubs.Wendehack was most active during the 1920s. Most notably, he designed the clubhouses at Winged Foot, Bethpage, Norwood, Ridgewood, Forsgate, Douglaston Park , Park, The Pennhills Club , and...
and was originally decorated by George Hoag of Prentiss & Company. The clubhouse is a built of "brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
of many varieties, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
and Jeanne d’Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
having been blended with Holland brick," according to contemporary newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
reports. The clubhouse has since been expanded, including kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
facilities and lounge and locker rooms, in consistent English Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
style.
Facilities
Lounges and meeting rooms are available to the members and their guests, in addition to formal, informal, and patioPatio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
dining and dancing. Other leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
facilities include tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, swimming and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, and lawn bowling, as well as a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
designed by Colt & Alison
Charles Hugh Alison
Charles Hugh Alison was a British golf course architect. He worked predominantly with Harry Colt, John Morrison, and Alister MacKenzie, in 1928 forming Colt, Alison & Morrison Ltd....
.
In 1934 the golf course was the venue for the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
, one of professional golf's four major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
. The tournament was won by Paul Runyan
Paul Runyan
Paul Scott Runyan was an American professional golfer. He was among the world's best players in the mid-1930s, won two PGA Championships, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Runyan was also a golf instructor....
, who defeated Craig Wood
Craig Wood (golfer)
Craig Ralph Wood was an American professional golfer in the 1930s and 1940s, the winner of 21 PGA Tour titles including two major championships and a member of three Ryder Cup teams ....
in the final at the second extra hole.