Donald James Ross (November 23, 1872 – April 26, 1948) was a golf course designer. He was born in Dornoch, Scotland, but became a citizen of and spent most of his adult life in the United States. Ross started his career by being an apprentice to Old Tom Morris at St Andrews in Scotland around 1899. With the help of an American agronomy student, fellow Scotsman Robert White from St. Andrews, Ross decided to move to America. Ross invested all his life savings to move to the United States and walked off the boat with only $2. In America, he got his first job at Oakley Country Club in Watertown, Massachusetts. He quickly rose to the position of golf professional at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, where he began his course designing career.

Work

Ross learned several skills related to golf throughout his life such as greens keeping, club making, golf pro, and architect. Ross got his first job at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, where he played while growing up, working as a greens keeper. Ross served an apprenticeship with Old Tom Morris in St Andrews before investing his life savings in a trip to the U.S. After his year long apprenticeship he went back to the Royal Dornoch Golf Club where he honed his playing abilities while also taking care of the greens and making clubs. Later in 1899, with the encouragement and support of Harvard astronomy professor and Salem and Petersham, Massachusetts resident Robert W. Willson, he obtained his first job in America at Oakley Country Club in Watertown, Massachusetts. In 1900 he was appointed as the golf professional at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, where he began his course design career and eventually designed four courses. He then began running a substantial practice with summer offices in Little Compton, Rhode Island. At its height, Donald J. Ross and Associates, as his practice was known, oversaw the work of thousands of people. However, Ross always kept up his professional golf standing. His brother Alec won the 1907 U.S. Open.

A 1915 ad for Ross's design services, as seen in The American Golfer

Pinehurst Course No. 2 in North Carolina

While working at the Oakley Country Club, Ross had left an impression on the president of the Boston Athletic Association at the time, Edward E. Babb. During an exchange in 1910 between Babb and Joseph L. Wyckoff, a business partner of stationary maker White & Wyckoff in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Wyckoff remarked that he wished to find a man who "really knew about the laying out a golf course" for the Mount Tom Golf Club, today known as Wyckoff Country Club. Babb introduced Wyckoff to Ross later that year, bringing him back to the course, where he suggested key changes, but was unable to prepare plans as he had just signed a two-year contract as professional for the Essex County Country Club.[6] Completing this contract he returned to Holyoke in 1914 where he was put up in a house built for him by Wyckoff, who as an executive committee member of the Massachusetts Golf Association, saw himself as a patron of Ross, and offered him financial backing to move from being both an architect and golf pro, to focusing his career mainly in golf course architecture.[6][7][8] It is unknown what duration or regularity Ross lived in Holyoke, as he travelled often,[9] even spending time designing a course in Cuba during his tenure in Manchester that previous year,[10] though a Boston Herald article still placed him in Holyoke in 1919.[6] He would work with the Mount Tom Club for many years, welcoming Holyoke neighbors visiting his winter home in Pinehurst,[11] completing a full redesign of the Mt. Tom course by 1922,[12] and later serving as a pallbearer for Wyckoff following his death in 1931.[13] Ross's work in Holyoke would remain largely untouched until the construction of I-91 in 1965 left only 5 fairways of his design today.[14]

Ross's most famous designs are Pinehurst No. 2, Aronimink Golf Club, East Lake Golf Club, Seminole Golf Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Glen View Club, Memphis Country Club, Inverness Club, Miami Biltmore Golf Course and Oakland Hills Country Club. Although Ross was a competitive golfer, he is primarily known for his work as a course designer. In his time as a designer he is credited with roughly 400 course designs or redesigns between 1900-1948.[15] Some of his early work was in Virginia and includes Jefferson Lakeside Country Club and Sewell's Point Golf Course. He also designed the Municipal Golf Course at Asheville, North Carolina in 1927.[16] Ross also designed one of Westchester, New York's best courses, Whippoorwill Country Club, in Armonk, New York; however, Charles Banks was hired by Whippoorwill to redesign the course in 1928. He also designed a 9-hole course in northern New York, known as the Schroon Lake Municipal Golf Club in 1918. He designed the Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, North Carolina in 1927.[17]

In the 1930s, he revolutionized greenskeeping practices in the southern United States when he oversaw the transition of the putting surfaces at Pinehurst No. 2 from oiled sand to Bermuda grass. Ross also designed the course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina which is home to the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship. Currently, Sedgefield Country Club is one of only two regular Donald Ross designs on the PGA Tour (along with Detroit Golf Club which began hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2019). Aronimink Golf Club, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, played host to the AT&T National in 2010 and 2011.

Ross was a founding member and first president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, which was formed at Pinehurst in 1947. He was admitted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977, a high honor rarely awarded for anything other than playing success.

Ross died while completing his final design at Raleigh Country Club in North Carolina. He is buried in Newton Cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts.[18]

Design elements

What allows a Donald Ross golf course to stand out is the design principles and elements he used. He displayed great attention to detail. Often he created challenging courses with very little earth moving; according to Jack Nicklaus, "His stamp as an architect was naturalness." Some of his designs include the "turtleback" greens, a Ross double plateau, and The Punchbowl.[19] The route the golfer had to take was an important decision Ross had to make and he favored very clear routes that would not require much walking. When he would design a par-4 hole, he favored an uphill short hole. Ross often created holes which invited run-up shots but had severe trouble at the back of the green, typically in the form of fall-away slopes. All of these exemplify his naturalness design philosophy which did not require intense earth moving, he simply let the lay of the land dictate what each and every hole should be. Ross would go into designing a new course with the thought to "make each hole present a different problem. So arrange it that every stroke must be made with a full concentration and attention necessary to good golf. Build each hole in such a manner that it waste none of the ground at my disposal and takes advantage of every possibility I can see."[20] His most widely known trademark is the crowned or "turtleback" green, most famously seen on Pinehurst No. 2, though golf architecture writer Ron Whitten argued in Golf Digest in 2005 that the effect had become exaggerated compared to Ross's intention because greenkeeping practices at Pinehurst had raised the center of the greens.[19]

Golfing career

Ross had a successful playing career, winning three North and South Opens (1903, 1905, 1906) and two Massachusetts Opens (1905, 1911), and finishing fifth in the 1903 U.S. Open and eighth in the 1910 Open Championship. As his fame grew, he began to teach and play less and to focus on golf course design.

Courses

This is a list of golf courses for the design of golf course architect Donald Ross was at least in part responsible.

Mark Bostic Golf Course

This is not a comprehensive list. It is sorted by country, state/province, city, and then course. 

Canada

Manitoba

• Elmhurst Golf and Country Club, Winnipeg
• Pine Ridge Golf Club, Winnipeg
• St. Charles Country Club, Winnipeg

New Brunswick

• Westfield Golf and Country Club, Grand Bay-Westfield
• Riverside Country Club, Rothesay

Nova Scotia

• Brightwood Golf and Country Club, Dartmouth
• White Point Golf Course, Queens County

Ontario

• Essex Golf and Country Club, Windsor
• Rosedale Golf Club, Toronto
• Roseland Golf and Curling Club, Windsor

United States

Alabama

• Birmingham Country Club East and West Courses, Birmingham
• Country Club of Mobile, Mobile
• Mountain Brook Club, Birmingham
• The Great Southern Golf Club, Gulfport, Mississippi

California

• Peninsula Golf & Country Club, San Mateo

Colorado

• Broadmoor Golf Club, East Course, (Holes 1-6,16-18), West Course, (Holes 1-4, 13-18) Colorado Springs
• Wellshire Golf Course, Denver
• Lakewood County Club, Lakewood
• Trinidad Municipal Golf Course, Trinidad

Connecticut

• Shennecossett Golf Course, Groton
• Country Club of Waterbury, Waterbury
• Wampanoag Country Club, West Hartford
• Birchwood Country Club, Westport

Florida

• Belleair Country Club, Belleair (36 holes)
• Biltmore Golf Club, Coral Gables
• Bobby Jones Golf Course, Sarasota
• Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton
• Clewiston Country Club, Clewiston, Florida
• The Country Club of Orlando, Orlando
• Daytona Beach Golf Course (South Course), Daytona Beach
• Delray Beach Golf Course, Delray Beach
• Dunedin Country Club, Dunedin
• Florida Country Club, Jacksonville
• Fort George Island Golf Club, Jacksonville
• Fort Myers Country Club, Fort Myers
• Granada Golf Course, Coral Gables
• Gulf Stream Golf Club, Delray Beach
• Hollywood Beach Golf Course, Hollywood, Florida
• Hyde Park Golf Club, Jacksonville
• Keystone Heights Golf & Country Club, Keystone Heights
• Mark Bostic Golf Course, Gainesville
• Mayfair Country Club, Sanford
• Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne
• New Smyrna Beach Golf Course, New Smyrna Beach
• Palatka Municipal Golf Course, Palatka
• Palm Beach Country Club, Palm Beach
• Palma Ceia Golf Club, Tampa
• Palma Sola Golf Club, Bradenton
• Panama Country Club, Lynn Haven
• Ponce de Leon Resort & Country Club, St. Augustine
• Punta Gorda Country Club, Punta Gorda
• Riviera Country Club, Coral Gables
• Sara Bay Country Club, Sarasota
• San Jose Country Club, Jacksonville
• Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach
• St. Augustine Links - South, St. Augustine
• Timuquana Country Club, Jacksonville

Georgia

• Athens Country Club, Athens
• East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta
• Augusta Country Club, Augusta
• Forest Hills Golf Club, Augusta
• Brunswick Country Club, Brunswick
• Bacon Park Municipal Golf Course (original 18), Savannah
• Country Club of Columbus, Columbus
• Highland Country Club LaGrange, Georgia Front 9
• Idle Hour Country Club, Macon, Georgia
• Savannah Country Club, Savannah
• Washington Wilkes Country Club, Washington

Illinois

• Beverly Country Club, Chicago
• Evanston Golf Club, Skokie
• Skokie Country Club, Glencoe
• Bob O'Link Golf Club, Highland Park
• Old Elm Club, Highland Park
• Exmoor Country Club, Highland Park
• Northmoor Country Club, Highland Park
• Calumet Country Club, Homewood
• Ravisloe Country Club, Homewood
• Oak Park Country Club, River Grove
• LaGrange Country Club, LaGrange
• Indian Hill Club, Winnetka

Indiana

• Donald Ross Course, French Lick Resort Casino, French Lick
• Broadmoor Country Club, Indianapolis
• Donald Ross Golf Course front nine {Fort Wayne, Indiana}

Iowa

Cedar Rapids Country Club, Cedar Rapids

Kansas

• Shawnee Country Club, Topeka

Kentucky

• Idle Hour Country Club, Lexington

Maryland

• Fountain Head Country Club, Hagerstown
• Country Club At Woodmore, Mitchelville Maryland

Maine

• Lucerne Golf Course, Dedham
• Portland Country Club, Falmouth
• Lake Kezar Country Club Lovell
• Augusta Country Club, Manchester
• Cape Neddick Country Club, Cape Neddick (York)
• Penobscot Valley Country Club, Orono
• Poland Spring Resort Golf Course (redesigned and expanded), Poland Spring
• York country club, york
• Biddeford Saco Country Club, Saco
• Blue Hill Country Club, Blue Hill

Massachusetts

• Essex County Club, Manchester-by-the-Sea -1893
• Andover Country Club, Andover
• Ellinwood Country Club, Athol
• Woodland Golf Club, Auburndale
• Belmont Country Club, Belmont
• William J. Devine Memorial Golf Course, Boston (re-design)
• Littlputt Links, Brookline (Indoor miniature golf)
• Kernwood Country Club, Salem
• Fresh Pond Golf Course, Cambridge
• Ponkapoag Golf Course No. 1, Canton
• Ponkapoag Golf Course No. 2 (Front 9 only), Canton
• Cohasset Golf Club, Cohasset
• Concord Country Club, Concord
• Oak Hill Country Club, Fitchburg
• Framingham Country Club, Framingham
• Wyckoff Country Club, Holyoke (partial, 5 fairways, 7 greens after re-design)
• Hyannisport Club, Hyannis Port
• George Wright Golf Course, Hyde Park
• Greenock Country Club, Lee
• Longmeadow Country Club, Longmeadow
• Ludlow Country Club, Ludlow
• Merrimack Valley Golf Club, Methuen
• Whaling City Golf Club (Front 9), New Bedford
• Brae Burn Country Club, Newton
• Charles River Country Club, Newton
• Newton Commonwealth, Newton
• North Andover Country Club, North Andover
• Oyster Harbors Osterville
• Wianno Golf Club Osterville
• Salem Country Club, Peabody
• Petersham Country Club, Petersham
• Country Club of Pittsfield, Pittsfield
• Orchards Golf Club, South Hadley
• Cohasse Country Club, Southbridge
• Vesper Country Club, Tyngsborough
• Oakley Country Club, Watertown
• Sandy Burr Country Club, Wayland
• Wachusett Country Club, West Boylston
• Leo J. Martin Memorial Golf Course, Weston
• Weston Golf Club, Weston
• Whitinsville Golf Club, Whitinsville
• Winchester Country Club, Winchester
• Worcester Country Club, Worcester
• Bass River Golf Course, Yarmouth
• Pocasset Golf Club, Pocasset
• Springfield Country Club, Springfield
• Tekoa Country Club Westfield
• Winchendon Golf Club (Winchendon, Massachusetts)
• Southwick Country Club Southwick, Massachusetts

Michigan

• Chandler Park Detroit, Michigan
• Barton Hills Country Club, Ann Arbor
• Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills
• Dearborn Country Club, Dearborn
• Warren Valley Golf Club, Dearborn Heights
• Detroit Golf Club, Detroit
• Rogell Golf Course, Detroit
• Elk Rapids Golf Club, Elk Rapids
• Franklin Hills Country Club, Franklin
• Grosse Ile Golf and Country Club, Grosse Ile
• Highlands Golf Course, Grand Rapids (Closed)
• Kent Country Club, Grand Rapids
• Rackham Golf Course, Huntington Woods
• Shadow Ridge Golf Course, Ionia
• Monroe Golf and Country Club, Monroe
• Muskegon Country Club, Muskegon
• Western Golf & Country Club, Redford
• St. Clair River Country Club, St. Clair

Minnesota

• Cloquet Country Club, Cloquet
• Northland Country Club, Duluth
• Interlachen Country Club, Edina
• The Minikahda Club, Minneapolis
• Woodhill Country Club, Wayzata
• White Bear Yacht Club, White Bear Lake
• Minneapolis Golf Club, St Louis Park

Mississippi

• Great Southern Golf Club, Gulfport

Missouri

• Hillcrest Country Club, Kansas City Hillcrest Country Club is a private country club in Kansas City, Missouri. The course was designed by Donald J. Ross beginning in 1912 and opened for play in 1916. Constructed on the highest point of the County it was aptly named Hillcrest. This championship layout measures 6,763 yards and has played host to a number of large tournaments over the years.
• New Hampshire
• Bald Peak Colony Club, Melvin Village
• Bethlehem Country Club, Bethlehem
• Maplewood Golf Club, Bethlehem
• Mount Washington Hotel (Mount Washington Course), Bretton Woods
• The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel (The Panorama Golf Course), Dixville Notch
• Crotched Mountain Golf Club (first 9 holes), Francestown
• Carter Country Club, Lebanon
• Manchester Country Club, Bedford
• Kingswood Golf Club, Wolfeboro
• Lake Sunapee Country Club, New London

New Jersey

• Seaview Marriott Resort (Bay Course), Absecon
• Riverton Country Club (1900), Cinnaminson
• Plainfield Country Club, Edison
• River Vale Country Club (1931), River Vale
• Knickerbocker Country Club (1914), Tenafly
• Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell
• Deal Golf Club, Deal
• Echo Lake Country Club, Westfield
• Crestmont Country Club, West Orange
• Montclair Golf Club (1920), West Orange, New Jersey

New York

• The Sagamore Golf Course, Bolton Landing
• Chautauqua Golf Club-Lake Course, Chautauqua
• Siwanoy Country Club, Bronxville
• North Fork Country Club, Cutchogue
• Mark Twain Golf Course, Elmira
• Glens Falls Country Club, Glens Falls
• Irondequoit Country Club, Pittsford (near Rochester)
• Monroe Golf Club, Pittsford
• Oak Hill Country Club (East & West), Pittsford
• Brook Lea Country Club, Rochester
• Country Club of Rochester, Brighton
• Teugega Country Club, Rome
• Bellevue Country Club, Syracuse
• Tupper Lake Country Club, Tupper Lake
• Country Club of Buffalo, Williamsville
• Rip Van Winkle Country Club, Palenville
• Thendara Golf Club Front Nine, Thendara
• Whippoorwill Club, Armonk
• Schroon Lake Municipal Golf Club, Schroon Lake
• Lake Pleasant Golf Club, Lake Pleasant

North Carolina

• Country Club of Asheville, Asheville
• Asheboro Municipal Golf Course, Asheboro
• Asheville Municipal Golf Club, Asheville
• Grove Park Inn Golf Club, Asheville
• Biltmore Forest Country Club, Biltmore Forest
• Alamance Country Club, Burlington
• Carolina Golf Club, Charlotte
• Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte
• Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte
• Hope Valley Country Club, Durham
• Highland Country Club, Fayetteville
• Stryker Golf Course, Fort Bragg
• Overhills Golf Club, Percy Rockefeller Estate now on Fort Bragg
• Greensboro Country Club, Greensboro
• Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro
• Hendersonville Country Club, Hendersonville
• Highlands Country Club, Highlands
• High Point Country Club, High Point
• Linville Golf Club, Linville
• Lenoir Golf Club, Lenoir
• Pinecrest Country Club, Lumberton
• Lake Lure Municipal Golf Course (9 Holes), Lake Lure,North Carolina
• Monroe Country Club (The Front 9 Holes), Monroe
• Mooresville Golf Course (The Front 9 Holes), Mooresville
• Mimosa Hills Country Club, Morganton
• New Bern Golf and Country Club, New Bern
• Catawba Country Club, Newton
• Pinehurst No. 1, Pinehurst
• Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst
• Pinehurst No. 3, Pinehurst
• Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
• Pennrose Park Country Club, Reidsville
• Roaring Gap Country Club, Roaring Gap
• Richmond Pines Country Club, Rockingham
• Benvenue Country Club, Rocky Mount
• Country Club of Salisbury, Salisbury
• Sanford Golf Club, Sanford
• Mid Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines
• Pine Needles Golf Club, Southern Pines
• Southern Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines
• Tryon Country Club, Tryon
• Waynesville Country Club Inn, Waynesville
• Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington
• Wilmington Municipal Golf Course, Wilmington
• Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem

Ohio

• Acacia Country Club, Lyndhurst (Course was closed in 2013 & converted to public greenspace. Reported by James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer on October 11, 2012 at 10:20 AM, updated October 11, 2012 at 8:56 PM)
• Athens Country Club, Athens
• Avon Fields Golf Course, Cincinnati
• Brookside Country Club, Canton - Brookside of Canton is a Don Ross design
• Chillicothe Country Club, Chillicothe
• Oakwood Club, Cleveland Heights (Course closed and turned into a shopping center)
• Scioto Country Club, Columbus
• Dayton Country Club, Dayton
• Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster
• Miami Valley Golf Club, Dayton
• Delaware Country Club (formerly Dornoch), Delaware
• Denison Golf Club at Granville (formerly Granville Golf Course), Granville
• Hamilton Elks Country Club, Hamilton
• Hawthorne Valley Golf Club, Solon Closed permanently in 2019.
• Congress Lake Club, Hartville
• Westbrook Country Club, Mansfield
• Piqua Country Club, Piqua
• Portsmouth Elks Country Club, McDermott
• Shaker Heights Country Club, Shaker Heights
• Mohawk Golf Club (Original/Back 9), Tiffin
• Inverness Club, Toledo
• Manakiki Golf Course (Cleveland Metroparks), Willoughby Hills
• Mill Creek Park Golf Course, Youngstown
• Columbus Country Club, Columbus
• Miami Shores Golf Course, Troy
• Youngstown Country Club, Youngstown
• Springfield Country Club, Springfield
• Hyde Park Country Club, Cincinnati
• Zanesville Country Club, Zanesville
• Maketewah Country Club, Cincinnati, OH
• Kenwood Country Club (Kendale & Kenview) Cincinnati, OH https://www.kenwoodcc.com/

Pennsylvania

• Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley Heights
• Bedford Springs Hotel, Bedford
• Elkview Country Club, Greenfield Township
• Buck Hill Falls Golf Club, Buck Hill Falls
• Tumblebrook, Coopersburg
• Edgewood Country Club, Churchill
• Kahkwa Club, Fairview (Erie)
• Steel Club, Hellertown
• Kennett Square Golf and Country Club, Kennett Square
• McCall Field Golf and Country Club
• Gulph Mills Golf Club
• Rolling Rock Club, Laughlintown
• Immergrun Golf Club, Loretto on the campus of Saint Francis University
• Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square
• Jeffersonville Golf Club, Norristown
• "Legendary" Lulu Country Club, North Hills
• Schuylkill Country Club, Orwigsburg
• The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, Philadelphia
• Pocono Manor Golf Course (East Course), Pocono Manor
• Green Oaks Country Club, Verona
• Conewango Valley Country Club, Warren
• St. Davids Golf Club, Wayne
• Country Club of York, York
• Lu Lu Country Club, Glenside, Pennsylvania
• Lewistown Country Club Original 9 holes (Lewistown, PA)

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Country Club, Barrington
• Metacomet Country Club, East Providence
• Sakonnet Golf Club, Little Compton
• Point Judith Country Club, Narragansett
• Triggs Memorial Golf Course, Providence
• Agawam Hunt, Rumford
• Wannamoisett Country Club, Rumford
• Goddard Memorial State Park, Warwick
• Warwick Country Club, Warwick
• The Misquamicut Club, Watch Hill
• Winnapaug Golf Course, Westerly

South Carolina

• Fort Mill Golf Club (9 holes), Fort Mill
• Lancaster Golf Club (9 holes), Lancaster
• Camden Country Club, Camden
• Moree's Country Club (19 holes), Cheraw
• Dogwood hills. Walterboro South Carolina. 9 holes

Tennessee

• Brainerd Golf Club, Chattanooga
• Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, Chattanooga
• Ridgefields Country Club, Kingsport
• Cherokee Country Club, Knoxville
• Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville
• Memphis Country Club, Memphis
• Belle Meade Country Club, Nashville
• Original Richland Country Club, Nashville
• Shelby Golf Club, Nashville

Texas

• River Oaks Country Club, Houston
• Sunset Grove Country Club, Orange
• Vermont
• Burlington Country Club, Burlington

Virginia

• Country Club of Virginia (Westhampton Course), Richmond
• Washington Golf & Country Club, Arlington
• Army Navy Country Club, Arlington
• Kinderton Country Club, Clarksville
• Danville Golf Club, Danville
• The Woodlands Golf Course, Hampton
• Jefferson Lakeside Country Club, Henrico County
• The Homestead (The Old Course), Hot Springs
• Woodberry Forest School (9-hole course)
• Sewells Point, Norfolk

Wisconsin

• Kenosha Country Club, Kenosha
• Oconomowoc Golf Club, Oconomowoc

Matching keywords

• Elmhurst Golf & Country Club
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• The Country Club of Birmingham
• Mooresville Golf Club
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• Scioto Country Club
• Oakland Hills Country Club
• White Bear Yacht Club
• Plainfield Country Club
• Interlachen Country Club
• Wykagyl Country Club
• Pinehurst No. 2
• Aronimink Golf Club
• The Broadmoor Golf Club
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