Jun 26, 2014; Bethesda, MD, USA; Tiger Woods hits a tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the Quicken Loans National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club - Blue Course. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

U.S. Open: DJ Ruling Is The Decision That Will Not Go Away

U.S. Open: DJ Ruling Is The Decision That Will Not Go Away by Kathlene Bissell

The playground for America’s presidents and industry czars, Congressional Country Club hosts this week’s Quick Loans National.

Congressional Country Club, located in Bethesda, Maryland, is this weeks venue for the 2016 Quicken Loans National Invitational. The club itself originally was an idea that spawned from Indiana congressmen in need of a place to meet clients in the Washington D.C. Area

Built in 1924 and situated just a mere 15 miles north of the nations capitol, it’s no stranger to the men who work in the Oval Office. The club has had a storied history of Presidents and other notable founding fathers being members. U.S. Presidents who have been lifelong members of Congressional include William Howard Taft (1909-1913), Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921), Warren G. Harding (1921-23), Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), and Herbert Hoover (1929-1933). More recently Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton were also known for visiting the club.

The club wasn’t a Camp David by any means. It wasn’t crawling with secret service. The club was a pleasant getaway for executives in every industry.

Congressional C.C. also included America’s elite, with John D. Rockefeller (co-founder of Standard Oil), the duPonts (Conglomerate), Walter Chrysler (Founder of Chrysler Corporation), William Randolph Hearst (American Newspaper Publisher), and Harvey S. Firestone (Founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co) known to enjoy the facilities.

With the kind of money Congressional’s members were making in their personal ventures, its hard to believe that the club struggled financially in its early years. It reportedly operated above and beyond its budget and was eventually turned over to the The United States Office of Strategic Services to use the grounds for training exercises. At the close of World War II, the club was eventually retuned to its members. Since that time Congressional has hosted five major championships including two U.S. Opens (1997 & 2011) and remains to be a staple of golf history today.

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