Lancaster Country Club is Ready for the Return of the U.S. Women’s Open

By David Shefter, USGA

No state has hosted more USGA Championships than Pennsylvania, with more scheduled over the next three decades.

Central Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Country Club is set to host its second U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally on May 30–June 2, 2024. The Club has already shown it has the chops to challenge the game’s best players. In 2015, record crowds flocked to the venue to witness In Gee Chun’s breakthrough victory by a stroke over Korean compatriot Amy Yang.

Just how good is Lancaster Country Club? Acclaimed modern designer Tom Doak put Lancaster on his list of the top 31 courses in his 1994 book, noting the layout possesses all the design features that made designer William Flynn such a great architect.

Course architecture website Golf Club Atlas called Flynn’s work “one of the best marriages of property with a master golf course architect.” Keep in mind, Lancaster is a traditional parkland course that meanders over gently rolling terrain and is dissected by the Conestoga River.

“I love this golf course,” said major champion Morgan Pressel after the 2015 event. “It tests every club in your bag. It tests your course management. It takes a lot to win a U.S. Open on a golf course like this.”

When players arrive on property, especially those who competed in 2015, they’ll notice several changes to the layout. The design duo of Jim Nagle and Ron Forse, who have spent more than 20 years renovating the Club, have uprooted more trees and done an extensive bunker restoration.

At 6,629 yards (par 70), the course will measure 146 yards longer than it did nine years ago. Seven of Lancaster’s 12 par 4s will measure 400-plus yards for the championship. But the shorter par 4s also won’t be pushovers. The 392-yard fifth hole is a sweeping dogleg left featuring an uphill tee shot. It’s also one of two holes without a single bunker, a rarity in today’s game.

“It’s a traditional style golf course and that’s what I love to see,” said two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Karrie Webb. “We need to play on more courses like this one.”

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