Golf
How Did Winged Foot Golf Club Get Its Iconic Name?
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
Get to know Jack Dougherty betterPublished19 Sep 2020
Winged Foot Golf Club is one of the most iconic golf courses on the PGA Tour circuit, and it will play host to the 2020 U.S. Open this weekend.
This year will mark the sixth U.S. Open held at Winged Foot, and boy are we in for a doozy. The greens are lightning fast, the fairways are narrow, and the rough is 5-6 inches thick. It would be shocking to see any player finish the weekend under par, which is just the way the toughest test in golf should play out. Winged Foot is historically one of the toughest major championship courses on the PGA Tour, but how did it get its unique name?
Winged Foot Golf Club is one of the most iconic venues on the PGA Tour
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Winged Foot Golf Club was founded in 1921 in Mamaroneck, NY. The club features two 18-hole golf courses — the West and the East. Both courses were designed by legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast, who also designed famous major courses such as Bethpage Black, Baltusrol, San Francisco Golf Club, and more.
Winged Foot officially opened in 1923, and it immediately rose to prominence on the PGA Tour. The course hosted its first U.S. Open in 1929, and Hall-of-Famer Bobby Jones triumphed with a 6-over-par score on the West Course.
Since then, Winged Foot has hosted four more U.S. Opens, two U.S. Women’s Opens, a PGA Championship, and a Senior U.S. Open. It’s been one of the most consistently difficult venues to navigate since its major debut, as only one of the five U.S. Open winners at the course finished under par.
Winged Foot is scheduled to host its sixth U.S. Open this weekend
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After a long hiatus of 14 years, the U.S. Open is back at famed Winged Foot for 2020. The best in the world will tee it up in Mamaroneck starting this Thursday, Sept. 17.
The previous major held at Winged Foot is one Phil Mickelson won’t ever forget. With a one-stroke lead heading to the 72nd tee of the tournament, Mickelson sprayed his tee shot left and went on to make a double-bogey and lose the championship.
Mickelson will return to Winged Foot this weekend to avenge his 2006 loss. Dustin Johnson enters the tournament as the betting favorite, but the depth of skill at the top of the Tour has never been more impressive. Will this year be the second time a player shoots under par at Winged Foot in a U.S. Open?
How did Winged Foot get its unique name?
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As cool as it sounds, the origin of Winged Foot’s iconic and unique name isn’t anything special. The name comes from the logo of the New York Athletic Club. The NYAC logo pictures — you guessed it — a foot with a wing attached to it.
Several members of the NYAC at the time were part of the group that founded Winged Foot in 1921, so they brought some of the club’s flavor with them to the golf course.
Winged Foot GC adopted the NYAC logo and has used it ever since.
