The golf course received many changes through the beginning years, but none as much as when the club decided to expand to 18-holes and hired world renowned golf course architect Donald Ross. In the mid 1940's, Donald Ross made plans that required changing the original 9-hole layout by adding holes to the east and west ends of the existing course. The original 113 acres were expanded to encompass the current 166 acres that are now the Schuylkill Country Club. With the changes to the original 9-holes and the addition of 9 more, SCC was the proud owner of a Donald Ross design which stands the test of time even to this day. Twenty-seven of Donald Ross' courses are ranked in the top 100 in the country on many golf course lists. Donald Ross is the leading architect in having his courses listed in the top 100.

The clubhouse continued to make changes throughout the years to get to where it is today. The Pro Shop originally existed as a separate building until renovations in the mid 1990's connected it to the main structure. This expansion allowed for the ladies locker room to be moved to it's current location. It also gave us the much needed storage space for carts, which in the early 1900's could never have been imagined as they are used today.

After Donald Ross visited in the 1940's, the course continued to evolve with changes that were made by the membership, and trees that were planted throughout the property. It was impossible to have the foresight as to how the game of golf would progress over the years. The technology used to cut grass today has far surpassed what some of the original course designs had intended. At Schuylkill, we have realized this and have made a commitment that before moving forward with any changes to the golf course, we will consult with the leading Donald Ross expert in course restoration/renovation, Ron Prichard. You will notice some of those changes to the golf course this year.

This year, we have also uncovered some great documents from as far back as 1905, and came across some pictures and aerial photos of the course, including the original 9-hole blue print from 1921. These photos hang in our main hallway. Here, you can see copies of the original Donald Ross blueprints from the 1940's, and aerial photos from 1938 and 1947, showing how the course existed before and after it went from 9 to 18 holes. There are many members at Schuylkill today who can remember being able to watch an entire tournament from the clubhouse because the lack of trees allowed them to see the whole property. What a scenic view that must have been. Please make sure you take the time to view the photos in the hallway.

We should be proud of the history and heritage of our club. The fact that we still have existing features of the golf course and clubhouse, and have documents and photos to correspond, gives us the foundation to continue into the future with the knowledge of how we got there.