Then and Now: Roanoke Country Club

The story below is from our May/June 2021 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

This organization has offered sports and entertainment for well over a century. 

It’s been more than a century since the Roanoke Country Club opened its doors.

Over those years, the club has grown into a premier private establishment for sports and  entertainment, most notably for professional and amateur golfers alike.

The club opened in 1899 in South Roanoke, with a focus on tennis, golf, gunning and more. In 1904, it was a founding member of the Virginia State Golf Association, which promotes the game of golf in the state.

By 1908, the club relocated to its present day location at 3360 Country Club Drive in Northwest Roanoke, with the construction of a clubhouse, a nine-hole golf course, and tennis courts. The site was the former 53-acre Moomaw Farm property.

Pictured here is the second clubhouse, built in 1924. A few years earlier, the club hired famed golf architect A.W. Tillinghast to design an 18-hole golf course, which opened in 1920.

There have been numerous expansions and renovations to the club through the years, with the addition of new golf holes, indoor tennis courts, and swimming pools.

Now, the club features a 27-hole golf course, which comprises three nine-hole courses. It offers various golf programs for men and women, the Roanoke County Golf Academy and several PGA teaching professionals. As for racquet sports, there are indoor and outdoor tennis courts and six pickleball courts. Other amenities include a heated Olympic-sized swimming pool and various dining options.

Along with infrastructure additions and renovations, the club has hosted numerous tournaments for the Virginia State Golf Association, including three state open and three amateur championships. Also, since 1984, it has hosted the Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament, one of the nation’s top junior golf competitions. It is held in memory of Scott Robertson, a promising young golfer and North Cross School student, who died in 1982. 

The story above is from our May/June 2021 issue. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!