Tournament: Quicken Loans National, Congressional CC (Blue), Bethesda, MD
Hole: 11th – Par 4, 489 Yards
Architect: Devereux Emmet – 1924
Rees Jones (renovation) – 1990 & 2006

Architectural Summary:

The 11th hole at Congressional Country Club is a 489 yard par 4 that will offer a demanding risk-reward test for competitors. From an elevated tee, the hole plays straightaway to a narrow landing area. Players will look to hit their drives towards the right center of the fairway in order to set up the best angle into the green, though they must avoid the creek which runs parallel to the right side of the hole before emptying into a pond at the green. The fairway slopes significantly left-to-right, running towards the creek, leaving many second shots to be played from a sloping stance. Playing slightly uphill, the mid-iron approach shot emphasizes accuracy as errant shots could find thick rough, a left deep greenside bunker, or, worse, the pond. The green is 32 yards deep and is guarded by one of the largest bunkers on the course to the left as well as the pond to the right. The narrow green measures only 24 yards wide at its broadest point. Several steep slopes are located toward the rear of the green which will cause difficult uphill recovery shots. Overall, finding the green from the fairway will be paramount to scoring well.

Statistical Analysis:

The 11th at Congressional has traditionally played as the most difficult hole on the course. In 2014, when the course last hosted the Quicken Loans National, the 11th hole played to a scoring average of 4.482 (20 Birdies, 202 Pars, 132 Bogeys, 32 Doubles, and 4 “Others”).

Fun Facts:

• Prior to becoming the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover served as the first Congressional Country Club president in 1922.
• Only two players managed to play the 11th hole under par for the tournament in 2014 – Marc Leishman (T8) and Gary Woodland (T46).
• The 489 yard par 4 played as the overall 2nd toughest hole on the PGA Tour for the 2013-2014 season. Congressional’s monster 11th hole was only edged out by Cherry Hills Golf Club’s par 4 5th hole which played to a scoring average of 4.483, only 0.001 greater than the 11th.
• Congressional’s expansive, Spanish Colonial Revival style clubhouse is the largest in the country.