Founded on Passion, Driven by Pursuit
Colonial Country Club was founded in 1936 by Marvin Leonard, a self-taught golfer whose interests lie far beyond the fairway. Leonard studied every aspect of the sport, including course architecture — right down to the blades of grass and grains of sand used.
Driven by excellence, Leonard set out to create his own club and championship-caliber course with the goal of challenging and inspiring players of every level. Beginning in 2023, Gil Hanse will restore the historic venue to perfection and provide a challenging but complementary golfing experience to elicit awe.
At the club's founding, Leonard enlisted the help of two legendary course architects, John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell. While the duo worked independently, Leonard selected his favorite elements of both designs to create a championship course that would challenge the game's most respected figures.
By 1936, Colonial Golf Club opened with 100 members. Thanks to Leonard's appreciation of golf, Colonial's course and clubhouse were on par with some of the best private golf club's in the nation. In 1941, Colonial hosted golf's most prestigious event — the U.S. Open.
Colonial has since set a record in championship golf as the only club to host a Men's U.S. Open (1941), a Women's U.S. Open (1991), and THE PLAYERS Championship (1975). Alongside these prestigious tournaments, Colonial has hosted the longest-running tournament on the PGA Tour. Every May since 1946, the world's greatest golfers travel to Fort Worth to compete in the Colonial National Invitational, known today as the Charles Schwab Challenge.