>Deemed ''an American legacy'' by David Fay, Executive Director of the USGA, because of its history and facilities, Saucon Valley Country Club will be hosting its sixth USGA championship since 1951 and third in 15 years -- along with the 1992 and 2000 U.S. Senior Opens.
>Two of Saucon Valley’s three championship-quality courses, the Old Course and the Grace Course, have been rated in the top 100 courses in the country by Golf Magazine. Only two other private Clubs in the United States share that same honor: Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, and Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.
>The 800+ acre Saucon Valley complex is a certified environmental sanctuary, having earned recognition as an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary — one of only 500 golf course facilities worldwide.
In 1920, sixteen Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, business leaders, including a core group from the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, acquired 205 acres of farmland (Grim Farm) lying along the Saucon Creek. The group transformed that land into a country club and golf links that, 78 years later, would be acclaimed by some as “the finest golf facility in the world.” (Joseph Passov-Links Magazine, 1998).
Eugene Gifford Grace, former President of Bethlehem Steel, selected the renowned golf course architect, Herbert Strong, to design the original 18-hole Saucon Course (now known as the Old Course). For four decades Grace exerted a strong influence on making the Club unique. Although Grace never held an official office at Saucon Valley, he has long been regarded as the Club “Patriarch” who made sure that the Club was second-to-none. Over the years, relatively minor revisions were made to the course by Grace and golf course architects Perry Maxwell and William Gordon. The essence of Herbert Strong’s original masterpiece, however, has been maintained and the course has challenged golf's greatest players in previous USGA championships. These players include Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer and Hale Irwin. Now playing to a par of 36-35-71 and measuring 7,126 yards, the Old Course features medium-sized greens with slopes and mounds to reward the well-placed iron shot. Fairways are beautifully defined by mature evergreens and hardwood trees, drawing near Saucon Creek on five different holes. The Old Course, with recent revisions by Tom Fazio Golf, will undoubtedly test the skills of the world's greatest golfers again as it plays host to the U.S. Women's Open in 2009.
Two more golf courses were eventually added to Saucon's repertoire, the Grace Course, which was finalized in 1958, and the Weyhill Course, both designed by William and David Gordon in 1967. Both the Old Course and the Grace Course have been rated in the top 100 courses in the country by Golf Magazine. Only two other private Clubs in the United States share that same honor: Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, and Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.
In addition to its renowned golf courses, the more than 800-acre Saucon Valley complex includes an outstanding assortment of recreational facilities, including 16 tennis courts (two indoor courts), squash courts, platform tennis and four swimming pools. Saucon Valley has earned recognition as an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary — one of only 500 golf course facilities worldwide. Through its Saucon Sanctuary Committee and its partnership with Wildlands Conservancy, the Club has focused its efforts on the watershed of Saucon Creek. These efforts have resulted in cleaner water leaving Saucon Valley’s property.