The earliest documented Ross involvement at Lewistown is a 1945 commission for a new nine-hole course for what contemporary sources called Birch Hill Country Club, Lewistown, Pennsylvania. The Donald Ross Society’s directory lists “Lewistown Country Club (o/k/a Birch Hill GC)” as a nine-hole Ross in 1945, indicating plan-date attribution from Tufts Archives material. Forum summaries that track Tufts holdings and period newspapers further note “Ross/McGovern” plans prepared in 1945, suggesting J.B. McGovern—Ross’s longtime engineer/associate—was connected to the drawing set. These references identify the project as a new nine rather than a remodeling of an existing course.
Construction followed in 1946 under the Gordon Company of Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a well-known golf contractor founded by William Gordon (formerly of Toomey & Flynn). A trade note in Golfdom reported: “Gordon Co., Bala-Cynwyd, Pa., is building a 9-hole course for Birch Hill C.C., Lewistown, Pa.”—a contemporaneous confirmation that the nine was in the ground by late 1946. The club then opened at its present location in 1947 as a nine-hole facility.
The course became 18 holes in the early 1970s. Ault, Clark & Associates—specifically Ed Ault (EBA) and Tom Clark (TEC)—list “Lewistown Country Club, Lewistown, Pennsylvania (1973, New 18 Holes)” in the firm’s official project ledger. Several golf directories and club-facing sites describe the additional nine as being “completed in 1974,” which likely reflects the construction/opening cadence: Ault & Clark’s work encompassed building a complementary nine and, based on the firm’s “New 18” designation, some degree of reconfiguration to form a full 18—rather than simply tacking on a back nine. Reconciling exactly how much of the Ross nine was retained, shifted, or rebuilt in 1973–74 would require club minutes, construction drawings, or aerials from 1960s–1970s; those materials are not publicly available.
Unique Design Characteristics (as observed and ascribed)
Because the 1945 Ross plans and any as-builts are not accessible online, distinguishing which present-day holes most faithfully preserve the Ross work must be done cautiously. Several modern features—most obviously the pond interacting with the par-3 8th—read as post-war additions rather than 1940s Ross, aligning with the 1973–74 expansion period and later beautification (the club highlighted a fountain installation there in recent years). Yardage expansions—such as a 600-plus-yard par-5 on the outward nine and a 210-yard par-3—are also indicative of modernized tees and green sites or at least significant lengthening beyond 1940s norms at small-town nine-hole clubs.
If one were to prioritize likely survivors of the Ross era for field study, the shorter-par holes on the outward side—particularly those without water intrusions or conspicuously pushed-back tees—would be the first candidates. Conversely, the water-bordered 8th and other penal hazards that present as modern landscaping are better attributed to the 1970s work or subsequent updates. This hypothesis is consistent with the firm-level approach Ault & Clark applied across Pennsylvania in the period—frequently delivering full “new 18s” or hybrid rebuilds that integrated earlier corridors while modernizing hazards and lengths—but again, confirmation awaits primary evidence.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Pennsylvania output, Lewistown is representative of his late-career small-market commissions, many of which came in a burst during 1945–47 as post-war projects re-mobilized. The Donald Ross Society’s cataloging of Lewistown (Birch Hill) alongside other 1945 Pennsylvania jobs (e.g., Schuylkill CC work) situates the commission squarely in that final wave. Lewistown’s later transformation under Ault & Clark also illustrates a common mid-century arc for Ross nine-hole courses in the region: conversion to a regulation 18 with modernized hazards and yardage in the long-tee era of the 1960s–70s. No evidence surfaced of statewide championship hosting or national rankings specific to Lewistown; its contemporary significance is more local and regional—serving GAP Central tournament play and area leagues—than it is in the canon of best-known Ross sites.
Current Condition / Integrity
The present course measures 6,779 yards (par 72), with published slope/rating of roughly 125/72.3 from the back tees. Those figures, and visible modern features such as the 8th-hole pond, support the conclusion that the course one plays today expresses the 1973–74 Ault & Clark era more strongly than the 1947 Ross nine. The key integrity question is whether portions of the front-nine routing (corridors and green pads) remain on Ross alignments beneath later accretions; the public record does not yet answer that. The club has, however, publicized non-architectural upgrades—driving-range renovation and general course improvements—which speak to ongoing maintenance and amenity investment rather than historic restoration.
Sources & Notes
Donald Ross Society, Course Directory (June 2023)—entry for “Lewistown Country Club (o/k/a Birch Hill GC), Lewistown, PA—9 holes, 1945.” DRS compilation based on Tufts Archives cataloging and member research.
“Reunderstanding Ross,” GolfClubAtlas forum (Mar. 2018—thread compendium)—posts collating Tufts references and period newspaper notices; includes specific note of “Lewiston [sic] Country Club (o/k/a Birch Hill GC)…Ross/McGovern plans, 1945,” citing a Nov. 6, 1945 Pinehurst Outlook item.
Golfdom magazine, Jan. 1946, p. 64—trade note: “Gordon Co., Bala-Cynwyd, Pa., is building a 9-hole course for Birch Hill C.C., Lewistown, Pa.” (Primary construction confirmation; establishes 1946 build activity for the Ross/Birch Hill nine.)
Lewistown Country Club (official website)—general facility and program pages; separate pages for Driving Range, Golf Simulator, and Pool.
Ault, Clark & Associates, Project List (official)—entry: “Lewistown Country Club, Lewistown, Pennsylvania—EBA/TEC—1973—New 18 Holes.” (Firm-authored record of the 1973 build scope; implies more than a simple add-nine.)
GAP (Golf Association of Philadelphia), 2024 GAP Central schedule—announces Lewistown as a host site for GAP Central events. (Illustrates contemporary tournament role.)
Lewistown CC Facebook post (Aug. 2023)—notes a fountain installation “in the pond at hole #8.”