Congressional’s Blue Course opened in 1924 to the design of Devereux Emmet. That attribution is well documented in contemporary and modern accounts of the club’s founding and early years. Subsequent waves of alteration—especially those by Robert Trent Jones in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and by Rees Jones in 1989 and ahead of the 2011 U.S. Open—reshaped the course to such a degree that Emmet’s features were largely suppressed by the end of the 20th century. In 2019, Andrew Green was engaged to carry out a comprehensive renovation, completed in 2021; contemporary coverage emphasized both the scope of change and his intent to restore a more natural, historically grounded aesthetic while preparing the course for forthcoming PGA of America championships.
Where, if anywhere, does Ross fit into that sequence? A Washington Post feature written for the 2011 U.S. Open included the passing line that “Ross … did some work at Congressional in the 1930s,” but it did not specify scope or provide documentation. Wikipedia entries echo the notion that Ross was among “numerous architects” to renovate the Blue. Against those generalized statements, two points weigh heavily. First, Donald J. Ross Associates’ own “Partial List of Prominent Golf Courses (Revised to 1930)”—a contemporaneous booklet enumerating courses the firm claimed—does not list Congressional among Ross works. Second, in extensive modern reporting around Green’s 2019–21 project, Congressional itself and independent outlets describe the course’s architectural lineage in terms of Emmet → RTJ → Rees Jones → Green, with no elaboration of Ross’s involvement.
In short: there are repeated secondary references to some level of Ross activity in the 1930s, but we have not identified a dated plan, correspondence, construction contract, club minutes, or newspaper report that would pin down the year, nature, or extent of any Ross assignment at Congressional. Until such material surfaces, any Ross “remodel” credit at Congressional must be treated as unverified.
Unique Design Characteristics (as they relate to potential Ross authorship)
Because no primaries link Ross to specific holes or built features, it is not possible to identify discrete “Ross” characteristics on the present Blue Course. The course most visible to television audiences from the late 20th century onward—the one with the peninsula-green finisher and the par-3 that at times served as 18—was the product of RTJ and later Rees Jones; Green then re-imagined virtually every playing surface and hazard while retaining the routing and par structure. For example, the course’s closing sequence that now finishes on a long par-4 fronting water owes its modern form to Rees Jones’s re-routing decisions (reversing the former par-3 18th to the 10th and making the long two-shotter the championship finisher) and to Green’s subsequent rebuild, not to Ross. Likewise, the sweeping fairway corridors, the bunkering patterns, and the current green expansions are traceable to the 2021 renovation.
Historical Significance in a Ross Context
For scholars of Ross’s oeuvre, Congressional is significant not because it demonstrates on-site Ross ideas, but because it illustrates how attribution can accrete around a high-profile venue. The club hosted the U.S. Open in 1964, 1997, and 2011; a PGA Championship in 1976; and, post-renovation, the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. In that limelight, brief or unsourced references to Ross participation took on a life of their own. The case underscores the need for primary documentation before conferring authorship or remodel credit in directories. If a Ross phase did occur, it left no readily identifiable physical legacy after the Joneses’ campaigns and Green’s rebuild.
Current Condition / Integrity (vis-à-vis Ross)
The present Blue Course reflects Andrew Green’s 2019–21 work. Contemporary reporting emphasized that Green kept the routing and each hole’s par but otherwise executed an end-to-end reconstruction. Fairways were widened; bunkers rebuilt and repositioned; green complexes re-created; and the course was re-grassed and re-detailed to support multiple championship set-ups. Given that scope, and given that earlier RTJ and Rees interventions already displaced Emmet’s detailing, there is no practical survival of any hypothetical Ross work.
Uncertainties and disputed points.
• Ross involvement at Congressional (1930s): Multiple secondary sources mention Ross, but neither the club nor the Tufts-held Ross booklet list Congressional, and modern renovation coverage omits Ross from the club’s architect lineage. No dated plan, construction record, or committee minutes have been located for a Ross phase.
Sources & Notes
Congressional Country Club official site (club history overview; confirms 1924 opening and club identity; does not attribute Ross involvement).
The Fried Egg course profile for Congressional CC (Blue): architect lineage and dates (Emmet original 1924; RTJ 1957 & 1959; Rees Jones 1989 & 2006; Andrew Green 2021).
Bradley S. Klein, “Congressional reform,” Golf Course Industry (context on Emmet’s original and RTJ’s hybridization prior to Green).
Scott Michaux, “A Whole New Blue,” Global Golf Post (scope of Green’s work—routing and par retained; otherwise comprehensive rebuild).
“Congressional change,” Golf Course Architecture (2021) (background on the course’s evolution and Green’s brief).
Barry Svrluga, “Originally designed by Devereux Emmet, Congressional has undergone many changes over the years,” The Washington Post (2011). Includes the statement that “Ross … did some work … in the 1930s,” without details.
Donald J. Ross Associates, Inc., “A Partial List of Prominent Golf Courses (Revised to 1930)” (Ross firm booklet). Congressional is not listed; Maryland entries include Hagerstown CC, etc.
Wikipedia entry “Congressional Country Club” (accessed for cross-checking general chronology; notes Emmet author and a generic claim that Ross “renovated” among others; use with caution and verify against primaries/independent reportage).
PGA of America preview, “The Course Director’s Guide to the Renovated Congressional Blue Course” (event context and timeline; confirms Green’s 2019–21 renovation preceding the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA).