The most terrifying sound in golf is silence—the quiet that falls when you stand over your ball with all eyes on you.
The absence of noise can unsettle even seasoned players. And nowhere does it ring out louder than on the 1st tee of the East Course at Merion Golf Club.
On the scorecard, the par-4 opener is a friendly handshake. At 358 yards, it can be tackled with a long iron and a wedge.
But consider the location of the tee box, directly alongside the clubhouse terrace, where glasses clink and silverware clatters amid the buzz of conversation. That is, until someone steps up to hit.
“You know that everybody on the terrace is looking at you,” John Capers III said.
That’s daunting enough when your back is to the crowd. But, Capers added, “God forbid if you’re a left-hander, because you’re looking back at them.”
As a longtime Merion member, Capers is intimately familiar with the unique atmosphere on Merion’s 1st tee. As chairman of the club’s archives committee, he’s equally well acquainted with the history that fills the clubhouse — knowledge that he leaned on while helping lead GOLF.com on a clubhouse tour ahead of the U.S. Amateur, which returns to Merion Aug. 10-16.
Like much of Merion itself, the clubhouse has evolved over time. Rather than a single structure, it’s actually four buildings stitched together over time. The oldest is an 1824 farmhouse, later connected to a barn by way of a structure that now serves as the club’s men’s locker room. More recently, a hospitality tent from the 2013 U.S. Open was transformed into a pavilion, giving new life to a temporary fixture that now flows seamlessly into the rest of the facility.
History is everywhere you turn. Established 35 years ago, the Merion archives are a vast storehouse of memorabilia. Books. Scorecards. Ceramics. Puzzles. Belts. If it has ever been emblazoned with Merion’s iconic wicker basket logo, there’s a good chance you’ll find it somewhere in the clubhouse, nearly all of it donated by club members. And don’t forget the horseshoes. Or, rather, boots. How they came about is a story in itself.
Some of the club’s most meaningful artifacts, meanwhile, are displayed in plain sight. The new Jones Room honors Bobby Jones, who made his U.S. Amateur debut at Merion as a 14-year-old in 1916 before returning in 1930 to complete the Grand Slam with his victory in the U.S. Amateur.
True to its name, the renovated Wicker bar pays homage to the club’s most recognizable symbol. The beer taps have wicker handles, while three oversized wicker baskets—once tucked away in the archives—now hang above a framed copy of the 1916 patent application that William Flynn filed for Merion’s famous wicker basket design.
You get the picture. The East Course may be Merion’s main attraction. But the clubhouse is a destination in its own right. Quiet, please. Our video tour of the historic facility is playing above.
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