Our History

Croasdaile Country Club has a rich history that stems from one family's commitment to the community. The club was established in 1966 by Drs. Frances & Herbert Fox on farmland inherited from Frances Fox's father, John Sprunt Hill, a prominent Durham financier and community leader. They developed a neighborhood that offered beautiful homes, a professionally designed, championship golf course, tennis and swimming facilities. An elegant clubhouse was built as the focal point of the community where neighbors and friends could gather to enjoy a relaxed and gracious atmosphere.

The Croasdaile golf course was designed in 1966 by renowned architect George W. Cobb (pictured above, in center) and redesigned in 2002 by his former associate, award-winning golf course architect, John LaFoy. LaFoy is responsible for some of the most notable courses in the South and assisted in the redesign of Augusta National Golf Course.

The name "Croasdaile" was derived from one of Hill's trips to Ireland where he met an Irish family with the name Croasdaile and later chose the name for one of his dairy farms.

Although Croasdaile has seen generations come and go, there are many families who have been members since the club's inception and continue to share in the commitment to this community.

A Croasdaile member, one of the world's best amateur golfers in the 1920s and '30s, and one of the first female sportswriters for a major newspaper, Maureen Orcutt was once described by Time magazine as "broad-shouldered, jut-jawed." The Washington Post said that she was "tall, blonde, determined -- the sort of woman the Vikings would have admired."

Ms. Orcutt, who won more than 65 major championships in her lifetime, was twice a U.S. Golf Association champion, won the Eastern Women's Amateur in 1925, the Senior Women's Amateur in 1966, and was the runner-up for the U.S. amateur title in 1927 and 1936. She played on four Curtis Cup teams (where amateurs from the United States played against British amateurs) and her team won each time. At the time of her death in 2007, Ms. Orcutt was the last surviving member of the Curtis Cup teams. 

Known as much for her charisma as for her long iron play, Ms. Orcutt would routinely play against (and with) the best men players in the world, including Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones (shown to the right with Ms. Orcutt).

Already an established champion golfer, Ms. Orcutt would turn her attention to becoming a pioneering journalist. She joined the New York Times in 1937 as the second female sportswriter in the history of the paper (succeeding Maribel Vinson). She wrote a column called "Women in Sports," writing her final column for the New York Times in 1972.

After her retirement from the New York Times, Ms. Orcutt moved to Durham, NC, and joined Croasdaile Country Club. The four distinct seasons and the mild winters allowed her to play golf year-round. At age 69, she had a hole in one.

At age 82, Ms. Orcutt won her final championship – the Croasdaile Ladies Club Championship, her 9^th.

A collection of more than 25 trophies and recognitions that Ms. Orcutt earned during her celebrated career is on display in the Croasnest Bar Area.