Chambersburg Country Club

Chambersburg Country Club is one of Franklin County’s premier private clubs. It features a championship 18-hole golf course, versatile 25,000 square-foot clubhouse, pool and tennis facilities. In late 1920, a group of business men in Chambersburg decided that the area needed and could support a golf course. One of the men, Mr. M.K. Burgner owned land near Scotland and agreed to lease a portion of his land to the group for a golf course. A formal Board of Directors was formed, memberships were solicited and acquired, and in 1921 the first six holes of the golf course were constructed.

In January 1923, the board felt there was sufficient interest in the club to add three golf holes. Membership increased from 50 to 75 members and a golf professional was hired. The membership was polled, and additional land was leased from M.K.Burgner. Mr. Thomas Danachie was hired as the golf professional. Additionally, Mr. Danachie supervised the construction of Nos. 7-9. The course record on the nine-hole layout was held by Dick Schlichter, who carded a 29 with eight 3s and a 5.

In 1948, the Club bought the “Lesher” farm from the Steinberger family. This farm lay beyond No. 7 (now No. 16) and to the south and west of the Conococheague Creek and opened the possibility for expansion of the golf course. By 1954, membership had increased and there was interest in new construction of additional golf holes. By 1955, financing had been arranged and W.P.Gordon, golf course architect was hired to lay out the new course. The plan included the abandoning of the original Nos. 1-4.

By 1973, a number of events came together to make an 18-hole golf course a possibility and perhaps a necessity. Membership had grown significantly, and the nine-hole course was overcrowded. Scot-Greene had purchase the Steinberger orchard and was willing to sell a section of land to the club. The club had also acquired a parcel of the ‘Poe’ farm that lay east of the Conococheague Creek. The Board of Directors contracted Edmund Ault, Ltd., Golf Architects to prepare a course layout on the property available to the club. In June 1973, the Ault group presented its recommended layout.

During a membership meeting on July 25,1973, a motion proposing the purchase of the Scot-Greene land and going forward with the expansion program was presented. The motion was defeated. In August 1974, the financing for the proposed expansion was completed. Five local banks loaned $510,000. During a special meeting of the membership on Aug. 15, 1974, the proposal was approved. The following January, during the club’s annual meeting, the proposal was reconfirmed. As soon as the weather permitted, work on the new construction commenced.

By June 1976, the new course opened. In September 1976, Hurricane Eloise caused damage to Nos. 12 and 15 as well as the approaches to the bridge over the Conococheague Creek between Nos. 12 and 15. The necessary repair work was done and the course was quickly in play. In 1999, the tee-box for No. 16 was relocated to its current location and was to be played as a par 4. No. 17 was lengthened and a new green was constructed.