The History of Birchwood Country Club

The concept of Birchwood Country Club was conceived in late 1945 after the conclusion of World War II.  The property and landmark homestead upon it, belonging to the then defunct Westport Country Club, was acquired by Birchwood Country Club, which formed and incorporated in 1946.

The existing but damaged and overgrown original eighteen hole golf course had been crammed into the approximately eighty three acres of the land parcel and was in need of almost total rebuilding. It was, at its best, a very short and weak eighteen holes. The newly formed Club leadership engaged the services of Orin Smith, a highly regarded golf course architect of that era, to consult and develop the best plan to refurbish or redesign the course. The decision was made to create a challenging nine-hole course to replace the very weak, old and decayed eighteen. That turned out to be a wise choice. In 1997 Sports Illustrated published an article on nine hole golf courses in the USA, (at that time there were over 4,000 and now well over 6,000) and rated Birchwood in the top 10 of all those courses in the country. This course is complimented by seven Har-Tru tennis courts and a pastoral pool and tennis complex, giving Birchwood’s families much to enjoy. 

Almost from day one the Club was known for the quality of its membership, which largely was drawn from New York City north and east to Bridgeport, CT and beyond.  That membership as well as the style, ambience and atmosphere of Birchwood has always been admired and considered to be among the finest of the many clubs in metropolitan New York.  Our restaurant, which has long been regarded the best in the entire Westport area, is the envy of most clubs whose members have been dinner guests at Birchwood.

The quality of our facilities and our staff as well as our strong balance sheet contribute to making Birchwood a most desirable  “home away from home” for our members.