Preserving the Legacy

The Golf Museum and the Club have had a symbiotic relationship since the Club opened on July 2, 1932. The museum was founded by Archer M. Huntington, the principal owner of the Newport News Shipyard in the first part of the 20th Century. Huntington built the world-renowned Mariners’ Museum and Park for the people of the Tidewater area, so he agreed to fund a museum of golf for the members of James River Country Club. The two museums are less than a half-mile apart.

The Golf Museum is not owned by the James River Country Club, rather it is owned by a trust governed by a Board of Trustees and operated by volunteers.There is no cost to tour the museum, but the museum curator suggests calling ahead to ensure it is open.

Par Excellence

The golfing great, Arnold Palmer, perhaps says it best in his forward to Jim Ducibella’s quintessential book on golf in Virginia, Par Excellence, A Celebration of Golf in Virginia. Arnold writes, while his daughter was attending The College of William and Mary which is “…just up the road from what may be the finest golf museum in the world. It is located in the clubhouse of The James River Country Club in Newport News. Suffice it to say that if you wanted to play a round with one of the oldest clubs and the oldest certified ball in the world, you would find both at The James River Country Club Museum.”