“The USGA is pleased to return to Barton Hills Country Club where we know the course will challenge the world’s best professional and amateur players as they compete for the most coveted championship in senior women’s golf,” said Dennis Baggett, USGA managing director, Open Championships.
“With its comprehensive and recently renovated facilities, the club has a history of hosting national, regional and state competition. These surrounding factors will lend itself well as a host site.”
Designed by World Golf Hall of Famer Donald Ross, Barton Hills Country Club opened for play in 1922. The member-owned club was founded by Detroit Edison president Alex Dow and is located 40 miles west of Detroit and 5 miles north of the University of Michigan campus. Following several revisions, the course, which incorporates the area’s rolling terrain, was restored to its original architectural roots and length was added in 2012 by Ron Pritchard.
“To welcome the game’s most accomplished senior women golfers to our historic course is both a privilege and a testament to the club’s enduring commitment to excellence,” said Mark Klinger, the club’s general manager and chief operating officer. “This championship is a celebration of skill, perseverance, and the indelible spirit of the game. We are proud to stand alongside the USGA in advancing the sport and providing a world-class stage where history will be made once again.”
The club previously hosted the 1998 U.S. Women’s Amateur when Grace Park defeated Jenny Chuasiriporn, 7 and 6, in the 36-hole final. Park, who went on to win six LPGA titles, including one major championship, built a 3-up lead following the morning round. Chuasiriporn was the runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Open one month earlier, losing to Se Ri Pak in a 20-hole playoff.
In 2008, Barton Hills was the site of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. Joan Higgins became the championship’s oldest winner at age 52 with a 1-up victory over Lynn Simmons. Higgins would later become the third player to win both the Women’s Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in 2014. She joined Carol Semple Thompson and Ellen Port in that group.
Barton Hills Country Club has also been active in Michigan’s amateur championship history. The club hosted three state women’s amateurs (1968, 1995, 2006) and five Golf Association of Michigan men’s amateurs (1996, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2024).
There have been 34 USGA championships played in the state of Michigan through the 2024 season, including three U.S. Women’s Opens and four U.S. Women’s Amateurs.
The U.S. Senior Women’s Open is open to professional golfers, and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 7.4, who are at least 50 years of age by the start of championship play. The field of 120 players competes in two rounds of stroke play, after which the field is reduced to the low 50 scorers and ties for the final 36 holes. The 2025 championship will be played at San Diego Country Club, in Chula Vista, Calif., Aug. 21-24.
Senior Women’s Open champions include Laura Davies (2018), Helen Alfredsson (2019), Annika Sorenstam (2021), Jill McGill (2022), Trish Johnson (2023) and Leta Lindley (2024). In last year’s championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Lindley carded a final-round 64 to erase a five-stroke deficit and post a record 72-hole score of 275 (9-under).
Future U.S. Senior Women’s Open Sites
2025 – San Diego Country Club, Chula Vista, Calif.
2026 – Barton Hills Country Club, Ann Arbor, Mich.
2027 – Tacoma Country & Golf Club, Lakewood, Wash.
2030 – Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Pebble Beach, Calif.
2031 – Plainfield Country Club, Edison, N.Y.
2032 – Prairie Dunes Country Club, Hutchinson, Kan.
