Glenn Dale Golf Club is built on a portion of an original land grant from King George which was named Holiday’s Choice. Legend has it that each year, all of the local Indian tribes would gather to discuss their problems and possible resolutions which would give them the prospect of a good and peaceful year. Supposedly these meetings took place at the base of the hill on which the house is located and earned that spot the name Prospect Hill.
The original portion of the manor house was built in 1742 by the DuVal family. The portion most people notice, the west wing, was built around 1820 by Gabriel DuVal, who was one of the first Supreme Court Justices of the United States. The house was renovated in 1940 to resemble a Georgian plantation which is the way the house is currently and is used as the Club’s logo.
The course was built in 1956 by Terrell Brazelton and designed by George Cobb. Cobb later went on to become the resident architect at Augusta National where he made numerous architectural changes to the original course and designed the nine hole course. Other local courses credited to him are Fort Meade, Laurel Pines, University of Maryland, Pohick Bay, and Tides Inn. he also did renovation work on Augusta, Belle Haven, Athens C.C., and others.
Work on the course was completed by Ray and Roy Shields in 1958 when they purchased it out of bankruptcy. It was then known as Prospect Hill Country Club which they changed to it’s present name of Glenn Dale Golf Club. The course basically remained the same until 1984 when Ray’s children – John, Pam, and Jeff – bought the course and renovated the tees and added many traps and trees, enlarged lakes, put in rough and cart paths, and developed a Master Plan for future additions which continue today.
