Ironically, golf was not part of the original plans for The Country Club when it was founded in 1889. Prominent Cleveland industrialist and philanthropist Samuel Mather envisioned a clubhouse in the country suitable for picnics, parties and weekly horseback excursions into the countryside.

But on a trip to New Jersey in the spring of 1895, Mather was invited to play golf at St. Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, N.Y., and he instantly became infatuated with the game. Upon his return, he organized the Cleveland Golf Club and elected its first president. Cleveland G.C. was a subsidiary of  The Country Club and only members of the latter were privileged to join. A short nine-hole course was laid out on land adjacent to the clubhouse, and golf soon became an integral part of the club.