Marion Country Club, Tied to President Harding, Gets New Local Owners and a $2 Million Makeover in Ohio
Marion Country Club in Marion, Ohio, a 1920 club that the club says was built for President Warren G. Harding, has new local investors, including a multi-generational member with a majority interest, and a plan for about $2 million in improvements over five years to the course, pool, and clubhouse.
Marion Country Club in Marion, Ohio, a club founded in 1920 that, in the club's words, was built for President Warren G. Harding, has new local investors and a plan for about $2 million in improvements over the next five years. A multi-generational member took a majority interest. The work covers the golf course, the pool, and the clubhouse.
The Marion Star first reported the changes and the investor group on Oct. 16. Golfweek, working from a club release the next day, described a broad overhaul of the course and amenities led by local investors. The new majority owner has not been named publicly.
On the course, the main focus is restoring features associated with Willie Park Jr., the two-time British Open champion. The club release, as reported by Golfweek, says the club will consult historic aerial photography and other records to bring back as many of the original design characteristics as practical. The nuts and bolts appear on the club’s The Future page: new irrigation heads and wiring for more consistent conditions, new greens equipment, dead tree removal, and improved landscaping. New netting sized for wedges and drivers, along with new teeing surfaces, is planned for the driving range.
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Major upgrades are scheduled for the pool over the next two years. The facility is a 3,600-square-foot heated pool with a competition diving board. The list includes new decks, an outdoor bar with TVs, an updated children’s area, new concrete, modernized plumbing and disinfectant systems, and structural design changes scheduled for 2028.
The clubhouse offers a clear window on the club’s history. According to the club, Marion opened as a clubhouse before an 18-hole course was added, so the building came first. An all-new hangout in the spirit of a 19th hole is planned, with a golf simulator, a pool table, ping pong, and full food and beverage service for after a round. The dining room will be refreshed with new menu items and positioned as a relaxed, family-friendly alternative to traditional fine dining.
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Membership terms are shifting in parallel with the physical work. The club says the restructure is meant to provide greater value and to appeal to individuals and families across a wider range of ages. It reports more than 300 active members today. Open houses and information meetings run from 6 to 7 in the evening on Oct. 21 and 22, and an introductory initiation fee offer runs through Oct. 31. The club did not say what that fee is.
Next to the eight-figure projects that draw most of the attention in clubhouse design, this is a modest program. River Oaks Country Club in Houston, with its $23 million clubhouse renovation, operates in a different financial world. Westbrook Country Club in Mansfield, Ohio, whose clubhouse renovation placed third in Golf Inc.’s 2026 Clubhouse of the Year awards, supplies a closer comparison. What sets Marion apart is who is paying. A multi-generational member and fellow local investors have put money into a 106-year-old club in a small Ohio city, and the bet is that families will come back to it. The club’s own words for the goal, from its release, are to “preserve what has made this Club special for more than 100 years” while building something the community can enjoy for generations.
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