Golf at Biltmore: Past and present

Golf was a popular pastime for George Vanderbilt and his guests, and at one time, there was even a golfing ground at the estate.

In honor of partnering with the PGA TOUR, Explore Asheville, and The Cliffs as a title sponsor of the Biltmore Championship Asheville, we’ve teed up details about the history of the game at Biltmore.

Historic golf grounds at Biltmore

Our historic archives include correspondence about a proposed 9-hole “golf ground” planned for the field along the French Broad River between the Brick Farmhouse site and the Lagoon while construction on Biltmore House was still underway during the winter of 1895–96.

Charles McNamee, Estate Manager, wrote to George Vanderbilt that a gardener working on the project asked McNamee if he was to cut down all the trees along Four Mile Branch between Brick Farmhouse and the river as instructed. Vanderbilt answered in a note on the letter, “Don’t cut trees until I am on the spot.”

The golf ground was expanded during 1899 and 1900 to include a portion of the Deer Park, with maintenance of the golf links falling to estate employees.

Golf and guests

George Vanderbilt’s friends and family are known to have enjoyed playing golf and did so often while staying at Biltmore, weather permitting. In letters to his mother from Biltmore in January and October 1896, William Osgood Field, one of George’s closest friends, describes a range of outdoor activities that almost always include long rides, shooting, and playing golf with George, John Henry Purdy, or Jay Burden (husband to George’s niece Adele).

Other local courses

Both Edith and Cornelia played golf at Biltmore, the Asheville Country Club, and the Biltmore Forest Country Club. On July 4, 1922, at 2:30 p.m., Cornelia Vanderbilt drove the first ball over the links of the Biltmore Forest Country Club, inaugurating the course her mother had envisioned. One reporter traced the link between Biltmore’s golf course and Edith’s interest in establishing one in Biltmore Forest:

“In the old days there had been a small private golf link on the estate, but this had fallen into disuse and presented a great undertaking if development were to be considered. But this is just what Mrs. Vanderbilt and Miss Vanderbilt did consider, and wishing to create a golf course equal to any in the country, they still did not care to use it exclusively.”

Newspapers also repeat that Cornelia was a competitive golfer, competing in the 1922 women’s golf tournament of the Carolinas held in Charlotte. While Edith Vanderbilt played, she seemed to have enjoyed being a patron of the game more than being in the spotlight, as evidenced by her contributing trophies to golf tournaments through the 1910s and 1920s.

Biltmore’s golfing heritage, past and present

Make plans now to visit Biltmore and discover The Caddie Red Wine, an easy-drinking blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Zinfandel handcrafted in honor of Biltmore’s golfing legacy and our sponsorship of the Biltmore Championship Asheville, the PGA TOUR’s first event in Asheville in more than 80 years. (The Caddie is available at the estate and online while supplies last.)

Love the The Caddie’s striking label? It features a pair of golf clubs made by Hillerich & Bradsby Company in 1924. The clubs belonged to Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil’s husband, the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil, and they remain in Biltmore’s collection today.