Golf community guide · Fresno

Fort Washington Golf & Country Club a century of golf in north Fresno

Fort Washington Golf & Country Club is a private, member-run club that turned 100 in 2023 and still hosts college tournaments on its 18-hole, par-72 course. Homes line parts of the course, and most of them are inside the City of Fresno, just north of the small county island that shares the Fort Washington name.

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Ask us about Fort Washington

Brick entry sign for Fort Washington Golf and Country Club
The club's entry sign in north Fresno.
At a glance
Where
10272 N Millbrook Ave, north Fresno, between Shepherd and Copper avenues
City or county
The clubhouse is in the City of Fresno; the Fort Washington county island lies just south
ZIP codes
The club's mailing ZIP is 93730; Census maps place the clubhouse in 93720. Check homes by address.
Course
18 holes, par 72, about 5,640 to 6,730 yards depending on the tees
Access
Private club with memberships; open Tuesday through Sunday
School district
Clovis Unified. Confirm attendance boundaries with the district.
Today

The club today

The club is open and private, and a board of members runs it. It opens Tuesday through Sunday and closes on Mondays, with hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter. Alongside memberships it lists driving-range programs, lessons, a pro shop, dining, and space for banquets, weddings and corporate outings.

If you want to play, start with the club itself. Wikipedia and GolfN both list Fort Washington as private, and its website doesn't offer public tee times, so ask the club about membership options.

The club reached its centennial in 2023, and Valley PBS marked it with the documentary "Fort Washington Country Club: 100 Years," released on July 11, 2023. College golf comes here too. Fresno State's Nick Watney Invitational was played here on September 25–26, 2023, and the women's Fresno State Classic brought 11 teams and 70 players on March 2–3, 2026.

Founded
1923
Status
Private, run by a member board
Hours
Tuesday–Sunday; closed Monday
Recent events
Fresno State Classic, March 2026
The course

A William Watson layout, under the eucalyptus

William Watson designed the original course in 1923. It opened with 9 holes, dirt fairways and sand greens; today it plays 18 holes to a par of 72. The club's own course guide singles out the 14th, its signature hole, with a pond and a view of the clubhouse; the downhill par-3 7th, with a steep drop from tee to green; and the 15th, played from a raised tee over a pond. The guide also points out the course's large eucalyptus trees and the estate homes along the right side of the 9th.

There are 4 sets of tees. Adding up the club's scorecard gives totals of about 5,640, 6,160, 6,460 and 6,730 yards. The USGA figures cited by Wikipedia are 6,728 yards with a course rating of 72.8 and a slope of 129.

Designer
William Watson, 1923
Par
72
Longest tees
6,728 yards (USGA)
Rating and slope
72.8 and 129
Around the club

Where people go nearby

  • Woodward Park

    7775 N Friant Rd, about 2 miles southwest

    The 300-acre river park is the area's biggest draw, with concerts, cross-country meets, trails and the Shinzen Friendship Garden. See our Fort Washington neighborhood guide for more nearby.

  • Lewis S. Eaton Trail

    Access at Fort Washington Rd and N Friant Rd

    The road that shares the club's name is a listed access point for this river trail, which runs about 4 miles between Woodward Park and the Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies.

  • Copper River Country Club

    2140 E Clubhouse Dr, Copper River Ranch

    The area's other private club, at the center of Copper River Ranch. Its operators bought it in late 2024.

  • Copper River Marketplace

    Maple & Copper

    Granville's shopping center, opened in March 2023, is the newest retail close to the course.

Homes

Living near the course

Along the course

Homes.com names a gated subdivision, "Country Club at the Fort," by the club, and the club's course guide notes estate homes along the right side of the 9th hole.

City or county

The clubhouse and most of the homes around the course are inside the City of Fresno. Just south is the Fort Washington census-designated place, 108 homes on about 79 acres of unincorporated county land, covered in our Fort Washington guide. Check each address.

Age, lots and HOA

Homes.com describes Country Club at the Fort as gated; construction years, lot sizes, HOA dues and Mello-Roos are not documented for these tracts. Check each listing and the tax bill.

Membership

The sources we found don't tie club membership to any home or tract. If membership matters to your search, ask the club directly.

New homes nearby

The closest new construction is north of Copper Ave in Copper River Ranch, where Trumark and Granville are building.

Location

Getting around, and schools

Freeways

SR 41 is the nearest freeway, reached by Friant Rd or Fort Washington Rd. Exit 135 (Friant Rd/Blackstone Ave) is signed for Millerton Lake, and exit 134 (Herndon Ave) connects to SR 99.

Distances

In a straight line from the Fort Washington county island, about 0.3 miles south of the clubhouse: Clovis city center about 4.9 miles, Fresno Yosemite International Airport about 7.5 miles and downtown Fresno about 10 miles. Driving is longer.

Shopping

Copper River Marketplace at Maple & Copper, and River Park at Blackstone & Nees.

Schools

The area is in Clovis Unified. For the county island, a 2021–22 district map cited by Wikipedia lists Liberty Elementary, Kastner Intermediate and Clovis West High. Homes around the course cover a wider area, so check each address on the CUSD boundary map. Boundaries change, so confirm any address with the district.

Map of Fort Washington Golf & Country Club, California, outlining the area this guide covers Fort Washington Golf & Country Club Friant Rd Fort Washington Rd 1Clubhouse 2Fort Washington (Census area)
  1. 1Clubhouse
  2. 2Fort Washington (Census area)
Gold outline: the golf course and the homes within about 500 feet of it. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors; local streets from the U.S. Census Bureau. Open in Google Maps
History

From sand greens to state opens

The club formed in 1923 on 126 acres near the Fort Washington schoolhouse, and the first ball was hit on June 17 of that year. The club says its name was inspired by a pioneer-era fort. The Fresno County Library's index of historical sites backs that up with a Fort Washington site near Copper Ave and Fort Washington Rd, set up in 1850 as a ferry base and washed away in the 1852 flood.

The club took its current name, Fort Washington Golf and Country Club, in 1970 and built a new clubhouse in 1991. Its tournament record includes 8 California State Opens, the 1992 Ben Hogan Tour Fresno Open and the 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur, which it co-hosted with San Joaquin Country Club. Since its centennial it has hosted Fresno State's men's and women's college events.

  1. 1850A Fort Washington site is set up near the San Joaquin River as a ferry base.
  2. 1852A flood washes the site away.
  3. 1923The club forms on 126 acres; the first ball is hit on June 17.
  4. 1970The club takes the name Fort Washington Golf and Country Club.
  5. 1991A new clubhouse is built.
  6. 1992The club hosts the Ben Hogan Tour Fresno Open.
  7. 2001It co-hosts the U.S. Mid-Amateur with San Joaquin Country Club.
  8. 2010The Census counts the Fort Washington area just south of the club for the first time.
  9. 2023The club turns 100; Valley PBS releases its documentary on July 11.
  10. 2023Fresno State's Nick Watney Invitational is played here on September 25–26.
  11. 2026The women's Fresno State Classic is played here on March 2–3.
Club records

The club, by the numbers

1923year the first ball was hit
126acres the club started on
8California State Opens hosted
6,728yards from the longest tees (USGA)
72.8course rating, with a slope of 129
Worth knowing

Stories from the clubhouse

  • A designer from near St Andrews

    William Watson was born in 1860 in Kemback, Fife, about 8 miles from St Andrews. He emigrated in 1898 and designed more than 100 courses before he died in 1941.

  • Same years as the Olympic Club

    Golf historian Dean Knuth's list of Watson's work puts Fort Washington in 1923, a year before Watson's Lake and Ocean courses at San Francisco's Olympic Club and 2 years before Harding Park.

  • Sand greens first

    The first 9 holes had dirt fairways and sand greens. The course that hosts college events today grew from that start.

  • A pro tour stop

    In 1992 the club hosted the Ben Hogan Tour's Fresno Open, and in 2001 it shared the U.S. Mid-Amateur with San Joaquin Country Club.

  • 100 years on film

    Valley PBS released "Fort Washington Country Club: 100 Years" on July 11, 2023, to mark the centennial.

FAQ

Fort Washington Golf & Country Club questions

Is Fort Washington Golf & Country Club public or private?

Private. Wikipedia and GolfN list it as a private club, and its website does not offer public tee times. The club offers memberships and hosts private events such as weddings, banquets and corporate outings.

When was Fort Washington Golf & Country Club founded?

In 1923. The first ball was hit on June 17, 1923, on a 9-hole course with dirt fairways and sand greens. The club took its current name in 1970.

Who designed the Fort Washington course?

William Watson, a course architect born near St Andrews, Scotland, who designed more than 100 courses, including the Olympic Club's Lake and Ocean courses in San Francisco.

How long is the course?

It is an 18-hole, par-72 course. Totals from the club's scorecard run from about 5,640 to 6,730 yards, and the USGA figures are 6,728 yards with a 72.8 rating and 129 slope.

What tournaments has Fort Washington hosted?

The California State Open 8 times, the 1992 Ben Hogan Tour Fresno Open, the 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur (co-hosted with San Joaquin Country Club), Fresno State's Nick Watney Invitational in 2023 and the Fresno State Classic in 2026.

Is the club in the City of Fresno or the county?

The clubhouse at 10272 N Millbrook Ave is inside the City of Fresno, about 0.3 miles north of the Fort Washington census-designated place, which is unincorporated Fresno County. Check any home by address.

Are there homes on the course?

Yes. The club notes estate homes along the right side of the 9th hole, and the gated "Country Club at the Fort" subdivision sits near the course. Check each listing for HOA and tax details.

Buying or selling here

Thinking about Fort Washington?

Baylen and Chris can find homes on and near the course, check whether an address is in the city or the county island, and help you price and sell a home here.

See homes for sale in Fort WashingtonSee sold homes in Fort WashingtonWhat's my home worth?Call or text 559-213-7734

Trafton Home Team, brokered by Real (DRE #02022092). Baylen Trafton, DRE #02026482.

Sources and photo credits