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| length1 = {{convert|6846|yd}}
| rating1 = 73.5
| slope1 = 149 <ref name=ncrdbmrea>{{cite web|url=http://ncrdb.usga.org/NCRDB/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=7834|publisher=United States Golf Association|title=National Course Rating Database: Merion GC, East Course|
| record1 =
| course2 = West Course
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| length2 = {{convert|5989|yd|m}}
| rating2 = 69.2
| slope2 = 122 <ref name=ncrdbmrwa>{{cite web|url=http://ncrdb.usga.org/NCRDB/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=7835|publisher=United States Golf Association|title=National Course Rating Database: Merion GC, West Course|
| record2 =
| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP
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| architect = [[Hugh Irvine Wilson]]
| architecture = Colonial Revival
| designated_nrhp_type = April 27, 1992<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2080&ResourceType=District|title=Merion Golf Club|
| added = December 21, 1989
| governing_body = Private
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Hugh Wilson had never designed a golf course, so he went on a seven-month trip to [[Scotland]] and [[England]] to study British courses. Several features of Merion East are derived from famous British courses, not the least of which are Merion's distinctive Scottish-style bunkers, which are now known as the "white faces of Merion" (named by top amateur player [[Chick Evans]]). Wilson's layout covers only {{convert|126|acre|km2}} of land, a very small area for a golf course. It was ranked 5th in ''[[Golf Digest]]'''s "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses" in 2015, and [[Jack Nicklaus]] has said of Merion East, "Acre for acre, it may be the best test of golf in the world."
Wilson's designs were the first courses designed to provide both significant penalties (in terms of hazards and boundaries) for deviation from lines of play, and multiple possible means for reaching the pin from the tee. The West Course in particular is relatively little altered from Wilson's design, while the East Course has had alterations made to accommodate the widening of Ardmore Avenue. The club was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1992 for its contribution to these innovations in the sport.<ref name="nhlnom">{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|89002085}}|title=NHL nomination for Merion Golf Club|publisher=National Park Service|
Merion has held 18 [[United States Golf Association]] (USGA) championship tournaments, more than any other course. The first two, the 1904 and 1909 [[U.S. Women's Amateur]]s, were held at the original Haverford course. The first USGA men's tournament held at the East Course was the 1916 [[U.S. Amateur]], won by [[Chick Evans]]. This was also the first time [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]] appeared in a national championship; he was 14 years old. Jones would win his first U.S. Amateur in 1924, also held at Merion.
===Bobby Jones completes Grand Slam===
In 1930, the U.S. Amateur returned to Merion in late September. Earlier that year, Bobby Jones had won the [[The Amateur Championship|British Amateur]], [[1930 Open Championship|British Open]], and [[1930 U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]], so anticipation was high to see if he could complete the sweep of all four [[Men's major golf championships|major championships]] of the time,<ref name=lb30mer>{{cite web|url=http://www.usga.org/news/2013/May/Looking-Back--1930-U-S--Amateur-At-Merion/|publisher=United States Golf Association |last=Alvarez |first=Robert |title=Looking Back...1930 U.S. Amateur at Merion |date=May 22, 2013|
===Hogan's comeback from accident===
[[File:HoganMerion.jpg|thumb]]
Merion's [[1950 U.S. Open (golf)|1950 U.S. Open]] was the site of [[Ben Hogan|Ben Hogan's]] comeback, 16 months after a head-on collision with a bus which shattered his pelvis and nearly killed him.<ref name=lb50mer>{{cite web|url=http://www.usga.org/news/2013/May/Looking-Back--1950-U-S--Open-At-Merion/|publisher=United States Golf Association|last=Trostel|first=Michael|title=Looking Back...1950 U.S. Open at Merion|date=May 28, 2013|
===Trevino defeats Nicklaus===
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===Strengthened course tests new generation===
[[File:Merion 18.jpg|thumb|left|The 18th green and clubhouse. Note the [[wicker]] basket on top of the pin.]]
Following [[David Graham (golfer)|David Graham]]'s win at the U.S. Open at Merion in [[1981 U.S. Open (golf)|1981]], it was felt by many that the relatively short course of about {{convert|6500|yd|-1}}, small course area of {{convert|111|acre}} (which limits gallery size), and lack of grounds to hold corporate tents and other infrastructure would preclude Merion from holding a major again.<ref name=msfuor>{{cite web|url=http://www.usga.org/news/2013/April/Merion-G-C--Set-For-U-S--Open-Return/ |publisher=United States Golf Association |last=Shefter |first=David |title=Merion set for U.S. Open return |date=April 30, 2013|
[[Justin Rose]] captured his first major by posting a score of one-over-par 281 for 72 holes, good for a two-stroke victory over [[Phil Mickelson]] and [[Jason Day]]. Most of the players who competed in the 2013 Open had very high praise for the course, which featured long, difficult rough following a wet spring. The lowest 18-hole score for the tournament was three-under-par 67, posted by several players, including Mickelson. The course held up very well as a premium test of golf, in spite of pre-tournament worries from some golf media people that many low scores would be posted by the modern generation of players.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/golf/usopen13/story/_/id/9393523/the-real-us-open-winner-was-merion-golf-club-golf |title=Merion proves tough a test as hoped |first=Farrell |last=Evans |work=ESPN |date=June 16, 2013 |
===Wicker baskets===
On the East Course, all pins are topped with [[wicker]] baskets instead of the usual flags (which are used on the West Course).<ref name=Achenbach>{{cite web|url=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2013/06/13/merion-weaves-its-wicker-baskets-golf-history/ |title=Merion weaves its wicker baskets into golf history |first=James |last=Achenbach |website=Golfweek |date=June 13, 2013 |
The pin markers at Merion East have several other unique features. At {{convert|7|ft|6|in|m}}, including the {{convert|14|in|cm|adj=mid|-high}} baskets, they are {{convert|6|in|cm}} taller than standard flagsticks. The poles are solid metal instead of the standard fiberglass, and the baskets themselves are colored red on the first nine holes and orange on the second nine. Interestingly, the 1950 U.S. Open was the only USGA championship held at Merion East in which the pins were marked with flags instead of wicker baskets. In 2013, club historian John Capers indicated that he did not know the reason for the substitution, but speculated that it came about because a player in the previous year's U.S. Women's Amateur, held on the same course, was unnerved when her ball bounced off a basket during match play.<ref name=Achenbach/>
Up until around 1980, the wicker baskets were made on site by a member of the grounds crew staff. Since then, a woman, whose name and location in South Carolina are purposely kept anonymous, creates the current baskets.<ref name=bcpoml>{{cite news |url=http://www.usamateur.org/2005/news/baskets.html |publisher=USGA |title=Basket catch: part of Merion's lore is the club's unique flagsticks|last=Miceli |first=Alex|year=2005 |
==Tournaments at Merion==
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