Wildwood Golf Club sits 12 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh on land long farmed by the Herr family since the 1840s; portions of that family remain buried in Herr Chapel Cemetery near the 12th tee. In 1927 the Herrs sold 169 acres to a group led by George Wittmer and his brother‑in‑law Dr. W. B. Ray, who commissioned Emil “Dutch” Loeffler—then Oakmont’s head pro and superintendent—to design and construct Pittsburgh’s first 18‑hole course in the booming North Hills, which they opened as Wildwood Country Club. With a finely crafted course, an attractive stone clubhouse still in use, and other amenities, the club quickly prospered and counted more than 350 members by the summer of 1930. Its national prominence was sealed in August 1939 when Wildwood hosted the inaugural Dapper Dan Golf Tournament, a $10,000‑purse event that attracted leading pros such as Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Gene Sarazen; Ralph Guldahl won the $2,500 first prize after an 18‑hole Monday playoff against Sarazen and Denny Shute—the only three‑way PGA playoff in which all participants had each won at least three major championships.