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Potomac
Polo Club was founded in 1951 (and became a USPA
club in 1956) when Frank Willson started
Washington Polo Club at Brook Manor Country Club
in Olney, Maryland. A single team, the Washington
Squires, consisting of Willson, John Keeler,
Walter Cunningham and Don Bradley, played against
other East Coast teams until 1958. A new
idea was born. Seventeen local polo fans,
including Frank Stallone, Willson and Bob Beer,
got together and built an arena on a piece of
property owned by Dick Moran, on Travilah Road in
Potomac. Inadvertently, they created the
"toast of the town". Complete with box
seats, an announcer and weekly cocktail
receptions, there was no better Friday evening
entertainment anywhere.
Under
the tutelage of Vinnie Rizzo a 5-goal player and
Dave Widener, a 2-goal player from South Carolina,
polo skill increased and the need for an outdoor
field became apparent. After five years of playing
in an arena, it was time to move out into the wide
open spaces. Tommy Dowd, a lawyer and aspiring
player, owned the adjoining property to the Moran
estate. With the help of seventeen stockholders,
the first outdoor field was was built and played
on faithfully until 1980.
Throughout
the '60s, polo was a popular sport in Washington,
often attracting over a thousand fans to a single
match. "We had a very good time, Frank
Willson commented. "Lots of families would
watch the game as we played on our $200 ponies.
Today the ponies are much more expensive and
experienced, and the level of play much higher
goal."
Joe
Muldoon, Jr. was the catalyst in bringing a higher
level of polo to Potomac. Due to failing health,
Tommy Dowd sold the Travilah property in 1980.
Joe, who was then traveling the East Coast with
his family polo team (Gone Away Farm), decided he
didn't want to see the sport die in Potomac.
Throughout the 1980's the Muldoon family brought
the club to even higher levels, with up to 40 goal
matches at the Potomac Polo Club. Joe
Muldoon, Jr., sons Charles and Joe III and
daughter Mary Louise were the first and only all
family team to win a National USPA
tournament. In it's
heyday, Joe Muldoon, Jr. created nine polo fields and
seated thousands of spectators for large
matches. Members of the Muldoon family and
the Potomac Polo Club have gone on to play polo in
the USA and abroad at the highest levels and have
competed in and captured many of the most prestigious
championships within the sport..
Today,
Potomac Polo Club is located in Poolesville, MD on
Beallsville Road and is owned and operated by
3-goal player, Joseph Muldoon III. It is the
14th oldest member club of the United States Polo
Association, among almost 300 active clubs. Regular
matches are held each weekend. The Potomac
Polo School, the oldest continually operated polo
school in the USA, was founded by Joseph Muldoon
III and is now owned and operated by his talented
sister, Mary Muldoon. The school offers
weekly classes and two-day intensive clinics in
May and October.
The
Potomac Polo Club continues to be recognized
throughout the polo world and attracts many
high-goal and international players from countries
such as Argentina, Canada, Chile, England and
Mexico, as well as celebrities for our scheduled
matches, receptions and parties - many of which
benefit charities, non-profit organizations, and
other worthy causes. There is not a more
distinguished nor better
place to play polo in the Washington DC metro area
than at the Potomac
Polo Club. We welcome you to share the polo
experience with us. |
