Congressional opened in 1924 as a nine hole course. The nine (which is the present day Blue Course front nine) was designed by Devereux Emmet. Emmet expanded the course to 18 holes in the early 1930s, but that nine later was split off in 1957 to form part of the club's Gold Course. George Fazio and Tom Fazio designed the final nine holes of the Gold Course in 1977. In 2000, the course got a complete renovation by Arthur Hills.
The Gold Course has always been the shorter course in comparison to the Blue Course. The 2000, Arthur Hills renovation included lengthen the course, reconstructing the tees, fairways, greens, and cart paths. The course is now as challenging as the Blue Course. It ranked 5th Greatest Golf Course in the state of Maryland according to Golf Digest Greatest Golf Courses in 2007. The Gold Course now measures 6,844 yards from the back tees. It is a par 71 with a slope rating of 73.6/135.