The Hurlingham Club is where the Argentine Triple Crown begins, and where the sport’s past and present collide. Located in the suburb of Hurlingham, approximately 25 kilometres west of central Buenos Aires, Argentina, the club was founded by British settlers in the late 19th century and named after the Hurlingham Club in London, which codified the rules of polo in 1874. British immigrants brought the sport to the Argentine Pampas, and Argentina took it and made it the best in the world. The Hurlingham Club, with its English name and its Argentine excellence, is the living embodiment of that story.
The club operates 4 polo fields and holds up to 8,000 spectators for the Hurlingham Open, the first leg of the Triple Crown, played each September and October. Like Tortugas Country Club, the 8,000-capacity ground creates an intimate atmosphere that larger venues cannot match. Spectators are close to the action, and the sound of 40-goal polo at close range, hooves striking turf, the crack of mallets, the controlled chaos of horses turning at speed, fills the air.
The grounds were established in the 1880s when British railway engineers and merchants formed one of Argentina’s earliest sporting clubs, and the polo fields have been used for the sport continuously since those founding years. In late September, the Buenos Aires spring is still settling. Days can be warm and dry, but storms are real, and a sudden deluge can transform the surface overnight. The club’s drainage infrastructure is designed for exactly this, and the grounds staff work quickly between rounds. By final day, the surface is reliable regardless of what has preceded it.
Beyond polo, the Hurlingham Club operates as a full country club: cricket, tennis, swimming, and social facilities spread across the estate, serving roughly 3,500 family members. This multi-sport character gives the Open a community feel that differs from the more purely polo-focused Tortugas Country Club. During Open week, the broader membership mingles with dedicated polo families who travel to every Triple Crown match. The atmosphere in the clubhouse after a match, under jacaranda trees blooming purple across the grounds in October, is specific to this place.
The venue carries weight beyond its physical dimensions. This is where the Triple Crown season opens. What happens at Hurlingham in late September sets the competitive landscape for the entire three-month campaign. Teams reveal their combinations here. Rivalries are reignited. The storylines that will play out through the Tortugas Open and culminate at the Argentine Open at Campo Argentino de Polo begin on these fields. A strong start at Hurlingham builds the kind of confidence that feeds on itself; a poor start creates pressure that compounds with every match.
Hurlingham is in the America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires timezone at UTC-3 year-round. A 16:00 final throw-in translates to 19:00 in London, 20:00 in Central Europe, 15:00 in New York, and 04:00 the following day in Tokyo. For viewers in Sydney, the 05:00 AEST start in late September is demanding but possible. Check whatisthetime.now/buenos-aires for current local time in Argentina.
The Hurlingham Open has been won by the sport’s greatest players. Pablo Mac Donough has 9 titles here. Adolfo Cambiaso has won multiple times with La Dolfina and its successor organisations. The grass surfaces are well-maintained, and the Buenos Aires spring weather in late September provides comfortable conditions for both horses and players. It is a modest venue by capacity standards, especially compared to the Cathedral at Palermo, but its significance to the Triple Crown season is immense. Everything starts at Hurlingham.