THE GOLF COURSES OF NEW ENGLAND
WRITTEN
BY
JAMES SITAR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK KOENIG
FOREWORD
A! a !#$ #% $&' &$()a$d , I feel great affection for this part of the country. Start with its history, particularly that of the early European settlers and the communities they created in the New World and later the colonists who led the breakaway from the British and birthed a nation.
The natural beauty of the region is also something to behold— from the mountainous woodlands of Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and sun-drenched beaches of Connecticut and Rhode Island to cultural and commercial hubs like Boston, Portland and Burlington.
I also admire the hardworking people of New England and the rugged individualism they possess. Its denizens tend to be a frugal, modest breed. Taciturn, too, and generally not given to wild bursts of emotions. But as the British discovered during America’s War of Independence, they are not afraid to rise up if their lives and livelihoods are threatened in any significant way.
Then, there is the golf.
In many ways, New England is the cradle of the game in America. It is where many of the first golf associations in the country were established in the late 1800s. And the Scottish immigrant professionals who toiled at those places, such as Willie Campbell, Willie Anderson, and Willie Davis, helped grow the game by teaching people the rules of golf and how to swing a niblick or brassie.
The area is also home to some of the most influential and intriguing tracks in the U.S. Many of those were designed by Golden Age greats such as Donald Ross, William Flynn, Walter Travis, and Seth Raynor. But modern maestros like Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, and Gil Hanse have made their marks as well.
In addition, New England has produced a slew of top players,
World Golf Hall of Famers: Francis Ouimet, Julius Boros, and Glenna Collett-Vare to name but three. And as a place for the competitive game, it has few peers. The inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open were staged on successive days at the Newport Country Club in October 1895, for example. And by the end of 2024, the USGA had held 86 of its national championships on 30 different sites in New England, including 11 U.S. Opens. The Ryder Cup was first contested in 1927 at the Worchester Country Club in central Massachusetts. And the USGA has seen fit to organize three Walker Cups in the region. Two of those were at Brookline (in 1932, with Ouimet serving as a playing captain for the U.S. squad, and 1973) and a third in 1953 at Kittansett Club.
The area also happens to be where I played golf for the first time, as a teenager on the Seth Raynor-designed track at the Country Club of Fairfield in southwest Connecticut. It did not take long for me to fall hard for the royal and ancient game.
The Scottish burg of St Andrews may be the home of golf. But New England is my golf home.
It was the setting of the course at Fairfield that first appealed to me. Raynor had routed his layout on a rather snug, 100-acre tract bordered to the south by Long Island Sound and the west by an estuary. Much of that land had been a malodorous marsh before the architect filled it with soil he had shipped across Long Island Sound on barges, and most of the site was as flat as a ball marker. But the track nonetheless boasted plenty of character, thanks to well-positioned bunkers and fairways and greens that featured subtle humps and bumps. Raynor also crafted a couple of holes along a ridge on the east side of the property that overlooked the rest of the course as well as the waterways that abutted it.
The linksy, Old World character of what essentially was a treeless course when it fully opened for play in 1921 wowed me as well, and so did the template holes that Raynor had fashioned on the property, among them Bottle and Plateau as well as Eden and Redan. The wind was often up, which meant that golfers were often compelled to be creative with their shots. And it was an easy track to walk.
The Country Club of Fairfield could not have provided a better introduction to the sport, and the more I played it, the more I came to appreciate other aspects of the game, from course design and agronomy to the intricacies of match-play.
It was a wonderful education, and I found that the more I teed it up in other parts of the golf world, the deeper my knowledge appreciation of the sport became.
Not surprisingly, New England was a favorite place for field trips. There were games at classic seaside gems such as the Kittansett in Marion, Massachusetts; the Misquamicut Club in Watch Hill, Rhode Island; and Sankaty Head Golf Club on Nantucket island. And matches at deftly routed inland tracks, like Ekwanok in Manchester, Vermont, and Old Sandwich in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Those adventures exposed me to the
work of the game’s greatest course designers as well as to the history of golf and how it grew and prospered in this part of the world. In time, the game became almost all-consuming. It was not only the increasing number of rounds I recorded each year but also the leadership positions I came to assume at CC of Fairfield, first as a member of the men’s golf committee and then as its chairman. A stint as chairman of the greens committee followed soon after, and while I found the in-fighting and back-biting that were inherent parts of those roles distressing, I still relished the many ways they allowed to immerse myself further in golf.
The same can be said about the caddie scholarship trust I helped create and then run at Fairfield and the very meaningful ways that organization impacted the lives of local loopers.
Then, I started writing full-time about the sport, happily leaving behind the worlds of business and politics I had been covering for a beat that felt nobler and much more agreeable.
Twenty-five years later, I continue to write regularly about golf as I also manage to accrue some 60 or 70 rounds a year. It’s been a great gig that has enabled me to cover on 33 major championships, including 22 Masters; report on developments and trends in course design on five continents; savor the hospitality of some of the finest destinations in the world, from Turnberry to Tasmania and back again; and spend meaningful time with some of the most interesting characters in the game, whether hunting quail with Davis Love III in the Georgia low country or dove with Craig Stadler in Argentina; hanging out with Willie Nelson on his bus; hitching a ride from Waterville Golf Club to Shannon Airport on Hugh Grant’s helicopter in southwest Ireland; and playing a nine-hole rounds inside the walls of a palace owned by the King of Morocco.
As I think of these grand adventures, I am reminded that all I have been able to experience in the game has flowed out of New England, beginning with those first rounds at Fairfield and continuing with those trips I took—and still take—to the region’s best courses and clubs. It has given me so much.
—JOHN STEINBREDER
The Country Club of Fairfield
PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE
My favorite place to be in the world is on a golf course. ere is something about being among the nely manicured grass that gives me a great sense of joy. It is not just the grass, but all of the surroundings.. the history, the architecture, the crisp morning dew or the nal glimpses of a sunset splashing across the fairway that inspire me to preserve the moment. Photographing started as a way for me to take those moments and the golf course home with me. Over time, it has turned into a career, and one of the greatest joys of my life.
When I look at a golf course, I always start to nd out what makes this golf course special and then gure out how to capture that in a photograph. It might be something simple—like a unique depression in the middle of the green—or it might be something more signi cant like a body of water that borders the golf course. Every golf course has something special about it, and the courses featured in this book have an abundance of outstanding characteristics.
As I selected these photographs that were taken over a period of 7 or 8 years, it is a true pleasure to see how I have progressed as a photographer. My earlier photos focus more on subject and composition, while my later e orts add in an insatiable desire for spectacular lighting. My technical expertise and attention to detail has also expanded greatly and while it might not be obvious to the viewer, the task of composing this selection of photographs turned into a time line of my progression over the years. It was a great pleasure to compose this group of photographs that I am quite proud of.
e photographs of e Golf Courses of New England have been especially remarkable for several reasons. e variety and history is some of the most robust in the country. ere are so many interesting features and golf courses in New England that you simply will not nd anywhere else. e quality of architecture and the ambiance of New England is truly special. In this book, you will nd my best attempts to share that special feeling with you.
—PATRICK KOENIG
August 2024
MASSACHUSETTS
Ma!!a+,-!&..! /! ',&0& $&' &$()a$d 1&(a$ . As the largest state (ahem, not a state, but a “commonwealth”) in the region, with the longest history, the greatest amount of industry, it sits at the unofficial head of the table. Suffice to say, it’s a good place for us to start.
As golf grew in the U.S., its centers were around New York City and Boston. These cities, steeped in shipping commerce, looked eastward to Britain culturally well after the American Revolution. Like all of the English town names that cover “New England,” the inhabitants here were still often under the influence of British culture. It’s no wonder that the game of golf was largely imported through these two ports.
Though Massachusetts is home to some of America’s most passionate (and aggressive and annoying) sports fans, it’s also home to many who made significant contributions to golf in America. As we’ll see, The Country Club (Brookline) is the origin of many firsts, host of many tournaments, and forger of many important relationships. Other clubs in the early days of American golf, including Myopia Hunt Club and Essex County Club, played formative roles as well.
Many great golfers come from Massachusetts, including the legendary Curtis Sisters (namesakes of the Curtis Cup), the hard-toforget Francis Ouimet, the legendary Pat Bradley, as well as Bob Toski, Scott Stallings, Tim Petrovic, Peter Uihlein, Megan Khang, James Driscoll, Michael Thorbjornsen, and Alexa Pano. Even though you’ve heard Paul Azinger’s Southern accent over countless hours, he’s actually a son of Massachusetts (he moved to Florida sometime before finishing high school). Massachusetts is also where the great golf writer Herbert Warren Wind is from, and where Donald Ross lived when he first arrived in the U.S., and where we introduced countless Americans to high-quality golf design.
Golf across Massachusetts is ridiculously good, not just around Boston. The western hills are home to Taconic and GreatHorse. The sandy, seaside soil of Cape Cod has yielded a number of outstanding courses, among them Kittansett and Eastward Ho! (We’ll explain the exclamation point later.) And golf on the islands—especially Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard—are a special treat. But first, on the next page, let’s show you all of the courses in Massachusetts, with the ones we’ll visit in red.
131. Heritage Country Club
132. Hickory Hill Golf Course
133. Hickory Ridge Country Club 134. Hidden Hollow Country Club
135. Highfields Golf and Country Club 136. Highland Country Club 137. Highland Links Golf Course
138. Hillcrest Country Club
139. Hillside Country Club 140. Hillview Country Club 141. Holden Hills Country Club 142. Holly Ridge Golf Club 143. Holyoke Country Club 144. Hopedale Country Club 145. Hopkinton Country Club
146. Hyannis Golf Course
147. Hyannisport Club
148. Indian Meadows Golf Course
149. Indian Pond Country Club
150. Indian Ridge Country Club
151. International Golf Club
152. Ipswich Country Club
153. John F. Parker Golf Course
154. Juniper Hill Golf Course Inc
155. Kelley Greens Golf Course
156. Kernwood Country Club
157. Kettle Brook Golf Club
158. Lakeview Golf Course
159. Lakeville Golf Club
160. LeBaron Hills Country Club
161. Ledgemont Country Club
162. Ledges Golf Club
163. Leicester Country Club
164. Leo J. Martin Memorial GC
165. Lexington Golf Club
166. Little Harbor Country Club
167. Locust Valley Country Club
168. Longhi’s Driving Range
169. Longmeadow Country Club
170. Long Meadow Golf Club
171. Lost Brook Golf Club
172. Ludlow Country Club
173. Maplegate Country Club
174. Marion Golf Course
175. Marlborough Country Club
176. Marshfield Country Club
177. Maynard Golf Course
178. Meadow Brook Golf Club
179. Merrimack Valley Golf Club
180. MGA Links at Mamantapett
181. Miacomet Golf Club
182. Middlebrook Country Club
183. Middleton Golf Course
184. Milford Country Club
185. Mill Valley Golf Links
186. Millwood Golf Course
187. Milton Hoosic Club
188. Mink Meadows Golf Club
189. Monoosnock Country Club
190. Mount Hood Golf Course
191. Mount Pleasant Country Club
192. Mt Pleasant Golf Club
193. Myopia Hunt Club
194. Nabnasset Lake Country Club
195. Nantucket Golf Club
196. Nashawtuc Country Club
197. Needham Golf Club
198. Nehoiden Golf Club
199. New England Country Club
200. New Meadows Golf Course
201. Newton Commonwealth GC
202. Norfolk Golf Club
203. Northampton Country Club
204. North Andover Country Club
205. Northfield Golf Course
206. Northfields
207. North Hill Country Club
208. Norton Country Club
209. Norwood Country Club
210. Oak Hill Country Club
211. Oakley Country Club
212. Oak Ridge Golf Club
213. Oak Ridge Golf Course
214. Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
215. Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds GC
216. Olde Salem Greens Golf Course
217. Olde Scotland Links
218. Old Sandwich Golf Club
219. Ould Newbury Golf Club
220. Oyster Harbors Club
221. Pakachoag Golf Course
222. Patriot Golf Course
223. Paul Harney Golf Club
224. Pembroke Country Club
225. Pine Brook Country Club
226. Pinecrest Golf Club
227. Pine Grove Golf Club
228. Pinehills Golf Club
229. Pine Knoll Golf Course
230. Pine Meadows Golf Course
231. Pine Oaks Golf Course
232. Pine Ridge Country Club
233. Pine Valley Golf Club
234. Pleasant Valley Country Club
235. Plymouth Country Club
236. Pocasset Golf Club
237. Ponkapoag Golf Course
238. Pontoosuc Lake Country Club
239. Poquoy Brook Golf Club
240. Presidents Golf Course
241. Quaboag Country Club
242. Quail Hollow Country Club
243. Quail Ridge Country Club
244. Quashnet Valley Country Club
245. Red Tail Golf Club
246. Reedy Meadow Golf Course
247. Rehoboth Country Club
248. Renaissance Golf Club
249. Reservation Golf Club
250. Ridder Farm Golf Club
251. River Bend Country Club
252. Robert T. Lynch Municipal
253. Rochester Golf Club
254. Rockland Golf Course
255. Rockport Golf Club
256. Round Hill Community Golf Club
257. Royal Crest Country Club
258. Sagamore Spring Golf Club
259. Saint Anne Country Club
260. Salem Country Club
261. Sandwich Hollows Golf Club
262. Sandy Burr Country Club
263. Sankaty Head Golf Club
264. Sassamon Trace
265. Scituate Country Club
266. Segregansett Country Club
267. Settlers Crossing Golf Course
268. Shaker Farms Country Club
269. Shaker Hills Golf Club
270. Sharon Country Club
271. Shining Rock Golf Course
272. Siasconset (Old Sconset) GC
273. Skyline Country Club
274. Southampton Country Club
275. Southers Marsh Golf Club
276. South Shore Country Club
277. Southwick Country Club
278. Springfield Country Club
279. Spring Valley Country Club
280. Squirrel Run Golf & Country Club
281. St. Marks Golf Club
282. Sterling National Country Club
283. Stockbridge Golf Club
284. Stone-E-Lea Golf Club
285. Stoneham Oaks Golf Course
286. Stone Meadow Golf
287. Stonybrook Golf Course
288. Stow Acres Country Club
289. Stowaway Golf Course
290. Strawberry Valley Golf Course
291. Sun Valley Golf Course
292. Swansea Country Club
293. Swanson Meadows Golf Course
294. Taconic Golf Club
295. Tatnuck Country Club
296. Tedesco Country Club
297. Tekoa Country Club
298. Templewood Golf Course
299. Tewksbury Country Club
300. The Back Nine Club
301. The Bay Club at Mattapoisett
302. The Bay Pointe Club
303. The Black Swan Country Club
304. The Blandford Club
305. The Brookside Club
306. The Captains Golf Course
307. The Country Club at New Seabury
308. The Country Club (Brookline)
309. The Crosswinds Golf Club
310. The Golf Club at Southport
311. The Golf Club at Yarmouthport
312. The Harmon Club
313. The Kittansett Club
314. The Meadow at Peabody
315. The Orchards Golf Club
316. The Ranch Golf Club
317. The Ridge Club
318. The Woods of Westminster
319. Thomas Memorial Golf & Country Club
320. Thomson Country Club
321. Thorny Lea Golf Club
322. Touisset Country Club
323. Townsend Ridge Country Club
324. TPC Boston
325. Trull Brook Golf Course
326. Turner Hill Golf and Racquet Club
327. Twin Hills Country Club
328. Twin Springs Golf Course
329. Tyngsboro Country Club
330. Unicorn Golf Golf Course
331. Vesper Country Club
332. Veteran’s Memorial Golf Course
333. Village Links Golf Club
Wampatuck
Waverly
343. Weathervane Golf Club
344. Wedgewood Pines Country Club
345. Wellesley Country Club
346. Wenham Country Club
347. Wentworth Hills Golf Club
348. Westborough Country Club
349. Westminster Country Club
350. Weston Golf Club
351. Westover Municipal Golf Course
352. Whaling
354. White Pines Golf Course
355. Whitinsville Golf Club
356. Wianno Golf Club
357. Widow’s Walk Golf Course
358. William Devine GC at Franklin Park
359. Willowbend
360. Willowdale Golf Course
361. Winchendon Golf Course
362. Winchester Country Club
363. Winthrop Golf Club
364. Woburn Country Club
365. Wollaston Golf Club
366. Woodland Golf Club
367. Woods Hole Golf Club
368. Worcester Country Club
369. Worthington Golf Club
370. Wyantenuck Country Club
371. Wyckoff Country Club
THE COUNTRY CLUB
Brookline, MA • 1882
T,& +#-$.02 +)-1 is one of the oldest clubs in the U.S., and it’s one of five charter members of the USGA. As for why it was simply named “The Country Club,” when it was proposed in 1860—near the beginning of the Civil War—there were no other country clubs in the country, so there was no reason to differentiate it in name.
The club was founded to be a place for members to relax in the countryside … and to watch some horseracing. TCC founder James Murray Forbes, bought an existing racetrack and hotel (which would become the clubhouse), and the club was opened in 1882. The club had lawn tennis, bowling, a shooting range, and croquet, but horses remained the most popular attraction: with at least four different kinds of racing, as well as polo. Golf would only come 10 years later. While there are no horses or track today—the 1st and 18th fairways generally follow the inner curve of the original track—TCC boasts many sports, including tennis, platform paddle tennis, squash, swimming, curling, fitness, skeet shooting, ice skating, and hockey. About curling: TCC’s facility may be the first of its kind in the U.S. devoted to the sport.
A few members had the idea of creating a few golf holes, and play began in 1892. The very first shot attempted, by member Arthur Hunnewell, resulted in a hole-in-one. The onlookers, uninitiated to golf’s extreme difficulty, were reportedly nonplussed, thinking this must have been a normal result. It may be the worst reaction and reception to a hole-in-one in the history of golf. Willie Campbell was hired to be the club professional, and he laid out an additional nine holes, bringing the total to 18 in 1899. The course’s design would continue to evolve from a hodgepodge of members’ ideas. TCC’s member course may be the most stunning and influential course designed by many non-architects.
Speaking of members, some families go back six generations, but there is no pretense here: you’ll find more Subarus in the parking lot than BMWs. Given the size of the facilities, TCC can manage a much larger membership than its sister club, Myopia Hunt; there are over one thousand, with hundreds of additional national members.
The nine-hole Primrose course was designed by William Flynn, and it’s a lovely place to go out for a solo nine, or to bring a family member who’s learning the game, to enjoy the western part of this property. Four of the Primrose’s holes are included in the composite routing—its 1st and 2nd holes are combined into one longer par four—which has been used for major competitions since the 1957 U.S. Amateur. It’s common to hear people say that the composite
The very first shot at TCC, attempted, by member Arthur Hunnewell, resulted in a hole-in-one. The members watching were non-plussed.
course is much longer and demanding than the member course, and it’s difficult to beat the charm of the routing that members play daily. It’s a walking-only course, with special exception given only to those with an actual doctor’s note, medically requesting to ride in a cart. As a result, pace of play is a point of pride, and the use of caddies is essential. Typically, only twosomes are allowed before 8:15am, and you’re expected to scoot around in three hours or fewer, and caddies are mandatory until 1:30 in the afternoon. The author can vouch for the caddie crew, having been an alum of that ragtag bunch in the mid 2000s.
The 3rd hole—a longish par four with a fairway that dips and bends between two sizeable hills right at the landing area—was purportedly Arnold Palmer’s favorite par four in the world.
The 11th, a long par five, is appropriately called Himalayas, as it gains and loses elevation several times, playing over a large ridge of exposed granite, dropping down toward a creek, and then steeply uphill to a green guarded by ample rough for the last 60 yards of approach.
The 17th hole is a famous dogleg left par four, which is where Francis Ouimet settled the famous U.S. Open playoff in 1913, and where Justin Leonard made a long, uphill putt to seal the U.S.’s comeback in the 1999 Ryder Cup.
TCC has hosted 17 USGA championships, more than all but one other club. Most famously, the 1913 U.S. Open, won by amateur Francis Ouimet, a caddie who lived across the street, which began the golf boom in America; the 1999 Ryder Cup that featured the U.S. team’s dramatic Sunday comeback. The club has also hosted two U.S. Women’s Amateurs (1902, 1941), six U.S. Amateurs (1910, 1922,
The Country Club’s course grew in several stages, so it’s not the result of any one architect. The first six holes were laid out by three club members in March 1893.
1934, 1957, 1982, 2013), a Girls Junior Amateur (1953), two Walker Cups (1932, 1973), and four U.S. Opens (1913, 1963, 1988, 2022).
While the course was built by members and the early Club professionals, a number of golf course architects have left their mark on the property over the last century through consulting, designing and restoring— notably, Walter Travis, Donald Ross, William Flynn, and Geoffrey Cornish touched the course between 1913 and 1963. The course was updated by Rees Jones before the 1988 U.S. Open, and since 2006, Gil Hanse has been the Club’s consulting architect and has worked closely with TCC to renovate and restore the course for the 2013 U.S. Amateur, 2022 U.S. Open, and future championships. A course that was already great has become even better.
The yellow clapboard clubhouse is an old hotel and farmhouse, which was renovated to become an elegant building with dining, card and billiard rooms, and accommodations for those who wished to sleep over. In the grill room, an oil painting of Francis Ouimet looks over the diners. There’s a wood-paneled library and many small rooms on the first and second floors, whose walls each carry the story of TCC’s history. You can admire an original Stimpmeter, which was invented by TCC member Edward Stimpson.
The locker rooms and golf shop are in a separate brick building, featuring a double-decker men’s locker room, lined with old metal lockers. It was through a second-story window where the U.S. Ryder Cup team famously crawled and celebrated their epic comeback victory in 1999, on the roof of the bar area. Speaking of the bar, this is where the famous bartender Fernando made his signature drink. It doesn’t get much better than sipping a Fernando out on the patio, watching matches come down to the 18th green. Stick to just one Fernando, and you’ll still feel it; go for a second, call a car and good luck.
MYOPIA HUNT CLUB
South Hamilton, MA • 1894
I! a +)/+,& .# !a2 that some country clubs can make you feel like you’re stepping back in time, but if one place earns that moniker more than any other, it’s Myopia Hunt.
The Myopia Hunt Club was founded by nine people—all former players on the Harvard baseball team, including four Prince brothers with notably poor eyesight—in 1875. Despite being a slight minority of founders, the club was named after their troubles with vision.
In 1882, some members wanted to move the club closer to Boston. But they didn’t move: they split. Some Myopia members broke off and founded The Country Club, just southwest of Boston, in 1882, and the Myopia Club itself moved to a much larger property in South Hamilton: it’s current and third location. TCC founders wanted to incorporate fox hunting in Brookline, but this proved too difficult, so they instead re-founded Myopia as Myopia Hunt Club, in its current location. Myopia Hunt was primarily focused on … hunting. The club also constructed a polo field in 1888, and it’s now one of the oldest continually running polo fields in the country. To this day, it’s not uncommon to see a horse and rider out somewhere on the property.
Golf originated here at the club in 1894, after members witnessed the game at The Country Club, 30 miles south, in Brookline. As with most early courses in the U.S., the course evolved slowly over time. R.M. Appleton laid out nine holes. Today’s course was designed and modified by Herbert C. Leeds, who worked at the club for over 30 years.
The course features small greens, challenging elevation changes, and deep bunkers that are often hidden from view. The avid golfer, President Taft—who summered in nearby Beverly while in office— got stuck in one on the 10th hole, and draft horses had to pull him out. The fescue is remarkably thick, as it hasn’t been burned in many years … some say not in 100 years.
Myopia was the only golf course to have two holes on Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Holes in America ” list (compiled by Tom Doak in 1986).
The 1st hole, an uphill dogleg par four, features a blind tee shot. When you stand on the 1st green, which is perched atop a hill, much of the course open up for view. The par-five 2nd rewards you with a downhill tee shot, but a blind approach awaits, with a trench-like bunker that can gobble up a second shot you had hoped would run up to the green. The par-four 4th is often cited as a great hole: a slight dogleg left with plenty of trouble left. The 9th hole, Pond, is a very short par three with a very small, narrow green (perhaps only 10 yards wide), guarded by deep bunkers. The 4th and 9th holes were both named Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Holes in America (compiled by Tom Doak, 1986); Myopia was the only course to have two holes on that list.
Myopia hosted the U.S. Open four times arpund the turn of the century (1898, 1901, 1905, 1908). The winning score in 1901 of 331 (an average of almost 83 strokes per round) is still the highest total winning score in U.S. Open history. Not a single player broke 80 in any of the four rounds that year. The final day fell on a Friday, and there was a tie at the top, which would require a playoff, but the playoff participants had to wait until Monday, as Saturdays and Sundays were reserved for members.
There’s still hunting here, but it’s drag hunt style, meaning no live foxes anymore.
Yellow clapboard clubhouse has an old-fashioned bar and men’s locker room. This converted farmhouse wraps around the putting green, has low ceilings, screen doors, and a self-serve bar with brass footrests, with private liquor lockers for members. Its locker room, housed in a separate building, is the original. The locker room has remarkably tall ceilings, letting in lots of natural light. A golden eagle is perched above the bathroom entrance and contrasts well with the dark wood lockers and red carpeting.
Famed novelist John Updike was a longtime member of Myopia Hunt Club. Gil Hanse restored the course in 2011.
ESSEX COUNTY CLUB
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA • 1893
E!!&3 /! a !.#0/&d +)-1 , situated on equally fantastic land, that can boast one of Donald Ross’s greatest designs.
Ross was the head pro, superintendent, and architect at the Essex County Club from 1909 to 1917, and he redesigned the nine existing holes and expanded the course to 18. The house he lived in from 1909 to 1913 sits on the edge of the property, just 10 feet from the 15th tee. Perhaps only Pinehurst #2 can claim to have had Ross’s attention longer. Essex is Ross’s first great design, and when you consider how he used this remarkably undulating property, it’s not a stretch to consider it to be actually his best.
Founded in 1893, the club had the first nine-hole course in New England. When the five charter members of the USGA started inviting additional clubs to join, Essex County Club received their first invitation.
The course is known for its wild greens and design variety. The par-five 3rd’s green is thought to be the oldest existing green in the U.S., and it features a submerged “bathtub” feature in the left center of the green. The 11th hole is often cited as one of the best uphill par threes in the U.S.: a semi-Redan green that is said to resemble the deck of a sinking ship, with punitive bunkers left and right. The par-four 17th hole, which plays 72 vertical feet up a steep granite hill to a blind green approach, creates late-round drama, as does the 18th: a downhill par-four, with a fairway that snakes its way through two massive hills, and is easily one of the most picturesque par fours in New England. When Ross was around, this was the 4th hole, but it’s safe to say it makes for a perfect finishing hole. As a whole, Essex’s course exhibits the finest of early Ross’s more bold ideas and quirky features, which make it stand out against Ross’s late greats. The drive in passes the club’s grass and clay tennis courts before revealing the red-brick clubhouse, which features a small men’s
locker room on the second floor, with old metal lockers and classic showers. This old Andrews, Jacques, and Rantoul-designed clubhouse fits well into Essex’s remarkable rolling property.
Essex County Club is notable for admitting women from the outset, and it has been an important place in women’s golf. Essex hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1897 and 1912, and the Curtis Cup in 1938 and 2010. Harriot Curtis and Margaret Curtis—the sisters and golf phenoms who founded the competition—were members at Essex. Their uncle was Laurence Curtis, who was one of the
founding representatives of the USGA (for The Country Club), and the USGA’s second president. The 2010 Curtis Cup played only 180 yards longer than the 1938 edition.
Bruce Hepner has made renovations to the course since 2001, with assistance from superintendent Eric Richardson. Many thousands of trees have been removed, including many from the rocky hills, revealing Essex’s rugged and natural beauty once again.
DONALD ROSS
donald ross was born in 1872 in the small town of Dornoch, Scotland, home to one of the best courses in the world: Royal Dornoch. As a young man, he worked as a greenskeeper there, and spent a year apprenticed to Old Tom Morris in St Andrews. He also made clubs and served as a head pro.
While Ross designed over 400 courses in the U.S., he got his start in New England, where he lived for many years. His first design was at Oakley Country Club outside of Boston, where he was hired as the head pro in 1899. It was here that he met the Tufts family, owners of a new resort in the sandhills of North Carolina called Pinehurst, and he landed a job with them to design four of those courses, including the famed Pinehurst #2.
Ross would design courses in New England in the summer months, where he kept two offices: one in Little Compton, Rhode Island, and a satellite office in North Amherst, Massachusetts. As a result of his proximity, New England courses received the benefit of Ross’s extra attention and time on property. Due to the volume and difficulty of travel in the early 1900s, it’s believed that of the 400+ courses that he designed, he did not actually visit or walk roughly 100 of them, and another 100 or so he only saw once or twice. But Ross surely paid more visits to almost all of his creations in New England.
According to Ross expert Brad Klein, Ross designed or redesigned 91 courses in New England: 50 in Massachusetts, 12 in New Hampshire, 11 in Rhode Island, 11 in Maine, 5 in Connecticut, and 2 in Vermont. Among the very best of his designs in New England are Wannamoisett, Metacomet, Salem, Winchester, Concord, Bald Peak, Lake Sunapee, Vesper, Oyster Harbors, Belmont, Whitinsville, Hooper, Charles River, and his masterpiece, Essex County Club. He spent seven years at Essex—including four when he lived on the property—where he continued to meticulously hone his work.
Ross was also a good player in his own right, winning the Massachusetts Open twice, and the North and South Open three times. He also finished in the top 10 of the U.S. Open four out of the six times he played, and finished T8 in the 1910 British Open at the Old Course, edging out notable names such as J.H. Taylor, Harry Vardon, Willie Auchterlonie, John Ball, and Willie Park Jr.
Ross died in 1948. As of 2024, more than 100 national championships have been played on his designs. So much has been written about Ross—going far deeper than we can here—so if you’re further interested, we recommend Brad Klein’s landmark study, Discovering Donald Ross.
DEDHAM COUNTRY & POLO CLUB
Dedham, MA • 1925
D&d,a4 +#-$.02 a$d 5#)# +)-1 has a unique name. While several New England clubs offered both golf and polo, few chose to include polo in its name. Originally the Dedham Polo Club was just polo. It was located nearby, and when its clubhouse was destroyed by fire in 1910, they decided to merge with a local club called Norfolk Country Club. The result is Dedham Country and Polo Club, which is located on the old Norfolk property today. Though theere is no longer polo, the club continues to honor its origins in its name and its logo: a polo player riding a horse at full gallop.
Dedham's course design has a strong lineage. Donald Ross designed the original nine-hole course in 1915. Then in 1920, the club then hired Herbert Fowler, who made some changes. When the club wanted to add another nine holes a few years later, they reached out to a third architect, named Seth Raynor. The 18-holes that Raynor designed opened in 1925. Raynor died three years later, and Dedham remained his only design in Massachusetts. Raynor’s beautiful bunkering—as well as the native fescue areas and exposed rock—provide the strong aesthetics at Dedham. There is also considerable elevation change throughout the property, but the elevated first tee offers a great view of what is to come: holes that climb and fall between two large hills, with a creek running in between. The first few holes run diagonal, using these features in different ways. These opening holes teach you to expect more uphill approach shots later in the round as well. The par-three 3rd is a demanding Redan template, followed by an uphill par five with indimidating fairway bunkers and a cross bunker that narrow the field of play. The par-three 5th is a Short template, with eight bunkers guarding this green. Center-line bunkers create the strategy on the par-five 6th: play safe, and it’s a three-shot hole for sure, but if you take on those bunkers on the inside dogleg, you can have a
chance to reach in two. The 7th and 8th play a bit along marshland, before the short, par-four 9th—an Alps template—forces players to make two precise shots on a hole with a semi-blind green.
Raynor’s beautiful bunkering—as well as the native fescue areas and exposed rock—provide the strong aesthetics at Dedham.
The back nine begins its return toward the clubhouse with a long par five, with a creek bisecting the fairway about 30 yards in front of the green. The par-four 11th rises over a hill and then turns, before rising again to a green perched on top of another hill. A three-putt can creep in on 13th green, which may be the largest on the course: a Punchbowl shape, guarded by a large Lion’s Mouth bunker front-center: if that sounds intimidating, that’s because it is. The long par-three 14th features a long Biarritz green: 70 yards long from front to back, so depending on the pin position, the hole can play from a mid-iron to a 3-wood. The 17th is a unique reverse Redan design, making it the second Redan on the course. The closing hole is a difficult par-four that plays uphill, while turning a bit to the left, back to the clubhouse.
Brian Silva created a master plan for the club in 2005 that sought to return the course to Raynor’s vision. In 2018, that major restoration was complete, allowing Dedham to shine once again. Dedham has hosted one USGA event: the 1975 USGA Girls Junior Amateur.
ARCHITECT SPOTLIGHT
SETH RAYNOR
SETH RAYNOR HAD A SHORT CAREER as a golf course architect, but his distinct style has become one of the most influential in recent design. Not nearly as much is known about Raynor, compared to his Golden Age contemporaries however. With a background in engineering and little to no experience in golf, Raynor helped propel modern golf course design in the United States.
Seth Jagger Raynor was born on May 7, 1874. He grew up at the far eastern end of Long Island, in the area now known as the Hamptons. Educated at Princeton in the late 1890s, he returned to his hometown of Southampton to become a village engineer. This was how he met a well-connected man and leader in American golf: Charles Blair Macdonald. Macdonald wanted to build what he called the “ideal golf course,” on a difficult tract of land in Southampton. He needed a local man to survey the property and advise on all kinds of matters related to building in this area and soil. Macdonald was so impressed with Raynor’s skills that he asked him to continue on with the construction project, and then to work on more golf course design projects in the future.
In Raynor, Macdonald found a highly competent engineer, highly knowledgeable about matters that Macdonald had no background in. On the other hand, Raynor had no background in golf, so there was no threat of butting heads with the famously prickly Macdonald. The results of their collaboration on their first project together—the National Golf Links of America— still speak for themselves over 110 years later.
Macdonald had Raynor continue helping on Long Island projects, starting with Piping Rock, on Long Island, nearer Manhattan. They’d continue their work together on courses ranging from The Creek (NY), St. Louis CC (MO), Mid Ocean (Bermuda), and The Lido (NY). But Macdonald didn’t want to become a full-time architect—he was only designing courses for his friends and for clubs where he was a member—so soon enough, Raynor was receiving commissions through his association with Macdonald and based on their strong work together. Raynor started his own design firm.
Since working for Macdonald gave Raynor all of the ideas he knew about golf holes, Raynor was heavily influenced by Macdonald. Raynor continued using the concept of Ideal holes (often referred to as template holes), which were design principles based on some of the best strategic holes in (mostly) Scotland and England. Some of these templates include the Redan, Biarritz, Road Hole, Punchbowl, Alps, Valley, Eden, and Cape holes. But Raynor was certainly no copy cat or pre-fabricator: each of his holes are different from each other, based on how the land available dictated their placement and further strategy. Raynor also designed completely original holes as well, but he’s best known for the holes that take inspiration from the best in the world.
What many people will remember most vividly from Raynor courses are the bunker styling—often deep and steep—and the green contours. He often built rather large greens, with swales, dips, and hollows that not only affect putts and demarcate interesting pinnable areas, but also solve issues related to drainage. Whether it’s a Biarritz green or Redan or a Double Plateau, you’ll be able to recognize the concepts that Raynor helped to make greens around America more unique and strategic.
Raynor’s courses in New England include Wanumetonomy, Misquamicut, Dedham Country & Polo Club, CC of Fairfield, Yale, and Hotchkiss. In New York, the list is even more impressive: Sleepy Hollow, Fishers Island, Southampton, and Westhampton. His masterpieces elsewhere include Chicago Golf Club (IL), Shoreacres (IL), Camargo (OH), Yeamans Hall (SC), CC of Charleston (SC), Fox Chapel (PA), Mountain Lake (FL), and Blue Mound (WI). Overall, Raynor worked on or designed roughly 70 courses, though only 35 or so are still in existence.
Raynor died at age 51, in January 1926, while many of his projects were still being built, including Lookout Mountain (GA), Camargo (OH), and Essex County CC (NJ). The outstanding work was completed by Raynor’s associate, Charles Banks, who learned from Raynor for many years. Raynor kept few records, so it’s difficult for clubs to document and restore many of his courses. Thankfully, a number of them have discovered original plans and drawings, and/or historic photos that show contours and scale.
Many of the existing Seth Raynor courses have been faithfully restored over the past 25 years, by architects such as Brian Silva, Gil Hanse, Tom Doak, Bruce Hepner, and Tyler Rae, among others.
Want to learn more about Seth Raynor? Be sure to check out our other book, The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor (2023). MASSACHUSETTS
WORCESTER COUNTRY CLUB
Worcester, MA • 1900
L#+a.&d a1#-. 67 4/)&! '&!. of Boston, Worcester (pronounced WUH-ster) is rich in history. John Adams once lived and worked here as a teacher, and it was a thriving manufacturing town from the late 1800s until World War II. Worcester today is still the second largest city in Massachusetts.
Founded in 1900, Worcester Country Club had great aspirations. Thirteen years later, the club moved to a larger property and commissioned a course by Donald Ross, The club hosted the inaugural Ryder Cup in 1927, as well as the 1925 U.S. Open and 1960 U.S. Women’s Open. Over the many years, the club has kept much of its classic feel.
In the first round of the 1925 Open, Bobby Jones called a one-shot penalty on himself when he felt his ball move at address. He would end up tying for the lead after 72 holes and lost in the 36-hole playoff, so the penalty cost him the title. When people commended him for calling the penalty, he famously replied, “You might as well praise me for not robbing a bank.”
Ross routed this course over hilly terrain, which produces many uneven lies, among open vistas and native grass framing many of the holes.
The course is split by railroad tracks, with the holes to the south (1-7, 17-18 playing around a creek and pond, and the northern ones (8-16) meandering through heavily wooded territory. The course is kept in great condition. The collection of par fours here are excellent, and the par-three greens are wild. The back nine here is known for being one of the most compelling and entertaining in New England.
GEORGE WRIGHT GOLF COURSE
Hyde Park, MA • 1938
T,& +/.2 #% 1#!.#$ came to own a parcel of land on its southern edges, and some leaders decided to build a golf course here, thanks to some federal funding. Designed by Donald Ross, George Wright Golf Course was built in the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, and it opened in 1938. It’s a fantastic course—and value—as a municipal course.
The course is named after a Boston legend: George Wright was an early Hall-of-Fame shortstop for the Boston Red Stockings. When playing in Boston in the 1870s, he helped the team win six league championships in an eight-year span. After his playing years, he went into the sporting goods business, and he was also influential in introducing golf to Boston. In late 1890, Wright and some friends obtained a permit and chopped nine holes in the frozen ground of Boston’s Franklin Park, playing two rounds. Six years later, a public golf course was laid out in Franklin Park (now known as William J. Devine Golf Course), and it became only the second public course in the country. He also employed a young man in his Wright & Ditson store who himself would be come a legend: Francis Ouimet.
There’s also a more direct reason why the city named this Hyde Park course after Wright: he donated the land to the city. The land was extremely hilly and covered in rock, making it nearly impossible to develop for housing, but Wright and others knew it would be great for golf.
The land posed a number of challenges, mostly involving rock and drainage. All told, the work crews had to use roughly 60,000 pounds of dynamite to excavate a ledge, 72,000 cubic yards of dirt to raise the ground above the swamp level, and 57,000 feet of drainage pipe to drain the property. The project is said to have cost roughly $1 million, which is over $21 million in 2024 money. The Norman-style clubhouse is massive and is original to the 1938 opening.
64 | THE GOLF COURSES OF NEW ENGLAND
Sadly, the course fell into disrepair in the 1970s and ‘80s, before the City of Boston decided to take over operations again in 2004. They have brought the course back to its former glory, with some of the most interesting greens in the Boston area.
George Wright’s reputation is firmly back. Golf Digest named it the best muni in Massachusetts, GolfWeek ranked it the 14th best muni in the country, and Golf Magazine rated it the 3rd best muni in the U.S.
Much of this return to life is thanks to architect Mark Mungeam, who has performed restoration and renovation work here over many years. His work on muni courses around Boston has been pivotal in not only improving—but actually saving—great local golf.
Originally intended as a private development for a group of investors in the early 1930s, the land of George Wright Golf Course ended up with the City of Boston when the Great Depression hit and the investors disappeared.
BOSTON GOLF CLUB
Hingham, MA • 2005
A1#-. 87 4/)&! !#-., #% B #!.#$ , a relatively young club has been carved out of the granite hills and has quickly become one of the best modern courses in New England. It’s easy to miss the entrance. Only a simple stone stake—with the number “19” carved into it—marks the turn into Boston Golf Club. The club’s logo, a redand-white striped flag of the Sons of Liberty, further connects the club to Boston’s history and emphasis on independence.
The club famously has no rules or policies; it simply defers to common sense and reason. With no other sports, and no pool, golf is the focus here. And there are no tee times. The simple clubhouse caters to a laid-back feel, with a beautiful but simple, modern men’s locker room.
Gil Hanse routed this original design through a former rock quarry, featuring significant land movement and elevation changes. His contouring here feels extremely natural, as if the course was just here as-is. Native grasses frame many of the bunkers, and trees border the wide playing corridors, reminding players that danger is lurking. It’s a beautifully rugged, well-maintained test of skill among isolated holes carved out of dense forest. For these reasons, some refer to it as a sort of modern-day Pine Valley.
The short-but-difficult par-four 5th hole—appropriately named Shipwreck, with its super narrow green—has ruined many a scorecard. The next hole, a 160-yard par three, is equally difficult; the narrow green is guarded by natural-looking bunkers. The par-four 12th, named Gate, requires a drive over a stone wall, an accurate uphill approach to a saddle-shaped green. The 15th features a Great
The short-but-difficult parfour 5th hole, appropriately named Shipwreck, with its super narrow green, has ruined many a scorecard. 74 | THE GOLF COURSES OF
Hazard, nicknamed Hell’s 1/3rd Acre (reminiscent of Pine Valley’s own as well as Hanse’s similar constructions or restorations on other courses). The iconic view on this well-forested course comes on the 16th tee, looking back down the 15th. The course ends on another strong par three: the 18th plays uphill to a large green, where a long putt may win a match.
The club endured several hardships, including the death of its original owner in 2007, the recession in 2008, and a potential buy-out from Donald Trump. The membership rallied and bought the club and land, ensuring its democratic values of liberty and independence for the future.
OLD SANDWICH GOLF CLUB
Plymouth, MA • 2004
T,/0.2 4/)&! !#-., #% 1#!.#$ (#)% +)-1 is another modern course that opened up 20 years ago, one that has become one of New England’s best. Situated on a hilly, quiet, country road that winds around cranberry bogs, lakes, and meadows “has been in use for over 350 years, making it the oldest continuously used, still partially unpaved road in the United States.” This road was once a path used by the Wampanoag tribe. In fact, this road leads to the country’s very roots: Plymouth, where the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. The club occupies 3,000 acres of pine forest that were formerly the Talcott estate, and the Talcotts were descendents of a person on the Mayflower.
The sandy soil and dunes lend themselves to golf, and Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have routed a fun layout through this pine tree forest. It was their first opportunity to work in the Boston area, and the results will not disappoint. You’ll find their trademark wide fairways and large, uniquely undulating greens, endless variety of hole lengths, directions, and shots required, rugged bunkers and natural vegetation, and subtle contouring: everything looks so natural that you swear this must’ve been here since Colonial times. While there’s width, better players will look to more specific, strategic locations, where they can better and more safely attack greens from more favorable angles. The fairways are a combination of fescue and bentgrass, and there’s no irrigation off of the fairways. You’d be hard pressed to find another course that plays as fast and firm in New England.
The fairways are a combination of fescue and bentgrass, and there’s no irrigation off of the fairways. You’d be hard pressed to find another course that plays as fast and firm in New England.
The short par-four 5th calls for an accurate drive over a forced carry to a narrow, angled fairway that follows the edge of a ridge,
MASSACHUSETTS | 81
with a hill that can kick and roll a drive down toward the green. It’s a kind of dogleg-left Cape hole that can entice long hitters to cut off more of the ravine than is prudent. The 5th may be considered a half-par hole, but don’t be surprised if you end up with double bogey or worse. The 7th is another par four with a unique green surrounded by sand. The downhill, par-five 13th plays to a wildly sloped green. Overly ambitious approaches can easily run through the green and into treacherous back bunkers, which make bigger numbers a real possibility. The 16th and 18th holes both play over a
massive hill, with downhill approaches, where players should likely land it short of the green and let it bounce up.
Like at Boston Golf Club, there are no other sports at Old Sandwich, but its clubhouse and cottages give off a more elegant, but comfortable, feel. The clubhouse—set down near a lake, with no great vistas—feels like a large retreat or lodge. The entire place is a home run.
When you walk around Old Sandwich, you absorb its natural beauty. It feels like it’s been here a very long time.
KITTANSETT CLUB
Marion, MA • 1922
T,& 9/..a$!&.. +)-1 sits at the end of a peninsula, at a place called Butler Point, and is one of the few seaside courses in New England. The club took its name from two Native American words, kittan-sett, which mean “near the sea.” Pilgrim settlers were known to inhabit this area, which sits just 20 miles south of Plymouth Rock.
Kittansett has weathered financial hardships, endured U.S. military occupation during World War II, and has survived vicious natural disasters. Massive hurricanes have flooded the area, in 1938 and again in 1954. The pro shop, three club cottages, and some other buildings were washed away. These devastating storms are commemorated by a famous sign on the 7th hole, which shows the elevation the water reached: over 8 feet in 1954, and 7.5 feet in 1938.
The course was designed by William Flynn, and it was constructed by founding member Frederic C. Hood. A reported 100,000 tons of glacial rock was detonated, and rather than pay for costly removal, this rock was adjusted around the property and
covered with dirt, creating the imposing mounds.
The club took its name from two Native American words, kittansett, which mean “near the sea.” Pilgrim settlers were known to inhabit this area, which sits just 20 miles south of Plymouth Rock.
The course has two distinct sections: the wind-blown, linksy land of holes 1-3 and 16-18, and the inland 4-15, which are routed through thick woods and recall the English heathland. A unique feature—cross rough—occurs on six holes and helps to define Kittansett’s unique features. The par-three 3rd hole features an “island” green surrounded by sand, which becomes beach to the right of the green. The 11th is a blind par three with a mound and cross bunker 35 yards short of the green. Holes 16 and 17 play in different directions as they open up again to the winds off Buzzards Bay, offering challenging conditions—with opposite wind directions—down the stretch. The 1st and 18th holes, which play side-by-side on this narrow stretch of land, recall the dramatic opening and closing holes of the Old Course at St Andrews.
Kittansett hosted the 1953 Walker Cup and the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in 2022. In the early 2000s, it also hosted the Harvard-Dartmouth matches, which saw the author of this volume making a 40-foot putt on the 18th green to secure the winning point for the Big Green—the last stroke of his short and unstoried competitive career. Sadly, there is still no commemorative plaque.
Kittansett exudes a simple charm and a vibe that’s all about golf. The clubhouse had to be rebuilt after record flooding, and has been expanded in recent decades. It features a very small men’s locker room and a comfortable dining room and a beautiful new outdoor bar and deck. The separate golf shop sits next to the 1st tee. The old clubhouse, which sits to the right of 18 green, has been preserved and is now used for small special events and housing on the second floor.
Gil Hanse has consulted on restoration efforts beginning in the 1990s. When William Flynn’s original drawings were later discovered, Hanse and Jim Wagner focused their efforts accordingly in significant work that took place in 2003, 2014, and 2019.
WOODS HOLE GOLF CLUB
Falmouth, MA • 1898
W/., %&!+-& - )/$&d ,#)&! , rolling hills, and views of Buzzards Bay and Quissett Harbor, Woods Hole Golf Club is a stunner. Many travelers to Martha’s Vineyard—who may take a ferry there out of Woods Hole Harbor—will drive by this course and might slow down to take in the view. Situated at the upper tip of Cape Cod, you can smell the ocean all around this seaside course.
Woods Hole began with nine holes, designed by Alexander Findlay in 1898. In 1899, the nine-hole golf course opened for play, and the club was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1919, Thomas Winton added nine golf holes and routed the new 18-hole links. It’s a small property, but the dramatic land movement offers a lot of variety and a decent dose of challenge.
A 1919 Boston Transcript review noted: “The course is at the edge of Buzzards Bay, with one of the greens located only a few yards from a beach of smooth white sand which fairly entices the golfer to give up his golf for a swim.”
Woods Hole’s course draws some comparisons with another Cape Cod classic—Eastward Ho—but perhaps a bit less wild, with less interaction with the coast, and more trees.
Woods Hole tips out at just under 6,200 yards, but its small, undulating greens are its defense. All of the par threes are short here, but they require accuracy. Sidehill lies and significant elevation changes will test everyone’s iron game. In terms of standout holes, the king is the par-three 17th, which sits right on Buzzards Bay.
Woods Hole’s gray-shingled clubhouse is a relatively new construction, with stunning views and interior design. There’s a lot of charm here, on and off the course.
100 | THE GOLF COURSES OF NEW ENGLAND
ALEXANDER FINDLAY
THOUGH NOT KNOWN BY MANY TODAY, Alexander H. Findlay (1866-1942) was a true legend of his time. While many of his designs no longer exist, in part or whole, whether the course is lost to time or had been redesigned by figures such as Donald Ross, his evangelism for the game spread through much of the United States—including extensively across New England, and all the way to Montana, Nebraska, Texas, and South Florida—much of it before 1900. Findlay he laid the groundwork—quite literally—for the game of golf to take root in America. Along with C.B. Macdonald and Donald Ross, Findlay is one of the handful of people considered to be a “father” of American golf. And if all of the newspaper reports of his time were correct, he may have been one of the most interested men in America.
Alexander Findlay was born on a ship between England and Scotland to two English parents. He grew up in Cornwall, England and then in Montrose, Scotland (between Carnoustie and Aberdeen). He played golf from the age of 8, with a set of clubs that his mother got him, and he taught everyone he knew how to play. It’s said he met the young British royals Prince Albert and Prince George V (who would become King of England in 1910) near Balmoral
and got into a skirmish with them, but they soon became friends. By the mid-1880s, he was winning competitions in Scotland, playing with just three clubs; he is said to be the first person to ever shoot a 72 in an 18-hole competition. When his mother died in 1887, he left Scotland for America, and he secured a job as a ranch hand and cowboy in Nebraska. It’s believed that he laid out the first course in the Midwest, at least: a six-hole effort in Fullerton, Nebraska, around 1887.
Oil magnate Henry Flagler hired him to design some courses in Florida, and he used the opportunity to also design courses up and down the eastern seaboard. A year later, sporting goods company Wright & Ditson hired him to become an ambassador for golf clubs, sending him across the country to build courses and play in exhibitions to showcase the game of golf to those unaware of the game. The company would be acquired by Spaulding, with whom Findlay developed a line of hickory golf clubs (marked “A.H. Findlay”).
Beginning in 1900, Findlay enlisted his friend Harry Vardon—arguably the best player in the world at that time—to join him on many further exhibition trips across America, and together they marketed the Vardon Flyer, a new-technology golf ball made out of a resilient and rubbery material called gutta percha, that would revolutionize the game. These exhibitions may have done more to spred the game of golf across the country than any other campaign.
In the 1910s up until his death in 1942, he was a well-known golfer of his time who played with every U.S. president in his time in the States, and even taught the Pope how to hold a club (but failed to convince him to build a golf course in the Vatican City). He met and worked with a young Francis Ouimet and encouraged him to learn how to play. Findlay even allegedly counted both Teddy Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill Cody as friends. (This is a good time to note that our factchecker could not verify these claims.)
By most accounts, Findlay laid out over 100 courses across the U.S. Among those courses in this book, he contributed layouts at Hyannisport, Woods Hole, Dedham, Brae Burn, Vesper, Salem, Cape Arundel, Belgrade Lakes, Portsmouth, Miacomet, Siasconset, and Wannamoisett. Again, little or none of his work exists at these courses, but his work led to opportunities to pick up where he left off.
Findlay’s other courses in New England include Bass Rocks CC (MA), CC of Greenfield (MA), Portland CC (ME), Framingham CC (MA), Mount Pleasant (NH), and many others. Elsewhere, he was known for his work at the Greenbrier Resort (WV), Pittsburgh Field Club (PA), Llanerch CC (PA), Walnut Lane (PA), Basking Ridge CC (NJ), Tavistock CC (NJ), and San Antonio CC (TX).
EASTWARD HO! COUNTRY CLUB
Chatham, MA • 1922
T,/! )a$d 'a! #$+& 'a)9&d by two major figures in early colonizing history. According to the club, “in 1622, William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth Colony, came to Cape Cod in the ship ‘Swan’ to trade with the Indians whose settlement was in the area now occupied by the Eastward Ho! Country Club. The Plymouth Pilgrims were in dire need of food, and Governor Bradford hoped to bargain for beans and corn. Accompanying him as pilot was the Indian known as Tisquantum, or Squanto. Unfortunately, shortly after the expedition entered what is now Pleasant Bay, Squanto died. Bradford had planned a rather lengthy visit in this area, but Squanto’s death made it necessary for him to return to Plymouth since no other pilot was available to guide the ship through the shoals south of the bay. Before leaving for Plymouth, the members of the expedition buried Squanto’s body, and it almost certainly rests within the bounds of today’s country club.” It is also believed that these waters off of the course saw the only combat near U.S. soil during World War I, when a German U-Boat was spotted and sunk.
The course was designed by William Herbert Fowler, and it opened for play on July 3, 1922. The club was named Great Point Golf Club, and then Chatham Golf/Country Club, before its current name stuck in the 1920s. Clearly its name is a nod in the easterly direction to the golf course Westward Ho!, due east in England. This course is Fowler’s only design on the east coast: he was a prolific designer in the U.K, and built several courses in California, but playing Eastward Ho! offers Americans a unique opportunity to see the work of one of the greatest British architects of the early 20th century.
As one of the most breathtaking and exhilirating courses in New England, the exclamation point in Eastward Ho! is well-deserved. Indeed, the location of Eastward Ho!, bordered by ocean on three sides—with the accompanying sand, heather, and ever-present wind—is one of the few New England courses that can called a true links course.
Many of the holes showcase stunning elevation changes, with holes routinely maneuvering the hilly landscape in ways that require accuracy off the tee and in the changing winds, as well as accurate approaches off of almost-certain uneven lies. The front nine heads—you guessed it—east, using much of the peninsula’s land to its advantage. The uphill 3rd hole, a short par four, may tempt long hitters to try driving the green, but the green is so small—and well-guarded with sharp falls on the left, right, and back—that a lost ball is more likely than a putt for eagle. The downhill 6th— a par four that navigates around competing hills—plays to a valley, and then a pitched-up green that sits next to the water, with dunes in the distance. The back nine heads mostly westward, onto the (relatively) flat section of the property and back around into the more undulating areas over the final holes. The par-three 15th is a favorite for many, known for being draped next to a gorgeous bay that lurks just six feet off of the green. Go long, and the hazard line greets you just three feet off of the back.
Eastward Ho! is the kind of course where even the most well-traveled golfers would be content to play every day. The wind directions and conditions make this course play differently daily, and you’re almost guaranteed to not have the same lie twice. The beautiful gray clubhouse fits the Cape Cod aesthetic on this remarkable piece of land. This sprawling clubhouse, sitting between the 9th and 18th greens, offers stunning views from the back patio.
The course was renovated by Keith Foster in 2004. Upon completion of construction, Herbert Fowler, said, “I am quite certain that this course will compare favorably with the leading courses in the United Kingdom and will be second to none of them. ”
SANKATY HEAD GOLF CLUB
Siasconset
, MA • 1923
L#+a.&d #$ .,& &a!.&0$ !,#0&! of Nantucket, in the village of Siasconset, far from the relative bustle of the downtown, you can find a calm and quiet while looking out onto Sankaty Head, with the Atlantic Ocean beyond, and no other land before Europe. Looking out toward Ireland and the U.K. may feel fitting here, at one of the U.S.’s true links course. There are few better places to find yourself around sunset, when the fescue seems to catch fire in the day’s dying light.
In the early 1920s, a wealthy man named David Gray donated 280 acres for the golf course, as well as a house to function as its clubhouse. The course was designed by a local golfer named H. Emerson Armstrong, and it opened in 1923. A few years later, Eugene “Skip” Wogan added bunkers and made other alterations. As a young boy, Wogan was Donald Ross’s personal caddie at Oakley Country Club, and then Ross hired Wogan to go with him to Essex County Club, and when Ross left Essex for Pinehurst, he picked Wogan as his replacement as head pro and greenskeeper at Essex. The mounded, grass-faced bunkering provides Sankaty Head’s great strategy, and a lot of its aesthetics.
A day at Sankaty Head—commonly referred to simply as Sankaty (pronounced SANK-a-tee)—is tough to beat. Thanks to its close proximity to the unfettered breezes off the Atlantic Ocean, a round at Sankaty can be quite windy. It can also play quite differently dayto-day, or even hour-to-hour. The course routing takes ever-changing directions, and is fashioned somewhat in the same of a figure eight, ensuring that the winds affect shots differently, forcing players to constantly adjust. Nantucket is nicknamed the Gray Lady because of its fog, and when it rolls in at Sankaty, all bets are off. The course today tips out at just under 6,800 yards. The front nine plays along the coast and lighthouse, and the back nine moves inland a bit, before rewarding players with ocean views again on the
last four holes. The 1st hole is a medium-length par four, with a green tucked to the left, with two cross bunkers protecting the bail-out right. The undulating green on the par-three 3rd is guarded on both sides by deep bunkers, and there’s native grass long. The long, uphill par-five 4th has cross bunkers jutting out on the left side of the fairway. The par-four 5th is shorter and runs downhill (and a bit sidehill, left to right). The difficult par-three 6th is well-guarded by bunkers left, short, and right. The par-five 8th can play incredibly long, so it’s nice that it’s followed by a short par-four 9th, where bunkers guard the favored angle of approach in the fairway, and around this pitched-up green.
The 10th is a great, dogleg-right par four with no fairway bunkers, but a devilish green. Players will want to favor the right side of the 11th fairway, which offers the best angle into this triangle-shaped green, with pot bunkers short and right. The par-three 14th is relatively short, and this partial punchbowl green can help slightly wayward tee shots from ending up in the difficult bunkers that largely surround this green. The par-five 17th runs uphill, with a fairway canted right to left. The closing hole is a straightaway par four, where players must avoid the fairway bunkers left and right to set up a short uphill approach to the final green.
The famous Sankaty Head lighthouse, guarding the eastern edges of Nantucket, forms a beautiful backdrop to this charming course. Its thick, red paint stripe has made it an iconic standout among the great lighthouses of New England. The lighthouse dates back to 1849, and it’s still in operation (automated in 1965). It serves as the club’s logo, with a few seagulls flying around it.
The clubhouse was restored recently, opening full, 360-degree views of the course and surrounding areas.
A.W. Tillinghast made some revisions to the course in the late 1920s, and the club’s committees tinkered with the course off-and-on for several decades. In 2016, the club hired Jim Urbina to restore Sankaty’s true links feel and fast-and-firm conditions. Urbina and Sankaty’s superintendent restored the original size of the greens, rebuilt bunkers, moved tee boxes, and removed excessive trees.
Sankaty hosted the USGA’s Mid-Amateur Championship in 2021.
MIACOMET GOLF COURSE
Nantucket, MA • 1963
S/.-a.&d .,0&& 4/)&! !#-., of Nantucket town, and just one mile from the beach, Miacomet is a true public gem. This land was inhabited by the Wampanoag tribes, who referred to it as Miacomet, which meant “the meeting place.” A man named Ralph P. Marble bought these 400 acres in 1956, hoping to begin a dairy farm. Four years later, he realized the land was perfect for a golf course, and in 1963, the course opened.
The course’s bunkering, waste areas, vegetation, and fescue create a beautiful landscape for golf. These same features provide a good amount of challenge and variety, and the relatively small greens will test one’s short game on nearly every hole.
The opening hole features a large waste area on the left, and the road out-of-bounds on the right. Approaches to this small green must clear the false front, but also avoid going long, where out-of-bounds lurks again. The short par-four 2nd features that same waste area on the left, with an additional waste area to the right, closer to the green. A forced carry is required to this green, which is guarded by native grasses in front. The 3rd is a long par three, but the green is open in front for run-up shots. The par-five 4th hole bends to the right, around two waste areas, to a smallish, double plateau green. The 5th is another par five, with a wide fairway and uphill approach. The par-four 6th shares the 5th’s fairway, before it doglegs right, to a well-guarded green that features a spine running through the middle. Favor the left-side of the fairway on the long par-four 7th, as the green opens up from there. The 8th is a long par three, followed by the short par-four 9th, which snakes a bit to the left.
On the back, the dogleg-right par-four 10th is framed by stunning bunkers. The par-four 11th twists just a bit to the left, and the par-three 12th plays to a diagonal green with plenty of bunkers to the left and short-left. Cross bunkers define the strategy on the par-four 13th, where the tricky green lacks any bunkering beside it. The par-five 14th bends left, and the fairway gets interrupted by native grasses before dipping down to a lay-up area riddled with bunkers. The 15th is the shortest par three here, followed by the excellent par-four 16th that takes a turn left, with a waste bunker protecting the short-cut line toward another bunkerless, well-contoured green. The 17th takes a turn toward home, and the closing hole is a par five that features a center-line bunker near the ideal lay-up point. If you want to go for the green in two, you’ll have to carry the native areas in front of the green, and navigate the contours of this tricky green.
In the opinion of those who’ve played Miacomet, it can easily rank among the top public courses not only in New England, but in the U.S. overall. Howard Maurer expanded the course to 18 holes in 2003, and he returned in 2008 to renovate the original nine holes. Nantucket Golf Management runs the course, which is owned by the Nantucket Land Bank. In 2021, Miacomet was cohost for the USGA’s Mid-Amateur Championship stroke play rounds.
MASSACHUSETTS
NANTUCKET GOLF CLUB
Siasconset, MA • 1997
A1#-. 87 4/$-.&! %0#4 Nantucket town, southeast on Milestone Road, is Nantucket’s youngest but most exclusive golf club. It’s also one of the island’s most charitable organizations. Founded by Ed Hajim in 1997, Nantucket Golf Club took its name from the first club devoted to golf on the island, which dissolved in 1949. It’s draped over gorgeous sandplain grassland and coastal heathland that’s unique to Nantucket, and its construction was a study of marrying golf with the natural beauty of a landscape, while preserving much of the land as it was, and as it should remain. They not only built a golf course in the most environmentally sensitive fashion, they also built a rare-plant nursery, and an off-site habitat for the Northern Harrier Hawk.
The course is a Rees Jones design, with help from Greg Muirhead. No wetlands were disturbed or lost. The property is much flatter than its neighbor just a few hundred yards to the northeast: Sankaty Head Golf Club. The property also abuts Audubon Society conservation land, so there are plenty of birds and wildlife to spot. The club uses extremely low amounts of herbicides and pesticides, and they monitor the groundwater to ensure no negative effects.
The course opened in 1998, and the course has a naturalist feel. A par-72 layout, it can stretch over 7,000 yards. Jones purposely moved as little dirt as possible and built many greens as extensions of the fairways. The bunkering is natural-looking—links-like—in this area prone to high ocean winds: they are smaller and deeper, and sometimes clustered where strategy calls for more defense. The property is somewhat M-shaped, so the holes change direction often. The course plays very differently based on wind direction.
The par-four 1st hole is straightaway, but the two bunkers protecting the center and right edges of the green mean that the preferred angle is near the fairway bunker on the left. The 2nd and 3rd holes both twist a bit left, with a cluster of bunkers protecting the inner dogleg on the par-five 3rd. The next par five—the 6th—
features unique, small bunkers placed at both natural and strategic points, including two center-line bunkers 20-50 yards short of the green. The parthree 8th features a carry over a pond: the only water on the course.
In its early days, the club established the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation, which offers a variety of scholarships. They also organize the Children’s Charity Classic, a two-day golf tournament and fundraiser gala. In total, the foundation has raised roughly $60 million for local youth.
The back nine begins with a stout par four, with bunkers right of the landing area, and guarding both the left and right sides of the green. The par-five 12th plays to a diagonal fairway that turns left. The longish par-three 13th features a pear-shaped green. The par-four 14th may be short, but players need to place their tee shot between a series of bunkers spread out on both sides of the fairway. The long par-four 15th snakes around bunkers before reaching a long, narrow green. The 17th is another shorter par four, but bunkers guard the front-center of this green. The 18th is a very long par five, with conservation land running down the entire left side. It’s hard to beat a day at Nantucket Golf Club, which Golf Digest named the best new private course of 1998.
TACONIC GOLF CLUB
Williamstown, MA • 1896
L#+a.&d #$ .,& +a45-! of Williams College, deep in the Berkshire Mountains, Taconic may be one of the top-five college courses in the country. The original seven-hole layout opened in 1896, and was expanded to 18 holes in 1928 by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. The course got even better when Gil Hanse came to town in 2008 and made adjustments to this classic mountain course. If you like golf courses with long mountain vistas, maybe a little leaf-peeping, and/or old New England college campuses, you should get yourself to Williamstown. The course is hilly but compact, allowing spry golfers to play in under three hours. To remind players that Williams is a good liberal arts college, the scorecard quotes the classical Latin poet Ovid, who wrote “medio tutissimus ibis,” which translates loosely as “you’ll be safer down the middle” (though no translation is provided on the scorecard.) Less poetic—and less pretentious—there’s an old sign outside the pro shop that says, “No Preferred Lies, We Play Golf Here!” Indeed, the middle of the holes and greens are good places to be at Taconic. Many holes are lined with tall pines, requiring accuracy off the tee. The par-three 14th measures 173 yards from the back tees, and the green is guarded by six bunkers (some more tightly, some more loosely). The finishing holes here are particularly stout: after playing the long 15th and 16th holes, you might not be happy standing on the 17th: a 245-yard par three. And then the finisher is a 550-yard par five. Those final four holes are quite the final exam.
Taconic hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1956, where a 16-year-old upstart named Jack Nicklaus reached the semifinals (he made a hole-in-one on the 14th). The club also hosted the 1963 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 1996 U.S. Senior Amateur, and the NCAA Division-III Championships in 1958, 1972, and 1999.
Gil Hanse said, “Taconic Golf Club has outstanding greens, [and they] possess all of the bold undulations and imagination that mark greens built by classic golf course architects.”
MASSACHUSETTS
Gil Hanse said, “Taconic Golf Club has outstanding greens, [and they] possess all of the bold undulations and imagination that mark greens built by classic golf course architects.”
ARCHITECT SPOTLIGHT
WAYNE STILES & JOHN VAN KLEEK
WITH ARGUABLY THE BEST combination of names in golf, Wayne Stiles (1884-1953) and John Van Kleek (1888-1967) helped spread the game of golf across New England. Though they are relatively unknown outside of New England, this duo is responsible for some of the finest courses in the area. They were not ostentatious in either their designs or their marketing, preferring to keep a small profile while creating low-cost golf courses. Many of their designs are public, which helped expand the reaches of golf to more people.
Van Kleek went to Cornell, where he studied landscape architecture. Stiles never formally studied architecture, but instead went to work as a draftsman for a landscape designer at the age of 18. The two formed a partnership in 1924 and were busy for the next four years, before the Great Depression halted golf’s expansion across America.
Stiles designed about 140 courses, stretching from New England to New Mexico. He’s known for creating blind shots, hidden fairway bunkers, and tricky greens built on naturally interesting sites. He was known for his level of attention to his projects, often spending much more time on his sites than almost all of his peers.
Their greatest designs include Taconic in western Massachusetts, as well as Brae Burn CC, Thorny Lea GC, Wellesley CC, and Woods Hole GC. In Maine, they designed Prouts Neck CC, Augusta CC, Rockland GC, Wilson Lake CC, Wawenock GC, Brunswick GC, North Haven GC, and Bath GC. Of particular note in New Hampshire: the hidden gem Hooper GC. Van Kleek also re-designed Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.
In our era of thriving naturalist golf course design, the work of Stiles and Van Kleek has found renewed interest and appreciation. Together, they shaped much of the look and feel of classic New England golf. Hopefully their great work will influence other architects in the area and beyond.
RHODE ISLAND
You may know that Rhode Island is the smallest state in the U.S., but do you know how many Rhode Islands can fit inside the rest of the U.S.? The answer is 400. It was the first state to declare independence from Britain, in May 1776, but was the last of the original 13 to ratify the Constitution, in May 1790.
Rhode Island is known much more for its sailing pursuits than its golf: sailing was a common activity here even in the 1700s. Newport is known as the Sailing Capital of the World, and it boasts the Sailing Museum. The U.S. Navy has long had training centers in the state. But be careful: Rhode Island has seen more shipwrecks in its history than any other state.
Newport and Providence contribute the most to Rhode Island’s cultural offerings. The former was the place to be for the uberwealthy in the 1800s and early 1900s, and has hosted folk festivals and jazz festivals that rival any other in the world; while Providence is home to Brown University and to so much art and culture that it’s known as the Creative Capital. Take that, Hartford. The state has also produced its share of great golfers, from Glenna Collett Vare and JoAnne Carner, to 1990s stalwarts Billy Andrade, Brett Quigley, and Brad Faxon.
Land, in Rhode Island, is a tight commodity. It’s the most population-dense state in the U.S, which makes the following fact even more impressive: there are more donut shops per capita here than anywhere else in the United States. So it’s no surprise that many Rhode Island courses are routed on small plots of land. But Rhode Island’s wealth in the 1890s through the 1920s enabled the construction of many great golf courses, many of them near or along the sea.
In fact, seaside courses dominate in Rhode Island. Newport established golf in the state, making the sport during the Gilded Age. It also created a long legacy with its central role in founding the United States Golf Association (USGA). The first U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur were played at Newport in 1895, establishing the quality of both tournaments.
From Misquamicut in the extreme southwest corner of the state, up the shoreline to Shelter Harbor, past Point Judith to Newport Country Club, and up the Narragansett Bay to the courses in Warwick, Barrington, and Providence: Rhode Island is rich with great golf.
1. Agawam Hunt Club 2. Alpine Country Club
3. Beaver River Golf Club
4. Bristol Golf Club
5. Button Hole Short Course 6. Carnegie Abbey Club 7. Country View Golf Club
8. Coventry Pines Country Club
9. Cranston Country Club 10. Crystal Lake Golf Club 11. East Greenwich Golf & Country 12. Exeter Country Club 13. Fairlawn Golf Course 14. Fenner Hill Golf Club 15. Foster Country Club 16. Glocester Country Club
17. Goddard Memorial State Park GC
18. Green Valley Country Club
19. Harbor Lights Marina & CC 20. Jamestown Golf Course
21. Kings Crossing Golf Club 22. Kirkbrae Country Club 23. Laurel Lane Country Club 24. Lincoln Country Club 25. Lindhbrook Country Club
26. Louisquisset Golf Club
27. Meadow Brook Golf Club 28. Melody Hill Country Club 29. Metacomet Country Club
30. Midville Golf Club 31. Misquamicut Club
32. Montaup Country Club
33. Mulligans Island Golf 34. Newport Country Club 35. Newport National Golf Club
36. North Kingstown Golf Course
37. Pawtucket Country Club
38. Pinecrest Golf Course
39. Point Judith Country Club 40. Potowomut Golf Club 41. Quidnessett Country Club
42. Rhode Island Country Club 43. Richmond Country Club
44. Rolling Greens Golf Course
45. Rose Hill Golf Club
46. Sakonnet Golf Club
47. Shelter Harbor Golf Club
48. Triggs Memorial Golf Course
49. Valley Country Club
50. Wannamoisett Country Club
51. Wanumetonomy Golf & CC
52. Warwick Country Club
53. Weekapaug Golf Club
54. West Warwick Country Club
55. Windmill Hill Golf Course
56. Winnapaug Golf & CC
57. Wood River Golf
NEWPORT COUNTRY CLUB
Newport, RI • 1882
O$& #% .,& #)d&!. +)-1! /$ $&' &$()a$d —situated in the seat of summertime wealth and high-society sport— played a significant role in establishing competitive American golf. Newport Country Club was actively involved in a network of similar clubs in the Northeast, and they became one of the five founding members of the USGA.
Theodore A. Havemeyer, a stalwart of early American golf, was the brains behind Newport’s golf program and course. He was the co-founder of Newport and the first president of the USGA, and his legacy is commemorated with the Havemeyer Trophy, given to the winner of the U.S. Amateur. In 1895, Newport hosted both the first U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. Open on its nine-hole course. Unfortunately, Havemeyer died just two years later, in 1897.
A nine-hole course was laid out in 1890, but little of the original remains today. Willie Davis made changes, added length, and added holes a few years later, in time for the 1895 USGA Championships. Today’s Holes 10, 11, and 14 still resemble much of Davis design. The course was extended again and became a continuous 18-hole course in 1897. The club asked Seth Raynor to develop a plan for a redesign in the early 1920s, but the club would reject his plan, believing it was too congested. When the club acquired land across the street, they hired A.W. Tillinghast in 1923 to redesign the existing course and build seven holes on the new land, which play as today’s Holes 2-8.
Famously, the fairways still have no irrigation system, relying instead on rain and the moist air rolling off the nearby Atlantic. And still, the fairways become rather firm and fast—if not crispy—in the second half of summer.
The final three holes—which have more of the feel of the original design—are a great test and end to any match. The par-four
18th is a dogleg left, to a green that sits above the fairway, with the clubhouse waiting for you in the background.
Newport boasts one of the most iconic clubhouses in American golf, and it oozes Gilded Age charm. Architect Whitney Warren designed this classic, Beaux Arts-style clubhouse, winning an open design competition that launched his architectural career. Warren reportedly designed this clubhouse on the top of a hill to resemble a massive jewel box, and it dominates most views from the golf course. Warren is best known now for his co-design of Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The clubhouse, which opened in 1895, reflects the interests of its members at the time of its construction: with no kitchen or dining room, and it only features tiny locker rooms, on the second-floor wings. Aside from the bar, there’s an ornate ballroom which used to play host to many balls (though rarely used anymore). It seems to be more influenced by the nearby “cottages” (read: mansions) of the super-wealthy down the street,
In 1895, Newport hosted both the first U.S. Amateur and the first U.S. Open on its ninehole course.
than by any structure known to be associated with—or on the property of—a golf course. Located on the southern tip of Aquidneck Island, the clubhouse overlooks Brenton Point. It underwent a significant restoration in 2004.
In 1998, Ron Forse created a master plan for the course, and began restoring Tillinghast features. Gil Hanse was hired in 2017, and he began restoring the course in 2020.
The club was home to a Senior PGA event in the 1970s and ’80s. The club hosted the 1995 U.S. Amateur, (won by Tiger Woods) as it simultaneously celebrated the 100th anniversary of hosting the first U.S. Amateur championship. Annika Sorenstam won the U.S. Women’s Open here in 2006. Newport would have hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 2020, but it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They then agreed to host the tournament in 2024, which was won by Richard Bland.
WANNAMOISETT COUNTRY CLUB
Rumford, RI • 1898
T,& %/0!. $/$& ,#)&! were originally laid out by Willie Campbell in 1898. Donald Ross designed today’s course, which opened in 1914. A golfer will encounter small greens and many bunkers on this course that’s built on just 104 acres. With short walks between greens and tees, and a layout that offers opportunities to jump to other holes, members here can get a quick round in when necessary.
Ross certainly made the most out of Wannamoisett’s small plot of land. It’s a strong example of his early work.
What the course lacks in length it more than makes up for with sheer charm and variety.
This par-69 course plays roughly 6,700 yards from the back tees, but there are plenty of challenges lurking on every hole.
The first four holes comprise one of the toughest opening stretches in New England. The 1st hole plays uphill, with a blind approach to a green heavily guarded by massive mounds and bunkers on both sides of the green.
The short par-three 3rd is a common favorite: it’s been mentioned as one of the most dramatic holes in the country, and the Donald Ross Society uses an illustration of this green as its logo.
Speaking of logos, Wannamoisett can claim to have one of the most complicated logos in American golf: a seal, comprised of a shield within a circle, that includes four windows, depicting (according to the club website) “The goat in the dexter quadrant of the Club escutcheon stands for the reaction to the progressive failures to drive over the pond. The eagle in flight in the chief sinister quadrant refers to the drive that carried over the pond. The fireside in the base dexter refers to where the excuses and explanations were passed on. The Rhode Island State Seal refers to a return to dignity and honor.” Full of meaning, but tough to embroider on a shirt.
The narrow 7th is a medium-length par four, framed by trees, with lots of land movement, and the large green features some distinct sections, as well as another false front that must be carried. The approach to the 9th green must carry a natural pond to an elevated green with a slight false front. Short shots will not only repel down, but may also roll back almost 10 vertical feet toward the pond. It’s a formidable approach for a long par four. The 10th hole is a great uphill par four, with an approach over a mound that obscures the front of this semi-Punchbowl green.
Wannamoisett hosted the 1931 PGA Championship. The club also hosts the prestigious Northeast Amateur Invitational every year. Past winners include Ben Crenshaw, Hal Sutton, Luke Donald, Dustin Johnson, and Collin Morikawa.
Ron Forse has been course consultant to Wannamoisett since 2008.
SHELTER HARBOR GOLF CLUB
Charlestown, RI • 2004
L#+a.&d /$ .,& %a0 !#-.,'&!. +#0$&0 of Rhode Island, this relative newcomer was born out of a desire to preserve and conserve a natural area of distinctive beauty. This land was purchased by a group when a local electricity company was considering building a power plant on the property. The result is a private club that is family-focused, in a setting of gorgeous and natural transformation.
In the early 2000s, the club tapped Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry to lay out a course on this fantastic property, with minimal impact to the environment. Uniquely, there are no homes on the course, which opened in 2004: a very rare aspect among courses built around this time. Shelter Harbor stands among Hurdzan and Fry’s very best designs, which also include Erin Hills, Calusa Pines, and Naples National.
Though only 20 years old, the course has many of the unmistakable features of a New England classic: rolling land movement, dense woods, stone walls, exposed rock, and native fescue grasses. The bunkers have rough edges, capped with long grass to provide a “bearded” look. There are even a few stone dykes that dot along the property.
The 1st hole is a long, downhill par five that gets players off and away, but a center-line bunker forces a player to be deliberate with their second shot. Hole 2 is a mid-length par four that plays over and among some charming stone walls, to a wildly sloping green. There are no bunkers on this hole, just walls. The downhill parthree 4th is a beautiful hole, where players want to land their ball well in front of the pin and let it run back. If you haven’t learned that you have to play the contours at this point of your round, this hole will teach you again. The short, par-four 7th has bunkers that protect different portions of this wide fairway. One’s angle of approach is crucial, as this small, sloping green is guarded by a large bunker short and right. It’s trademark Hurdzan and Fry strategy.
The 9th is an uphill par five that snakes around and up a ridge. The bunkering on this hole—not to mention the huge boulder in the left rough near the ideal lay-up spot—will give every player pause before every shot. Thankfully there are fewer bunkers and boulders on the 10th, though the tee shot features one of Shelter Harbor’s few forced carries.
Throughout the back nine, the grasses, trees, and vegetation add not only to the views and character of the course, but also its strategy. Keep right on the 16th and 17th, which play along a lake: some of the only water hazards on the course. The 18th is an uphill, medium-length par four with an ample fairway and ample green, allowing a good look at birdie or par before your walk up to the clubhouse … or back to the 1st tee. This course is so fun that you’re likely to want to go around again.
Doubling down on its family focus, Shelter Harbor features a nine-hole par-three course, where the hole distances range from 75 to 175 yards.
Photographs of this course are by Michael Nevins and John Ball.
CONNECTICUT
Though not that large, Connecticut is roughly five times the size of neighboring Rhode Island. It’s the third smallest state in the U.S., but with one of the highest population densities. As a result, Connecticut can feel at times like two very different states, stretched between dominant New York and Massachusetts. The eastern parts feel more like western Massachusetts, lots of farms and hilly terrain, but not much golf. The southwestern area, on the other hand, is difficult to distinguish from neighboring Westchester County in New York. Nine of the 11 largest cities in Connecticut are located in the extreme southwestern corner, along the coastline, which benefits from commuter-rail service directly into Manhattan. Among them is New Haven, which is home to Yale University (and Yale Golf Course), and easily home to the best pizza in New England. Meanwhile, Connecticut’s capital city Hartford, to the north, is known as the Insurance Capital of the World. For over 100 years, Connecticut actually had two capitals: Hartford and New Haven.
Many of Connecticut’s great golf courses are also situated in this far southwestern corner. Its status as a home of great golf courses was well established before 1930, with courses such as Brooklawn, Fairfield, Yale, and Tamarack that could rival most courses closer to New York City and Boston. In more recent decades, some good golf courses have been built outside of this area, including Pete Dye’s (now Bobby Weed’s) TPC River Highlands near Hartford, Tom Fazio’s Bull’s Bridge in the
northwest corner, and Rees Jones’ two courses at Lake of Isles, next to Foxwoods, in the eastern half of the state.
We have much to thank the state of Connecticut for: the invention of the hamburger, the matchbook, the American dictionary, the phonebook, the frisbee, ESPN, and speed limits. It’s also known for its high taxes, but also high incomes, and its citizens famously voted against Prohibition (the only other state to vote against it was their fun neighbor, Rhode Island). Not to mention, it’s home to one of the best universities not only in the U.S., but in the world. It’s safe to say that Connecticut knows some things we don’t.
Some great golfers of the past called Connecticut home. Those include Ken Green, Julius Boros, and J.J Henry. Green won five times on the PGA Tour and was a general menace; he lives in Danbury, where he was born. Boros won 17 times on the PGA Tour, played on four Ryder Cup teams, and he won three majors, including the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club. Tour player J.J. Henry grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut; his father Ronald actually played with Boros on the Fairfield High School golf team in the 1930s. Though born in New York, a young Gene Sarazen worked at Brooklawn in Fairfield; before starting out on his illustrious career.
If Connecticut can feel like two states in one, it also offers two different looks for golf: the classic layouts of the Golden Age, combined with newer courses worthy of attention. I’ll show you what I mean ...
COUNTRY CLUB OF FAIRFIELD
Fairfield, CT • 1921
T,/!
5)a+& -!&d .# !./$9 ... )/.&0a))2 . Sitting on what was once malordorous onion fields and wetlands, on property that the locals referred to as Misquito Hill. But that was a long, long time ago. The Country Club of Fairfield has been transformed over the 100+ years it has been in existence, and it’s one of the most intriguing and fun courses in all of New England.
Seth Raynor laid out the course in 1916, but construction wasn’t completed until 1921, due to delays caused initially by the need to fill in marshland, and of course World War I. A few years after Raynor’s death, in the early 1930s, the club hired A.W. Tillinghast to moved or redesigned many of the greens. Then, the club wanted to expand and construct a few more buildings on the property, so they asked Robert Trent Jones Sr. to move and redesign several holes in 1960. Jones’ associate Geoffrey Cornish oversaw the work, which included the construction of three new holes. Much more recently, CC of Fairfield hired Tom Doak (early 2000s) to restore a Raynor feel to the course. Doak’s colleage at the time—Bruce Hepner— oversaw the work, and he is now a consultant for the club. They have helped to bring the charm back in spades.
The course borders Southport Harbor to the west, which is dotted by sailboats anchored and ready to go, and then runs down and around the coast of Long Island Sound on the south: it’s surrounded by water on three sides of the property. The course is not a links in the strictest definition of the word, but it can play bouncy and quite windy. Many of the holes change direction from the previous, which makes the course play differently at every turn. The routing is classice: the front nine plays in a circle on the outside edges of the property, and the back nine plays on the inside sections.
This par-70 layout that can stretch to just 6,400 yards. The 1st hole is a par five, with out-of-bounds up the entire right side, and a green that is open to run-up shots. The par-four 2nd plays along
the harbor, bordered by a small road, so players will want to avoid going right again. A pair of fairway bunkers guard both sides of the landing area. The par-four 3rd features a split fairway, with large bunkers guarding the green front-right and front-left, with water lurking behind. The par-three 4th requires a forced carry over water, all the way to a diagonal green. The par-four 5th still plays along the water, as it doglegs right to another approach with water lurking short and right. The next tee shot plays over the water again, and will claim any drive that begins to leak right. The 6th green is wildly undulating, making two-putts difficult. Then the short par-four 7th switches direction, playing toward the beach; long-hitters can try to drive this green if the wind obliges. The 8th then plays mostly along the Long Island
CC of Fairfield is beautiful, but its flat course, when exposed to ocean winds, can play like a beast. And on the front nine, make sure not to miss to the right.
Sound to a diagonal fairway. You’ll want to avoid going right for the 8th consecutive hole, unless you want to visit the beach. The 9th is a Redan par three that turns its back to the Sound and begins to move back toward the clubhouse.
The back nine is more forgiving toward those who miss right, playing much more inland than the front. The par-three 11th plays over water, but it’s much less intimidating than the 4th. The next two holes are challenging par fours, with bunkers positioned to influence play. The par-three 14th is an Eden template that can play very difficult in the wind. The par-four 15th heads east, before the par-four 16th turns south and back toward the clubhouse. The 17th is a difficult par three over a small pond, and the home hole features indimidating cross bunkers that sit diagonally on either side of the fairway. Suffice to say, Fairfield is a classic course that does not stink.
YALE GOLF COURSE
New Haven, CT • 1898
I$ :;83 , 2a)& -$/v&0!/.2 sought C.B. Macdonald’s help to build a course for the university on a large plot of woodland and marshland four miles north of campus. The land had recently been donated to the school by a prominent family of Yale alumni. The 68-year-old Macdonald was not interested in leading another major construction project, but he agreed to act as an advisor and suggested the services of Seth Raynor to manage the major challenge of making a golf course work on the relatively severe property. Raynor was paid $7,500 and given a budget of $400,000 with which to work. It’s also worth noting that Raynor’s protégé, Charles Banks (a member of Yale’s Class of 1906), managed the day-to-day operations of course construction. If any course could be said to encompass the lineage of Macdonald-Raynor-Banks, Yale is that golf course.
Building Yale required clearing dense hillside woods, blasting rock, moving earth, and routing the course over rugged and rocky terrain. A crew that at times numbered 150 men used roughly 50 tons of dynamite to clear the land. Local laborers and college students helped dig over three miles of ditches to create drainage, and they laid almost seven miles of pipe for irrigation. The course opened for limited play in fall 1925.
Routed through massive rolling hills and valleys shaped by granite and other rock, Yale is a muscular layout with frequent blind shots. The land used at Yale has the most elevation change of any course Raynor was involved with. The layout is still considered one of the most penal courses that either Macdonald or Raynor designed. Missing a green in the wrong place may result in your ball finding a deep bunker 30 vertical feet below the green surface. At only 6,635 yards from the back tees, readers can be excused for assuming that this golf course plays short. In fact, it plays far longer than the yardage on the scorecard. Many holes require uphill shots
that lengthen the yardage, or downhill shots requiring precision off the tee, so driver is often taken out of one’s hand at Yale. The scale is large enough that it will often shock first-time visitors. It’s a broad and brawny test, meant to be a physical examination for the Yale students. Its deep bunkers rank among the deepest that Macdonald or Raynor ever designed.
The rolling short par-four 3rd provides intrigue, with a ridge that traverses the fairway, creating a blind approach. A high ledge and knolls protect the left side of this fairway, forcing players to bring the water that protects the right side into play.
The 9th hole is one of the most unique Biarritzes ever designed by Macdonald or Raynor. The hole features a relatively short, downhill tee shot over a pond that guards the front of a green that’s 64 yards long. Banks asserted that the front third of this Biarritz should be left as an approach area, not cut as green. Today that front-third is not only part of the green, but the hole location is also almost always cut here, bringing the pond more into play.
Yale demonstrates Raynor’s talent for building original holes when the land called for something unique. Weary golfers who reach the 18th tee face a harsh reality: the finishing hole at Yale is the harshest physical test on the golf course. The 18th is a 621-yard par five that plays up a steep hill, and then around another hill. From there, it plays up another hill, before dropping to a green that sits below a hill. It’s a mammoth final exam that reminds you that you’re at an Ivy League school.
Yale is still considered one of the best campus courses in the country. Yale has hosted a number of significant collegiate tournaments, including six NCAA Regionals (1991, 1995, 2004, 2010, 2015, and 2022).
Yale has now moved forward with a complete restoration of their treasured golf course and the anticipation builds, as they will revive all original 1926 features, giving golf enthusiasts from all over the world the opportunity of experiencing, as the course’s management puts it, “the true scale of the original Yale.”
ROUND HILL CLUB
Greenwich, CT • 1922
R#-$d ,/)) +)-1 %)/&! well under the radar. It was established by some locals in 1922, who felt that other clubs in the area were too crowded and didn’t offer enough family activities. In addition to tennis, swimming, squash, paddle tennis, and skeet and trap shooting have been a part of the club since the earliest years.
Round Hill’s course was designed by Walter J. Travis, who is also known for Ekwanok (VT), Garden City (NY), Westchester CC West (NY), and Hollywood GC (NJ). The course opened in 1924, with an exhibition match between Francis Ouimet, Jerome Travers, Jess Sweetser, and Max Marston: all celebrated who had won at least one U.S. Amateur title each. Seven years later, Round Hill head pro Billy Burke won the U.S. Open (at Inverness), taking 72 playoff holes to claim the title: the longest playoff in USGA history.
The course superintendent Emilio Strazza had scattered some dynamited rock from construction across the golf course, creating mounding (once covered with dirt and grass). Many of these have been removed over the years, as they interfered with course maintenance, but a few remain: including one short-right of the 15th green, and another near the 5th tee.
Robert Trent Jones Sr. remodeled some of the holes in the early- and mid-1960s. Ken Dye heightened the bunkers in the late 1990s—as some members felt the blind bunkers should be more visible—but this work was largely removed 20 years later by Brian Schneider, who used photographs from the 1930s to restore the bunkers to Travis’s original intent. Schneider also expanded fairways and removed some excessive trees.
The club has retained the services of Andrew Green, who has recently completed a master plan for the course.
The club was co-host (with Stanwich Club) of the qualifying rounds for the USGA’s 2002 Mid-Amateur Championship.
50&!+#.. 1-!, the investment banker and U.S. senator who was the father and grandfather to future U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush—was a prominent figure at the club. He was a good player too; he won the men’s club championship eight times. Like his father-in-law, George Herbert Walker, Prescott served as president of the USGA in 1935. It’s here that at a Christmas dance in 1941, George H.W. Bush met his future wife, Barbara Pierce.
Photographs of this course are by Michael Nevins.
STANWICH CLUB
Greenwich,
CT • 1962
B#0$
for another golf course, when local clubs Greenwich CC and Round Hill had long waitlists, Stanwich Club was founded in 1964. The founders purchased ample farmland and sought to create a club and course worthy of its rivals. The Stanwich name is a mixture of the two bordering towns: Greenwich and Stamford. It sounds more elegant than Greenford. Stanwich’s original course layout was the work of father and son William and David Gordon. Their other most notable work came at Saucon Valley in Pennsylvania, where they designed the Weyhill and Grace courses.
The course has a reputation for being difficult. Measuring 7,445 yards from the tips, the course plays much longer than its older neighboring courses, and trees line every single narrow fairway, and the greens typically run extremely fast. Water comes into play on eight holes. The green on the short par-four 3rd hole is protected on the right side by a large, imposing green. The members refer to it as Kareem, because of how many shots it blocks.
If you need to be convinced of the course’s length, two par fives can play over 600 yards long—the 9th and 17th—and bunkers, tall trees, and ponds protect par (and bogey) on both of them. The 9th is narrow and dead straight, with out-of-bounds lurking down the entire left side, and four spaced-out fairway bunkers—and lots of trees—guarding the right side. The 17th fairway runs along a creek on the left, and if players want to go for the green in two, they’ll have to carry a large pond. Good luck.
The par-three 13th is a signature hole here. It plays over two bodies of water to a triangle-shaped green built around two deep bunkers, and it features a spine and slopes mostly front to back. It’s an extremely difficult test: to control your distance and spin on a drawing long iron.The fairway on the next hole—another long par five—slants right to left and is guarded by bunkers left and a pond
right. Once you figure out that challenge, you’ll face a very long approach or a tough lay-up. Either way, your approach must carry another large pond that guards the front of the green.
The club has only had two head pros in its 60-year history: Billy Farrell, son of U.S. Open winner Johnny Farrell, served for the first 37 years, followed by Mike Summa, who has been there since 2000. After Billy’s death in 2020, the club now hosts The Farrell— a national invitational for men and women—in his honor.
The club brought in Tom Fazio associate Tom Marzolf to thin out the trees and to renovate the course, including reworking seven of the most severe greens, and a new opening hole. Marzolf’s work was completed in 2005, and the course is still a bear, or—as the members say—a witch. In fact, the farthest tees are the Witch Tees, and the club’s popular (alternate) logo features a witch riding a flying flagstick.
The clubhouse is an old farm manor house that was converted in 1964. Its classic white exterior transitions to elegant wood-paneled walls inside, featuring a cozy bar. The two-story patio offers ample outdoor seating for three seasons.
Stanwich has hosted the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, the 2011 Palmer Cup, and the 2023 Ivy League Men’s Championship, and 2024 Ivy League Women’s Championship.
LAKE OF ISLES
North Stonington, CT • 2005
T,&0& a0& .'# :?-,#)& )a2#-.! at Lake of Isles, which is associated with the Foxwoods Casino across the street. The facilities are owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The North course is public, while the South course is private. Both courses are routed through dense forest, sometimes requiring a long journey between holes, though a few holes play along a large lake.
The North course can be stretched to over 7,200 yards, but most people will play at 6,750 to 4,900 yards. Many holes here are straight-away including the short par-four 1st, which features a tricky green. The 2nd is a medium-length par three that plays downhill, but a large lake creates havoc left and short of the green, and a large bunker guarding bail-out shots on the right; it’s one of the more intimidating tee shots in the state. The par-five 3rd isn’t long, but it’s tight, and angles matter: favor the left side of the fairway for a safer second shot into this green that’s heavily bunkered on the right side. The 5th is a standout: a dogleg-right par five that turns almost 90 degrees. If a player can cover the fairway bunkers on the inside right of this drive, they can set up a clear birdie opportunity on this short par five. The 6th offers the same short-cut temptation, this time on a short dogleg-right par four. The front nine closes with a tricky par four that turns right, with bunkering framing the fairway, leading to a pitched-up green nestled on top of a hill.
On the back, the 11th is a picturesque downhill par three requiring a long- to mid-iron over a lake. The 12th offers a breather: a blind tee shot up the right-side of the fairway is preferred on this short par four. The par-four 13th plays downhill to the fairway, then uphill to the green. Long hitters beware: the fairway narrows considerably the farther one drives it. The 14th is semi-blind off the tee before bending right. The lake again figures on the tee shot
of the 17th, presenting a forced carry, though trees guard the lakefront to the left of the fairway. The green is perched on the side of a hill, so you’ll want to avoid missing left on your approach. The par-four 18th also requires a forced carry over the lake, adding considerable challenge to the finish.
The South course is the private member course. It can play very long—7,346 from the tips—but offer other options at much more human distances. Built over many hundreds of acres, most of its holes are completely isolated, giving players a sense of solitude.
Photographs of these courses are by Michael Nevins.
VERMONT
You wouldn’t be alone if you figured that Vermont and New Hampshire—two similarly sized border-states that complete a square—would be essentially similar in most ways. But as we’ll see, these two states are radically different. Like yin and yang different. Or like Yankees vs. Red Sox different.
The cultures feel very different as well. Vermont leans progressive, perhaps more than any other state in the past 40 years, while New Hampshire sees more of a mixture of conservativism and oldschool libertarianism. After all, the Vermont motto is “Freedom and Unity,” and New Hampshire’s is “Live Free or Die.”
There are other obvious differences. Subarus and Saabs in Vermont, pickups in New Hampshire. Green Mountains vs. White Mountains. Maple trees vs. Birch trees. Ben & Jerry’s vs. Timberland. Yankees vs. Red Sox. In fact, when people in the New York area wish to relocate to a rural landscape, they choose Vermont much more than New Hampshire. Boston-area people are more likely to choose their neighboring New Hampshire than Vermont, which offers no southeast highways. In local parlance, if you’re heading from Boston to many parts of Vermont, you “can’t get there from here.”
Keegan Bradley was born in Woodstock, Vermont (and most definitely a Boston sports fan). But the most decorated Vermonter in golf is most definitely Patty Sheehan, who won 41 times on the LPGA Tour, including six majors. She was dominant in the 1980s early ‘90s, and also played on the U.S. Solheim Cup team five times. Since both states cover a similar number of square miles, you might think both states are equally inhabited, but New Hampshire boasts over double Vermont’s population. New Hampshire is even more mountainous: there are 4 mountains in Vermont over 4,000 feet, but in New Hampshire, there are 48. New Hampshire has 4 electoral votes in presidential elections—voting first or second in primaries and in elections, with every presidential candidate visiting the state in the past 20 years—while Vermont has 3, and sees virtually no campaigning. But you’re not here for the politics. Most—if not all—of Vermont golf courses fly under the radar. There are roughly 10 times as many dairy farms in Vermont than golf courses, and the most architecturally significant course in Vermont is likely one you’ve never heard of. But the things most unknown are often the most interesting. So let’s visit …
35. Mountain View Country Club 36. Mount Snow Golf Club
37. Mt. Anthony Country Club 38. Neshobe Golf Club
39. Newport Country Club 40. Northfield Country Club
41. Fox Run Golf Club (formerly Okemo Valley) 42. Orleans Country Club
43. Points North Golf Club
44. Proctor-Pittsford Country Club
45. Prospect Pointe Country Club
46. Quechee Club
47. Ralph Myhre Golf Course
48. Richford Country Club
49. Rocky Ridge Golf Club
50. Rutland Country Club
51. Ryderbrook Golf Club
52. Saint Johnsbury Country Club
53. Sitzmark Lodge & Golf Course
54. Stamford Valley Golf Club
55. Stonehedge Golf Course
56. Stowe Country Club
57. Stowe Mountain Golf Club
58. Stratton Mountain Country Club
59. Sugarbush Golf Club
60. Tater Hill Golf Club
61. The Golf Club at Equinox
62. The Links at Lang Farm
63. Vermont National Country Club
64. West Bolton Golf Course
65. White River Golf Club
66. Williston Golf Course
67. Woodbury Golf Course
68. Woodstock Country Club
DORSET FIELD CLUB
Dorset,
VT • 1886
D#0!&. %/&)d +)-1 does not claim to be the oldest golf club in America, but golf started here very early. The club doesn’t have bylaws or other formal evidence of organization before 1896 when the clubhouse was constructed, and it didn’t own its property until 1918, when it was incorporated. What Dorset Field Club does claim to be, based largely upon a copy of a course layout dating back to Sunday, September 12, 1886, is the oldest continuously played golf course still essentially on the same site. In any event, it is a wonderful, relaxing place to spend a day. What began as a summer retreat still serves that purpose very well.
The course contains a tale of very old and rather new. Until the 21st century, the course consisted of only nine holes, with several layouts over the years as lands were acquired. In 1999, in conjunction with Vermont golf architect Steve Durkee, three new holes were added on the front nine (Holes 3-5) and six were added to a new back nine (Holes 12-17). At the same time, old holes were renumbered as well. The former 9th hole, a so-so par five ending at the clubhouse, was given a new, elevated green and became a dramatic, new par-four 18th hole.
Eight of the holes at Dorset Field Club play over a stream or brook while another is framed by two ponds. The 9th hole is a short par four that plays over a stream, to a green guarded by bunkers and mounds on both sides. A pulled or hooked drive can easily find the out of bounds on the left. The 11th hole is a 400+ par four that plays over a stream twice, with short approaches finding the drink. The par-five 16th plays along the edge of a ravine to the right and is guarded by clusters of bunkers on the driving and lay-up areas.
Constructed in 1896 and named after a founding member who had recently passed away, the clubhouse, known as Woodruff Hall, still retains the character of an old farmhouse.
Around 2021, the club retained golf course architects Tyler Rae and Kyle Franz to assess the existing holes and to make suggestions on how course features could be improved. Three years later, a new par-three 5th hole has been introduced, incorporating a long-abandoned original green. The front nine now includes three par threes in rapid succession: the 5th, 6th, and 8th. Still under construction is a new par five that replaces the former 1st hole (a par four) and 2nd hole (a par three).
226 | THE GOLF COURSES OF NEW ENGLAND
QUECHEE CLUB
Hartford, VT • 1970
T,& a1&$a9/ .0/1& once inhabited these lands, known as the Upper Valley, located just 10 minutes east of the charming town of Woodstock, and 20 miles southwest of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Early European inhabitants quickly established Quechee as a mill town, with a sawmill and gristmill in the 1760s, followed by textile production (specializing in wool) until the 1950s. The village and club of Quechee take their name from the Abenaki name for the river at their center—the Ottauquechee, which means “fast mountain stream.” There’s now a thriving community—now over 50 years old, owned and operated by the local landowners association—that can offer you and your family enough things to do for an entire month.
There’s plenty to do at Quechee Club, including tennis, platform tennis (aka paddle), pickleball, swimming in a massive outdoor pool, swimming in a massive indoor pool, hiking, horse riding, kayaking, fishing, [pause for breath] downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, sledding, snowshoeing and ice skating. There’s even a beach on the nearby lake. There are also activity clubs available to members, including card games, gardening, photography, racquet sports, art making, and of course golf.
Quechee boasts two great 18-hole layouts, both designed by Geoffrey Cornish: the Highland course opened in 1970, followed by the Lakeland course in 1975. The former Cornish associate and partner, Brian Silva, restored the course in 2012 after extensive flooding damage from Hurricane Irene. How bad was it? At least 27 of the 36 holes here were destroyed.
The Highland course is the tougher of the two, with tree-lined fairways at higher elevation, requiring more accuracy. The 1st, uniquely, is a par three that plays toward the Ottauquechee River. Golfers begin their ascent on the par-five 2nd, which wraps to the left as it climbs up the hill. The short par-four 6th doglegs so severely right (with tall trees protecting the inside of the dogleg) that you’re better off hitting an iron off the tee, which should still give you a short iron to the green. The 8th is a long-ish par three that plays over the whispering river, though the green is set roughly 40 yards over the river.
Whether you play the Highland or Lakeland course, be sure to take advantage of the many other activities at Quechee Club.
The 305-yard 11th isn’t quite driveable by long-hitters, as it plays uphill and to a green that’s further pitched up with a false front. The short, parfour 14th is a fun risk-and-reward hole. The par-four 16th is where the author of this book shanked two consecutive wedge approach shots—from the middle of the fairway—to lose his spot on an epic Spring Break golf team trip to Northern California. (Sounds like the old wounds are still somewhat fresh 25 years later.) The finishing hole is a long par five, with a canted fairway and a green that offers no run-ups: guarded by a lake left, and a bunker short-right.
The aptly named Lakeland course plays along Lake Pinneo and the Ottauquechee River, in the lowlands of the property. The wider fairways here offer more playability than the Highland course. The 2nd hole plays along the river to the left, with a lake guarding the right on the second shot on this par four. Hole 3 features a forced carry of the river, before opening up possible angles into this well-bunkered green. The par-five 5th features trees up the left side, and large bunkers up the right. Hole 7 is another par five, a short one with the approach guarded by a grove of thick trees: it calls for a towering high hook in two, or a simple lay-up to the right side of the fairway.
The back nine kicks off with a difficult tee shot over the river, which continues to run along the right of the 10th. There’s more water waiting for you on the 11th and 12th holes, urging you to stay left. Then water left on 14 and 15. The par-three 16th is a beautiful par three, with the green tucked along a bend in Lake Pinneo. Then 17 and 18 turn left along the lake before bringing you back to the clubhouse.
Whether you play the Highland or Lakeland courses, just remember to stand a bit farther away from the ball and swing easy. And don’t forget to slow down, relax, and take advantage of the many other activities at Quechee Club, to remind you there’s more to life than the score you shot.
VERMONT
GEOFFREY CORNISH
it’s safe to say that no one has designed more golf courses in New England than Geoffrey Cornish (19142012). He is credited with over 200 designs—most of them in this region of the U.S.—so if you’ve played a bunch of golf in New England, it’s highly likely that you’ve played one of his courses. And yet, you may not have heard of him. By all accounts, that was just fine by Geoff.
Geoffrey St. John Cornish was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1914. He attended the University of British Columbia, where he earned a BA in agronomy. Later, he earned his MA in agronomy from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Cornish got his start in golf course design by working for famed Canadian architect Stanley Thompson. Cornish first helped with research for Capilano Golf Club (Vancouver, Canada), and worked with Thompson for four years. Around 1940, Cornish became a greenskeeper in his hometown of Winnipeg, at St. Charles Country Club.
When Canada became involved in World War II, Cornish served in the Canadian Army. On D-Day, he stormed the beaches at Normandy. After the war, he went back to work for Stanley Thompson for a year or two, and then worked for a bit for Robert Trent Jones Sr. In 1952, Cornish began his own design firm, located in Amherst, Massachusetts.
In 1962, he welcomed William G. Robinson as a partner, and he added Brian Silva and Mark Mungeam: he worked with those talented designers for over 20 years each.
Cornish performed restoration and update work at many existing courses. There are far too many to list, but some highlights in New England include Agawam Hunt, Brae Burn CC, Cohasset, Concord CC, The Country Club (Brookline), Dedham, CC of Fairfield, Framingham CC, Keney Park, Metacomet, Mount Washington, Misquamicut, Myopia Hunt, Point Judith CC, Prouts Neck, Stanwich, Wampanoag, and Worcester CC.
Cornish joined the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) in 1967, and served as its president in 1975-76. For decades, he co-chaired the History Committee with Dr. Michael Hurdzan.
Cornish also authored several books, including the encyclopedic book The Golf Course (1981), coauthored with Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten. The book was later republished as The Architects of Golf (1993). It’s considered to be one of the deepest historical resources on golf course architecture. Cornish also taught seminars at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and in the turf school at UMass-Amherst. He also coauthored a book, with fellow architect and instructor Robert Muir Graves, called Golf Course Design (1998).
Cornish believed in a natural approach to course design, and he sought to move as little land as possible. He put his work first. He would often work for much lower fees than his peers, perhaps even 1/10th of what he could have charged.
About Cornish, his friend and coauthor Ron Whitten has written, “Geoff was a great golf course architect because he was more interested in spreading the game than in making a name for himself. He was the Johnny Appleseed to three generations of New England golfers.” Whitten continued, “If you couldn’t afford 18 holes, no problem. He would build nine. If you couldn’t afford bunkers, no problem. He would put them in later, when and if you had the money.” He wasn’t interested in chasing the biggest projects with the biggest fees: he focused more on the smaller-budget courses, the public courses, the nine-hole courses, the munis.
Cornish’s list of courses in Massachusetts is extremely long and too many to even count accurately. Some highlights include Allendale CC, Farm Neck GC, The International GC, Captains, Stow Acres (North), Olde Barnstable, and Shaker Hills GC. He also helped to make changes to The Country Club before it hosted the 1963 U.S. Open. In Vermont, Cornish is known for his two courses at the Quechee Club, as well as Killington GC, Manchester CC, and the two Stratton Mountain courses. In New Hampshire, Eastman GL and Sunningdale GC, and White Mountain CC.
Though the vast majority of his designs were in New England, Cornish also designed courses in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Canada.
Cornish died in 2012, at his home in Amherst. He was 97. Through his new designs and his renovation work, Cornish leaves behind a massive legacy of updating and improving the entire landscape of golf in New England.
You can read more about Cornish in the Ask the Architects section at the back of this book, where Silva and Mungeam both reminisce about working with Cornish, and discuss his legacy as a great evangelist of New England golf.
EKWANOK COUNTRY CLUB
Manchester, VT • 1899
L#+a.&d /$ !#-.,&0$ v&04#$. , Ekwanok might be one of the most pleasant clubs—with a great golf course—that most golf nuts have never heard of. Founded in 1899 by two men from Brooklyn and Philadelphia, they quickly set to work to establish a course and clubhouse. They hired Walter J. Travis and John Duncan Dunn to design the course, which opened in 1900.
The club was originally set to be called “Equinox Club,” but there are many things with “Equinox” in its name in the area, including a resort and a massive mountain. A founder instead suggested the name Ekwanok (pronounced Eh-KWON-ick), which was the local Native American tribe’s word for the mountain.
In 1907, the club hired its first club professional: Horace Rawlins, who won the first U.S. Open in 1895. You might recognize the name of the club’s third president: Robert Todd Lincoln. This eldest son of Abraham Lincoln first visited the Manchester, Vermont area in 1864, when he was an undergraduate at Harvard College. Robert Todd Lincoln would later buy property in the area in 1902, upon a prominent member’s death. The club still runs an annual member-guest tournament in his name. After his death, Lincoln was succeeded by prominent businessman and philanthropist Bartlett Arkell, who helped Ekwanok survive the Great Depression; as an Augusta National member, he also put up the prize money for the first seven Masters tournaments. In addition, he also helped Ekwanok raise funds to build a new clubhouse in 1938, after the previous one—which was completely renovated just two years prior, through the generosity again of Bartlett—burned down.
Ekwanok hosted the 1914 U.S. Amateur, which had two amateur stalwarts vying in the 36-hole championship match: Francis Ouimet and Jerome Travers. Ouimet would win the day 6 & 5. The club also hosted the first United States Seniors Golf Association (USSGA) golf tournament in 1962, and the club still hosts the tournament.
The opening three and closing three holes are all par fours that play over ditches, ponds, and creeks. The opening tee shot plays over the ditch to a diagonal fairway that moves to the right. The par-four 3rd hole has three fairway bunkers on the left that must be avoided, before the approach shot plays over a wide stretch of the creek. Two fairway bunkers frame the left and right-side of the par-four 5th, creating a narrow drive on an otherwise wide hole. Don’t go long on the par-three 6th, where rough and forest await. A massive hill interrupts the otherwise flatish fairway on the 7th, creating a blind second shot on this long par five; it’s one of the most unique holes in New England. The par-four 8th plays over a natural mound, and bunkers lurk right of the fairway, and more await left, front, and right of this green.
The back nine begins with a downhill par five. The par-three 11th featues a tricky green. The 12th is a standout: playing over a large hill, where players often have sidehill or downhill lies for their approach to a small green protected by a deep bunker short-right. The par-four 14th bends to the left, with small bunkers and mounds frame the fairway. The par-four 15th plays over a creek, with a pond coming into play on the second shot. The fairway on the par-four 17th narrows the farther one hits their drive, but the approach is rather straightforward. A creek comes into play on the closing hole, right where most players’ drives want to end up, about 130 yards short of the green on this par four with an uphill approach.
The course is intended as a walking course, and the club has the only caddie program in Vermont. The gorgeous white clubhouse features a tap room named after Ouimet, and a casual dining room named for Travis. The Founders Room, constructed in the mid1990s, houses trophies and mementos of the club’s past.
In the 1940s and ‘50s, two notable course architects—Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones Sr.—came in at different points and removed original features, mostly to reduce their costly maintenance. The course was renovated by Geoffrey Cornish in the 1960s. In the past few decades, Bruce Hepner has expanded green pads, removed trees, and restored fairway bunkers to bring back Travis’s artistry to Ekwanok.
If you ever get an invitation to play here, drop everything and go.
Photographs of this course are by Michael Nevins and Tim Ball.
WALTER TRAVIS
WALTER J. TRAVIS WAS BORN IN 1862 in Maldon, Australia, a small town about 90 miles inland from Melbourne. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1885, to establish a New York office for his employer at the time: a construction firm called McLean Brothers and Rigg. In the ensuing years, he would meet a woman and marry her, and they would have two children. They would eventually settle in Garden City, New York, just east of Queens. Travis only took up the game of golf at the age of 34 or 35, in 1896. Just two years later, he would make the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur tournament, and again the following year, before winning in 1900: just four years after he first swung a club. He was known especially for his putting prowess, and somewhat controversially, his putter (called the Schenectady model) would be banned by the R&A from 1910 to 1952. Ekwanok was a great opportunity for Travis, who had not yet designed a course. Perhaps because of his putting skills, Travis is known for designing holes with small greens, often divided into sections using a plateau or spine. He also quickly became interested in fashioning mounds that introduced quirky features to many of his holes. He also rejected the use of cross bunkers, which were popular at the time, but seemed to make holes too difficult for the average golfer.
Notably, Ekwanok was Travis’s first design, and it was a fine debut. He would later design courses such as Garden City (NY), Westchester CC (NY), and Hollywood GC (NJ), Round Hill Club (CT), and Cape Arundel (ME).
Apparently all of that design work at Ekwanok didn’t affect Travis’s golf game: he would win the U.S. Amateur the same year Ekwanok was finished (1900), and would successfully defend in 1901, and win again in 1903. He also won the British Amateur in 1904, becoming the first non-English or Scots player to win the title.
Travis would also become a writer. He published his first instructional book, Practical Golf, in 1901. He followed up that highly successful book with The Art of Putting in 1904. These two books rank are among the very best in golf instruction for many decades. He also founded and published The American Golfer, arguably the most influential golf magazine of the early 1900s.
Travis stopped competing at the age of 54, due to health issues. He died at age 65 in Denver, and he was buried back in Manchester, Vermont, just a par five away from Ekwanok. In all, Travis designed over 50 courses and introduced some highly important concepts to golf course design.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
As we made clear in the last section, New Hampshire is not Vermont. Just remember: if you confuse the two in either state, you’re more likely to get in a fight about it in New Hampshire. But at least they don’t have a state sales tax or income tax.
As it pertains to golf, the topography of New Hampshire is significantly different than Vermont’s. Courses here can be less rolling terrain, more abrupt in elevation changes, with granite everywhere.
A look at New Hampshire’s best golf courses will teach us—or at least re-affirm—that great land comes first, and the better the land, the better potential for a golf course. Many of these courses were built 100 years ago or more, when land-moving equipment was either scarce or non-existent. The search for great land was incredibly important, as we’ll see at courses such as Hooper, Lake Sunapee, and Lake Winnipesaukee.
Except for one major highway, the state is one of country roads, bending around mountains and hills and rivers and streams. The state is speckled with rugged granite and rugged individuals. Think the White Mountains, Robert Frost, and voting first in national elections. The southeastern bit of the state boasts 18 miles of coastline, and enjoys proximity to Boston, just 63 miles over the Massachusetts border.
There aren’t many famous golfers from New Hampshire, but here are three you should know. Aaron Baddeley was actually born here, before his family moved to Australia. Though he represents Australia in golf, he’s a dual citizen. Jane Blalock, who was born in Portsmouth, won 27 times on the LPGA Tour in the 1970s and ‘80s. She made 299 consecutive cuts (twice as many as Tiger), before a herniated disc cut into her career. She was an inaugural inductee into the New England Sports Hall of Fame. There’s also Kirk Hanefeld, who plays on the Champions Tour; he was born in Claremont. It’s also worth noting that later in life, Gene Sarazen spent many summers at Lake Sunapee.
There are five seasons in a year here: summer, fall, winter, mud season, and spring. It makes for a very short season of golf. In the early months of a typical golf season, conditions in Connecticut and Rhode Island are significantly better than in central New Hampshire.
But summers in New Hampshire are something else.
Often overlooked by those who only have time for Massachusetts top courses or seaside courses in other states, the Live Free or Die State provides a slower and more relaxing golf destination.
1. Abenaqui Country Club
2. Amherst Country Club
3. Androscoggin Valley Country Club
4. Angus Lea Golf Course
5. Apple Hill Golf Club
6. Atkinson Resort & Country Club
7. Baker Hill Golf Club
8. Bald Peak Colony Club
9. Beaver Meadow Golf Course
10. Bethlehem Country Club 11. Blackmount Country Club 12. Bolduc Park Golf Course 13. Bramber Valley Golf Course 14. Breakfast Hill Golf Club 15. Bretwood Golf Course
16. Brookstone Park Golf Complex
17. Buckmeadow Golf Club
18. Campbell’s Scottish Highlands GC
19. Candia Woods Golf Links
20. Canterbury Woods Country Club 21. Carter Country Club
22. Claremont Country Club
23. Cochecho Country Club
24. Colebrook Country Club
25. Concord Country Club
26. Country Club of New Hampshire
27. Countryside Golf Club
28. Crotched Mountain Golf Club
29. Den Brae Golf Course
30. Derryfield Country Club
31. Dublin Lake Club
32. Duston Country Club
33. Eagle Mountain House & GC 34. Eastman Golf Links
35. Exeter Country Club
36. Farmington Country Club
37. Granite Fields Golf Club
38. Granliden on Sunapee GC
39. Green Meadow Golf Club
40. Hales Location Golf Course
41. Hanover Country Club (RIP) 42. Hidden Creek Country Club
43. Hidden Valley RV and Golf Park 44. Highland Links Golf Club 45. Hoodkroft Country Club
Hooper Golf Club 47. Indian Mound Golf Club 48. Intervale Country Club 49. Jack O Lantern Resort
50. Jade Trace at Mystic Meadows
Keene Country Club 52. Kingston Fairways
53. Kingswood Golf Club
54. Kona Par-3 Club
55. Laconia Country Club
56. Lake Sunapee Country Club 57. Lakeview Golf Course 58. Linderhof Country Club
59. Lochmere Golf & Country Club 60. Londonderry Country Club
61. Loudon Country Club
62. Manchester Country Club
Maplewood Country Club
Monadnock Country Club 65. Montcalm Golf Club 66. Mountain View Grand Golf Course
Nashua Country Club
Newport Golf Club
Nippo Lake Golf Club
North Conway Country Club
Oak Hill Golf Course
LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE GOLF CLUB
New Durham, NH • 1990
La9& '/$$/5&!a-9&& takes its name from the Abenaki tribe, meaning “lake around islands.” It’s a beautiful, mountainous area just two hours north of Boston. The club was the first New Hampshire course to host the New England Open.
The course itself is routed up, down, and around significant hills, marshlands, and lakes, and it offers mostly wide fairways and some great mountain views. Thick forest, exposed rock, and long morning and afternoon shadows add further character to the surroundings, providing a distinctly New Hampshire feel. Playing during leaf-changing in the fall would be a bonus.
The course was designed by the Englishman Clive Clark, who played in a Walker Cup and a Ryder Cup. The opening tee shot features an elevation drop of over 130 vertical feet, and the green can potentially be driven, but bunkers guard the left, right, and back. The par-three 3rd is a longer hole that tests accuracy, with bunkering that will almost certainly catch anything to the right. There are only three par fives, and two of them play back-to-back: the 7th and 8th. The latter is a long, uphill dogleg left that yields more double bogeys than birdies.
The back nine begins with a short, downhill, potentially drivable par four, with a wide fairway for the conservative tee shot, and a narrow opening for those attempting to drive the green, which slopes from front to back. The par-three 11th features a deep bunker short-right, and a spine splitting the green into left and right sections. There’s a lake on the 12th, but it comes more into play on the second shot of this par four. Avoid the rock outcroppings on the par-five 13th, where only the longest hitters can go for the green in two, as there’s a wide stream protecting the front of this green. The par-four 17th provides two radically different tee boxes, creating either a forced carry over a large lake, or a dogleg right with the lake on the left.
PORTSMOUTH COUNTRY CLUB
Greenland,
NH • 1901
P#0.!4#-., +#-$.02 +)-1 was founded in 1901, and Alexander Findlay laid out the original nine holes. Another nine holes were built in the early 1930s. Unfortunately in the 1950s, the U.S. government seized the property, via eminent domain, to construct Portsmouth Air Force Base, so the club was forced to relocate. They chose a property a bit down Route 33, along the lakes of Great Bay. (The old property was later made ... into a golf course, called Pease Golf Course today, which bellies up to the Pease Air National Guard Base.)
The club hired Robert Trent Jones Sr. to design the new course, which opened in 1957. Today, the course can stretch to 7,150 yards, though most mortals will play at 6,600 yards or less. The course plays out to marshland that abuts the bay.
The 1st hole is a short par four that bends gently to the right. The challenge begins on the tight par-four 2nd, framed by trees on both sides of the fairway. The tee shot on the par-four 3rd plays over a small pond, and then bends left, and marshland creeps in on the left side of the approach. The 4th is a par five that bends around the marsh and bay, playing uphill on the second and third shots. After the short par-three 5th, with the bay again on the left, the course turns back inland, where tree-lined fairways welcome you back after your shoreline sojourn.
The course begins to open up a bit again on the 11th: a par five that bends to the left, offering views of the bay to the right. The par-four 12th then plays directly to the farthest point on the bay, where the water can claim long and errant approaches. The 13th is another short three with marsh left, and then the 14th is a long, severe dogleg left that turns around the marsh, with small ponds guarding the inside and outside of the dogleg, and a green sited at the edge of the bay.
The last of the dogleg lefts is the short par-four 15th. Then the par-three 16th turns west, before the straightaway 17th and 18th holes take you back home.
Hopefully you have time for a drink in Portsmouth’s clubhouse, which dates back to 1998. Overall, Portsmouth is a nice walk with some great views.
MAINE
Maine is a great state of exports. It’s not just the largest producer of lobsters in the world, but also the U.S.’s top producer of blueberries. It also produced the most soldiers in the Civil War, for the Union Army; that may come as a surprise, given Maine is the farthest Northern state from the Mason-Dixon line.
Acadia is the second most visited national park: over 2 million people a year come here to bask in whale watching and rugged coastline views, and to maybe encounter some bears and moose. Maine’s nickname of “Vacation Land” is apt.
In this state best known for lobster, Stephen King, and L.L. Bean, the most compelling golf in Maine stays mainly on the shore. It’s fitting, since there are roughly 3,500 miles of coastline here. (There’s also 4,000 small islands. If you don’t believe me, look it up!) In fact, Maine is so large that all five other New England states can fit inside it. There’s a lot to explore.
Really good golf courses such as Cape Arundel, Kebo Valley, Portland Country Club, and Boothbay Harbor are near the ocean, along Highway 1. A few others lie inland—among the towns and ski villages, a few hours north of the shore—including Belgrade Lakes, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf. There are plenty of great options in a state not particularly known for golf.
In fact, there are no famous golfers from Maine. Just kidding: Peter Kostis was born in Sanford, Maine. “Mainers” export many great things, though, so let’s give them a break on pro golfers.
Though the golf season may be short in this northern state, you shouldn’t overlook it as a golf designation. It’s a state of hidden gems: sleepy little nine-holers that fit the bill during a great summer vacation.
Wherever you find yourself here, there’s a quaintness and calm.
CAPE ARUNDEL GOLF CLUB
Kennebunkport, ME • 1896
I$ !#-.,&0$ 4a/$& , right near the coast, sits a club and course with distinguished, old-fashioned character and charm. The club was founded in 1896, under the original name of Kennebunkport Golf Club. In fact, Arundel was the name of the town, beginning in 1781, which was changed to Kennebunkport in 1821, so there’s been some name swapping. The area was a summer colony for many New York and Boston families. Since 1830, the population of Kennebunkport has only increased by 1,200 people (from 2,763 to 3,629 in 2020). Thankfully, not much has changed at this club in the last 100 years. Cape Arundel is a place where you can get away from modern troubles. And since it’s a semi-private course, it’s one you can actually get on.
The original nine holes were laid out by Alexander Findlay in 1900, then designed and expanded by Walter Travis in 1920. Travis also laid out Garden City (NY), Westchester CC (NY), Hollywood GC (NJ), and Ekwanok (VT). He also advised at National Golf Links of America, Pinehurst #2, and Pine Valley. As is typical of a Travis design, blind tee shots, chocolate-drop mounding, and undulating greens are found here in great numbers.
The course plays to a par of 69 and covers only 88 acres. The 2nd hole is a drivable par four, though players cannot see the green from the tee. The 5th is another short par four, albeit a dogleg left, with the green guarded by trees from the driving angle, and a creek and a valley in the front. This hole and several others feature several small mounds, including the 10th: a par-four dogleg right that plays uphill to a two-tiered, raised green that’s difficult to hold. From the green, you can see the entire course, as well as the Kennebunk River. Several tee shots require a forced carry over the river, including 14 and 17.
The Walker-Bush family have deep roots at Cape Arundel. George Herbert Walker bought a summer home in Kennebunkport in 1902, and the Walker-Bush family has been summering there ever since. Walker served as president of the club from 1949 to his death in 1953. He also served as president of the USGA in 1920, and the Walker Cup is named after him. Prescott Bush (18951972)—a former USGA president—won the Cape Arundel club championship eight times. The club’s dark-green clubhouse, which was constructed in 1900, was recently renamed 41 House, to honor its longtime member, George H.W. Bush, who was the 41st U.S. president. The club’s range building is named 43 House, after his
The club’s course record of 60 is held by Phil Mickelson, who captured it in 2006 while playing with President George H.W. Bush, who himself won the 1947 Cape Arundel club championship.
son and former U.S. President George W. Bush. Cape Arundel is near the Bush family’s Kennebunkport vacation home, and they have hosted many politicians and pro golfers to play here, including President Bill Clinton, Arnold Palmer, Fred Couples, Davis Love, Justin Leonard, Greg Norman, and David Toms. They’ve all enjoyed a post round refreshment on the clubhouse’s famous porch. The club’s course record of 60 is held by Phil Mickelson, who captured it in 2006 while playing with President George H.W. Bush, who himself won the 1947 Cape Arundel club championship. Bruce Hepner performed work at the club in the 2000s.
SUGARLOAF GOLF CLUB
Carrabassett Valley, ME • 1985
T,& !-(a0)#a% a0&a opened for skiing in the early 1950s, and it’s the second largest ski resort east of the Mississippi (second only to Vermont’s Killington). The Appalachian Trail passes just half a mile from here, on its way to its finishing point at Mount Katahdin, so you may encounter a weary, wayward traveler, or perhaps a moose. Sugarloaf Mountain looms above this hilly track, carved out of the dense forest by Robert Trent Jones II in the mid-1980s. Located in the Carrabassett Valley, Sugarloaf Golf Club (not to be confused with Sugarloaf Social Club, or TPC Sugarloaf in Georgia), offers a sanctuary far away from the hustle and bustle.
This tree-lined course will yield great views of the Bigelow Mountain Range any time of year, but the leaf-peeping here is off the charts. The par-four 5th doglegs right, with a fairway that slopes off to the right. The 6th is short but uphill, requiring an accurate tee shot long enough to give you a clear shot to the green. The back nine begins with five holes deemed by Jones II as a “string of pearls.” The 10th hole is technically a driveable par four, but the green is severely sloped, and with a front bunker guarding the approach, and the Carrabassett River to claim long approaches. The par-three 11th plays 128 feet downhill over the aforementioned river, and is one of the most picturesque holes in New England; so grab your camera, and two clubs less for your tee shot.
The par-four 14th—called Hurricane Bob for the eponymous storm that destroyed its green in the early ‘90s—first plays over a brook on the tee shot, before requiring a strong approach over the river: a good time to club up. The 16th is a double-dogleg par five that certainly makes par a difficult score. Keep your tee shot short on 17 to avoid a brook that borders the outside of this dogleg left par four.
There’s so many things to do here, and golf is just one of them. Try downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, mountain-biking, “fat” biking, or even ski-biking (Editor’s Note: not to be construed as legal advice). Sugarloaf is a great place to be in the winter or summer, and of course in the fall.
270 | THE GOLF COURSES OF NEW ENGLAND
BELGRADE LAKES GOLF CLUB
Belgrade Lakes, ME • 1998
L#+a) 1-!/$&!!4a$ a$d 5,/)a$.,0#5/!.
Harold Alfond
loved golf, so he wanted to create a public course that had the quality and feel of a private golf club. The course is known for being in great condition, and there’s even a caddie program here. It’s not a wild opinion to think Belgrade Lakes is one of the top-five best public courses in New England.
Alfond found a tract of land on top of a mountain (locals may say “large hill”) that showed promise for golf: lots of undulations on rugged, natural terrain. It overlooks two large lakes (again, unironically named Great Pond and Long Pond), offering stunning views of the surrounding area. It’s a quiet refuge not far from the towns of Waterville and Augusta (the state capital), about an hour north of the Maine shoreline.
The course was designed by English architect Clive Clark, who also designed Lake Winnipesaukee. There’s hundreds of feet of elevation change here, but the walk isn’t as difficult as one might think. There’s only one uphill tee shot on the course (the 14th), and walkers are quite common. The layout isn’t exceptionally long—it tips out at just over 6,700 yards—but players are advised to keep to the fairways. Several holes feature tall pines, stone walls, and a lot of exposed granite outcroppings, reminding you that you are in fact on top of a mountain in New England.
Belgrade Lakes would be “a country club for the average guy.”
The 1st hole eases you into the round: a downhill par four, with no bunkers. The par-three 2nd is an inviting, short hole, and then the par-four 3rd shows you some teeth, in the form of hundreds of large rocks and boulders, which line the far-right edge of this hole. You’ll encounter more of this unique hazard on the 6th, where outcroppings on both sides force players to privilege accuracy over
distance on this tempting par five. You’ll realize how relatively flat the front nine has been when you come to the 9th tee: an uphill par four that plays between rocks on the left and trees on the right.
The back nine offers more elevation change. You only need a bunt of a drive on the downhill 10th, a short par four with a fairway that narrows dramatically at about 230 yards off the tee. The 12th is a long par five that twists and turns among the trees and boulders, and a wetland, to a green that’s tucked behind a tree-covered hill. The par threes here feature railroad ties placed vertically to create unique bunker faces and ditch faces, and the 13th is no exception. In this case, the storm ditch sits well short of the green, making an optical deception. The 15th offers another deception: there’s a figure-eight fairway that narrows in the middle, where rough and two bunkers force players to decide whether to hit a safer, shorter tee shot to the first area of fairway, or try bombing their drive to the farther area. The round comes to a close with a dramatic par four, to a large green.
There’s plenty of strategy and variety at Belgrade Lakes, and it’s well worth the drive.
ASK THE ARCHITECTS
T,/! /!$ ’ . a (0&a. +#$%&!!/#$ , but I’ve never built a golf course. I’ve been lucky to play many courses, and I’ve been a student—so to speak—of golf course architecture ever since I realized there was a vast different in styles and qualities of courses in my late teens. Though I’m far from a teenager now, I’m also far from being a golf course architect. So I thought readers would enjoy (and benefit) from hearing from the practitioners of the field, especially those who have devoted much of their drawing and dirt-moving days to the courses in this oldest corner of the country.
What follows are the open and honest views of the living architects who have spent the most time creating and improving and restoring the playing fields of New England that we love so much. Collectively, their work spans six decades—and so their experience traverses and transcends all of the trends and fads of the golf design business, to get to the real-deal realities and facts of what makes golf in New England unique, and what makes certain of them truly great.
I tried to ask them similar questions, in order to get an informative range of responses that can be compared, but I also used this
unique opportunity to better understand the relationships between designer-to-club, and designer-to-designer. It’s a complicated profession that is learned in the dirt, with ideas and practices passed down from one generation to the next. They learn from their peers, as well as from studying the works of the late greats. That’s what I wanted to capture in these Q&As.
Many thanks to those who replied—Ron Forse, Bruce Hepner, Mark Mungeam, Tyler Rae, and Brian Silva—who, you can imagine, have much better things to do than attend to their emails and type out responses to the um-hundredth person asking for their insights. I’m under no illusions: they contributed not because they feel like they owe me anything, but instead because they love New England and its great golf courses.
These giants of the industry focus on the true work—creating great golf holes for everyone to enjoy, and also returning to and preserving the genius creations of the past to the present—and for that, we want to showcase their unedited opinions here for all to enjoy.
Q&A WITH TYLER RAE
A University of Kentucky graduate in Landscape Architecture, TYLER RAE has been immersed in the game of golf and its playing fields from a very young age. Prior to operating his own firm, Tyler worked with noted golf architect and Golden Age restoration expert Ron Prichard for eight years, including on many projects in New England. Rae then worked in Keith Foster’s design office for three years, as well as out in the field with Coore & Crenshaw. Rae also ran and shaped multi-million dollar projects in the dirt for an international golf course builder for four years, learning how courses come to life in the field. During that span, he built new courses and restored older golf courses for designers such as Tom Doak and Bruce Hepner, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Rees Jones, Tom Fazio, John Fought, and past Augusta National Superintendent Billy Fuller. His recent renovation projects include: Brae Burn (MA), Wampanoag (CT), Woodland (MA), Beverly (IL), Lookout Mountain (GA), Atlantic (NY), Brookside-Canton (OH), Wakonda (IA), and Detroit GC (MI).
When you think of golf in New England, what do you think of?
Exposed rock outcroppings, unique routings, steep and eccentric greens/putting surfaces, historic clubhouses that are quaint and charming, and enjoying a more naturalistic and rugged golfing experience that isn’t over-manicured and perfect. Burnt-out areas pervade with single-row irrigation.
What makes golf in New England unique?
Its climate and rugged nature. The people embody the area and add flavor to the golf experience.
What are your Top 5 favorite courses in New England that you haven’t worked on?
Essex County Club, MA (Ross), Whitinsville GC, MA (Ross), Manchester CC, NH (Ross), Old Sandwich, MA (Coore & Crenshaw), and Eastward Ho!, MA (Fowler).
What five New England courses do you think are most underrated?
Augusta CC, ME (Stiles & Van Kleek, then Ross), Cape Arundel, ME (Travis), Plymouth CC, MA (Ross), Winchester CC, MA (Ross), and Kebo Valley, ME.
You’ve got two days to see some courses in New England. What state or area are you going, and why?
New Hampshire. I need to see more in the northern part of this state.
You’ve worked on a lot of Donald Ross courses. What makes his work in New England distinct from his work elsewhere?
The greens/putting surfaces. They had really talented crews working on the greens and Ross was local (enough) to help leave his imprint.
You worked for a summer in New England for Tom Doak and the rest of the team. What’s your favorite work-related memory? And non-work memory?
Spending time studying Cape Arundel’s world-class greens everyday was an absolute treat! Maybe the coolest set of greens in America that hasn’t been bulldozed. Spending time on Wells Beach renting a beach house on the Atlantic Ocean was probably the best non-golf memory.
What New England course/s would you most love to consult with?
Bald Peak Colony, NH (Ross), Manchester CC, NH (Ross), Cape Arundel, ME (Travis), Eastward Ho!, MA (Fowler), Hyannisport Club, MA (Findlay, Ross), Plymouth CC, MA (Ross), Essex County Club, MA (Ross), CC of Fairfield, CT (Raynor), Wannamoissett Club, RI (Ross), and Lake Sunapee CC, NH (Ross).
Q&A WITH BRIAN SILVA
BRIAN SILVA was born in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1953. His father was a talented bulldozer operator and golf course shaper. Silva earned a degree in turf management from University of Massachusetts’ Stockbridge School of Architecture, and he became an agronomy instructor at a community college in Florida. In 1981, he returned to his native Massachusetts to perform agronomy work for the local USGA Green Section, and in 1983 he began working for Geoffrey Cornish. Silva’s first solo design, the Captains Course on Cape Cod, was named by Golf Digest as the best new public course in 1985. Silva has designed over 50 courses, including two in this book: GreatHorse and Cape Cod National. He also renovated many famous Ross and Raynor designs, notably Wanumetonomy, Dedham Polo, and Vesper in New England, as well as Lookout Mountain (GA), Fox Chapel (PA), and Mountain Lake (FL). He also worked on Quechee Club’s two courses, Mount Washington, as well as Tamarack CC. He lives in Massachusetts.
You’ve got two days to see some courses in New England. What state or area are you going, and why?
Even though I have seen them before—I am staying in Massachusetts. Great courses, great “summer” courses and many that are content with “what they are” and are not rushing to keep up with current trends.
You’ve worked on a lot of Donald Ross courses (among other notable Golden Age architects). What makes his work in New England distinct from his work elsewhere?
The sites imbue great character to many of his courses and he and his staff’s collective routing abilities make the courses appear as if they have always been there
You worked on a number of important renovations in New England, maybe most famously at Dedham Polo. What’s your favorite memory on renovations?
My favorite renovation memories are reviewing original plans, vintage aerials, and photography, and seeing that many of these courses were significantly more involved strategically originally but over the decades “non-essential” in someone’s mind: bunkers and resulting fairway movement have been removed, unique in character yet considered non-conforming greens have been emasculated. And then years later, people thought something was missing from their course, so Tree Planting Programs I, II, III, IV, and on and on were instituted ad nauseum. A repeat experience—many of these courses hewing to their more original character—was something far beyond what they have been dumbed down to be in the name of the highest handicappers.
When you think of golf in New England, what do you think of? What makes golf in New England unique?
I think of courses set comfortably into their often rough-and-tumble settings by Golden Age architects who are all underappreciated—in this day of eye candy—for their unmatched routing skills. This is also a key characteristic of the unique nature of New England golf.
What five New England courses do you think are most underrated?
The ones that I used to feel were entirely under rated are now, finally, receiving their due like Whitinsville, Worcester, Dedham. A great sleeper remains Dublin Lake in NH. Play that place and just try to tell me you did not have a great time!
You worked for many years with the great Geoffrey Cornish, prior to founding your own design practice. What are your favorite memories of him?
Geoff was the ultimate gentleman, and many knew and greatly appreciated this. What a great many weren’t lucky enough to be exposed to was Geoff’s entirely unique and nothing short of hilarious—often in a self-deprecating way—sense of humor. A gentleman’s gentleman.
What are some design elements you’ve seen introduced more in the area in the last three decades? What would you like to see more of?
The design elements re-introduced—rather than introduced—are putting back into play more numerous bunkers that add great strategy to golf holes, greens restored to more original sizes that make these putting surfaces far more interesting, restoration of expansive fairways that allow multiple routes of play. In short, the features that these courses had originally.
The author of this book played terribly at the Captains Golf Course during the New England College Championships. Would you care to comment?
You know how it goes, Jim—it’s golf—one day you can’t find your backside with a roadmap and the next day—you are that same course’s Daddy!
Your pick: What question do you want to answer?
YOU asked it—the one about the features/characteristics that have been introduced in the past decades—they have not be introduced but re-introduced into vintage courses that originally were far more interesting to play and fitting the goal that seems impossible: keeping better players mentally engaged, while allowing less skilled players to survive their round with some mild degree of comfort. This dummying down of layouts in the name of the least skilled is today being reconsidered—for the betterment of these clubs and their poorer golfers who can now see a clearly defined route to the green and will learn to respond accordingly. These folks have been undersold over the decades—they do not want to play a course that is 18 driving ranges replete with absolutely no character.
Q&A WITH BRUCE HEPNER
Born in Detroit in 1959, BRUCE HEPNER studied civil engineering before becoming a golf course architect. He got his start working as a design associate for Ron Forse, from 1990 to 1993. He then worked for Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design company, becoming their vice president and lead design associate. With Doak, he worked on a range of courses, from Ballyneal in Colorado, to Streamsong Blue in Florida, to Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand. In 2010, Hepner began his own design firm, which he continues today. Hepner has completed many restorations in New England, including Cape Arundel (MA), Ekwanok (VT), Misquamicut (RI), CC of Fairfield (CT), Essex County Club (MA), Oyster Harbors (MA), Charles River (MA), Rhode Island CC, Hartford GC (CT), Framingham CC (MA), Boothbay Harbor (ME), Prouts Neck (ME), and Warwick CC (RI).
When you think of golf in New England, what do you think of?
Classic architecture built along the rugged coast line.
What makes golf in New England unique?
Full of courses designed by all the great architects of the past. Landscapes full of rock outcroppings, natives grasses, and coastal views.
What are your Top 5 favorite courses in New England that you haven’t worked on?
Brookline (The Country Club), Eastward Ho, Portland CC, Newport CC, Abenakee.
What five New England courses do you think are most underrated?
Hatherly CC, New Seabury, Abenakee, Bald Peak, and Rhode Island CC.
You’ve got two days to see some courses in New England. What state or area are you going, and why?
Maine. So many hidden coastline gems.
You went on to work on a number of important renovations in New England through Renaissance Golf Design, including Essex, Oyster Harbors, Cape Arundel, Ekwanok. What’s your favorite work-related memory on renovations?
Discovering Cape Arundel on a blind cold call. I knew it had to be something special if the Bush Family summered there. I ran into the golf pro, Ken Raynor, with his six-year-old son wearing a Pine Valley sweatshirt. We became fast friends, and I’ve consulted there for over 30 years. Best set of greens in New England.
What are some design elements you’ve seen introduced more in the area in the last three decades? What would you like to see more of?
Tree clearing while opening up views and spaces. More short grass.
What New England course/s would you most love to consult with?
I’ve been very fortunate to consult at more than 20 New England courses over the years. I think I’ve worked at all the ones I’ve coveted. So I’m good.
What do you wish more people knew about New England design?
Because of the rocky soils, most New England green sites are raised and built up with fill.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMES SITAR has been a professional writer, editor, and publisher for over 20 years. An instructor at Loyola University Chicago, he earned his PhD in English and Editorial Studies from Boston University. His essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Harper’s, Harvard Review, Fulcrum, and !e Golfer’s Journal. Most recently, he’s the coauthor of !e Golf Courses of Seth Raynor (2023) and Lessons from the Best (2024). A former resident of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, he now lives in Chicago with his wife Molly and baby daughter Stella.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
PATRICK KOENIG is a wildly enthusiastic golf course photographer and golf personality. Patrick has photographed over 90% of America’s greatest golf courses and over 25 countries across the globe. His photography has graced the pages of every major golf publication. !e Golf Courses of New England is his rst published collection of work. Not only is Koenig a world-renowned golf course photographer, but he is also a World Record holder: in 2023 Koenig played 580 diAerent 18-hole golf courses setting the world record for playing the most diAerent 18-hole golf courses in one year. Some of his favorite golf courses from that trip are featured in this book. He lives in California. Visit his website at www.pjkoenig.com.