Verdict:The charming and exclusive Kittansett Club is one of the most underrated courses in America and might be my dark horse candidate for best course in New England. Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Digital Magazine! At the Commissions June 22, 2011 hearing on the Notice of Intent, Briggs, in his capacity as a ConCom member, discussed the Notice of Intent and voted to issue an Order of Conditions regarding the Notice of Intent. The build-in at Kittansett was an arduous process, especially for the 13-hole stretch from No. This eponymous business irked him somewhat in later years; he periodically protested, publicly, that these or any amateur matches had become so closely associated with a particular person. 10 shows off more interesting mounding which is a theme throughout the course. Kittansett seems tailor-made for a national mid-amateur championship, and while Demmer hinted that the subject has been broached presumably with the folks who famously value par there are no plans. Now, thanks to a slow and thoughtful 20-year restoration by Gil Hanse, the course . Membership at the club is strictly invitation only, with initiation fees ranging from $250,000 to $500,000. Playing from the whites, most golfers should have no trouble clearing the center-line bunkers, but they certainly make you second-guess your line. This keeps the vibe more chill and low-key, and really allows you to soak in the wonderful setting on the Bay. The green itself sits about 4-5 feet above the bunker, and the water from the cove comes in on the right-hand side. The 18th with the clubhouse and outdoor patio bar over on the left. Featuring a dazzling set of seaside holes and equally interesting inland holes, an invite to Kittansett is to be cherished. At 450 yards from the tips, the opening at Kittansett is a stout par 4. The 1953 Walker Cup, on the other hand, is easily the biggest thing ever to hit The Kittansett Club, one of New Englands most revrered if serially under-exposed golf venues. Events like these culled a few tupelos, to be sure. Truth be told, there was little overarching drama to the competition itself; the U.S. squad won easily, 9-3, securing its 13th victory in 14 tries. The 5th is a strong straightaway 395 yard par 4 that prominently features two large bunkers in the middle of the fairway between 150 and 180 yards. The 470 yard par 4 17th is one of my favorite holes at Cascata as a beautiful sweeping, downhill dogleg left. Since the 1990s the course has gone through a series of redesigns by Gil Hanse, who has been a longstanding consultant with respect to restoration, improvements, and renovations of Kittansett. It feels quaint, subdued, and local in a good way. Briggs said he had to do that after Marion Conservation Commission member Norm Hills had to recuse himself from the decision because his wife works for Tabor. So now we were faced with a 23o yard tee shot into the wind, with a very tricky green. Theres another bunker 100 yards short and on either side of this small circular green. If you had to describe the setting in a word? The British non-playing captain, Lieut. With a carry over fescue and bunker, this green is guarded on either side by deep bunkers and slopes extremely hard back-to-front. About 30 yards short of the green, two cross-bunkers squeeze the fairway, preventing runners from reaching the green. After he and Littler dropped the first hole to Wilson and MacGregor (dubbed the sporting goods team by one press wag,) Jackson discovered he was carrying 16 clubs, having failed to remove his brassie and an extra wedge after warming up. View key info about Course Database including Course description, Tee yardages, par and handicaps, scorecard, contact info, Course Tours, directions and more. The course layout originated and concluded at the unprotected ocean end of the Point. Already ailing and confined to an electric golfmobile, Jones accommodated everyone with that gracious smile of his, turning aside compliments with praise for Mrs. Vare. Im of the opinion we should have further discussion, Marion Selectman Chairman Steve Cushing said. The oldest public course in New Jersey, Weequahic Golf Course was originally 9 holes built by Baltusrol Pro George Low in 1913. Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope, Blue 71 6934 75.0 145, White 71 6400 71.9 139, White/Green 71 6029 70.0 132, Green 71 5581 67.9 130, Yellow 72 4934 71.0 133. In a recent letter to Selectmen, resident Annie Rockwell, of Parlow Mill Farm Road, asked Selectmen to stop the practice of dual and questionable appointments. The visitors would salvage a measure of self respect when Ronnie White, 3-down after 30 holes, stormed back to post a thrilling 1-up victory over Chapman on the Americans home course. Littler and Jackson were eventually penalized two holes, placing them three down on the fourth tee. The land the new police station sits on was donated by Tabor to the town for the purpose of building a new police station. Some of the mounds at Kittansett ran down the edges of holes and others diagonally across them. Yes, Mr. Most critics point to the 16th as the best par 4 at Kittansett and I have to agree. But its a leap of faith even for members familiar with the gambit, and a thrilling leap at that. Tabor officials then hired Briggs business to perform the excavation work. This has been a habit with you Selectmen for far too long. For as challenging as this hole is, the green complex is one of the most interesting on the course. And with Hanse continuing to act as the clubs architectural consultant, one can be sure that the course at Kittansett will keep getting better. The Conservation Commission, which Briggs has long presided over, was the only board the school had to go to for permitting. During its memorable history Kittansett has hosted several Massachusetts Golf Association championships over the years. The approach to this small undulating green is guarded by a deep bunker on the left. Briggs lawyer, Robert Troy of Troy Wall Associates in Sandwich, used the Rule of Necessity in arguing Briggs case before the state Ethics Commission. Hood helped build it, but it was unclear who did the initial plans. Which isnt to say Kittansett hasnt been well regarded for a very long time. The course held the Walker Cup in 1953, and most recently held the US Senior Amateur in September 2022. Not even the members, who are used to the carries, the obstacles and the speed of the greens. But that hasnt always been the case with the actor in the past when it comes to photos taken of him. Donations to this. The 6th plays out towards the water and has a sign off the green designating the high water level from previous hurricanes. General Comments:Kittansetts clubhouse is understated, but gives off a classic New England summer charm. The first tee time isnt until 1 on Mondays, so the course and club was pretty quiet. Nine holes were ready to go by the following August, and the full 18 two months later. This approach plays slightly uphill to a small, undulating green surrounded by deep bunkers. And in 2016, Murray threw fans cell phones off the roof of a second-story restaurant in Carmel, Calif., after they snapped photos of the actor, according to TMZ. Rather than allocating more time and money to removing the rocks from the property, they used them to create mounds that in time were grassed over and employed as strategic hazards, much like the famed chocolate drops at Myopia Hunt Club north of Boston. Originally, it was the Native Americans who led the Plymouth settlers and their cattle to the warmer winter pastures on these shores. The collective result of those changes has been nothing short of spectacular. This approach is a bit more challenging with large bunkers 60 yards short on the left and to the right of the green. Kittansett members have the good sense to know that big tournaments and their attendant crowds would overwhelm their little slice of heaven, even if the competitors most assuredly would not. For me, it ended up being the highlight of my entire Boston trip. The opening holes provide wide fairways with generous landing areas. G.H. The 8th marks the start of the interior holes, which have a decidedly different feel than their seaside companions. There are plenty of good, talented folks in Marion who dont have conflicts. I request that you do not reappoint people with conflicts to committees where those conflicts, at best, keep them from their posts a lot, or at worst, allow them to rule on things they should not, Rockwell wrote. As I mentioned, I expected the whole course to be like this, but I enjoyed the changing environment throughout which weaves from open seaside, into the coastal forest, and back out again to finish the round. Club's weekly film round up. Had the fortune of playing We-Ko-Pas Saguaro Course last Spring, the first round for me in Arizona. This is certainly one of the easier holes out there and one of several holes on the course that provides the golfer numerous options. Sean, great article! Perennially ranked as one of "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses" by Golf Digest magazine, Kittansett offers both a scenic and demanding test of golf. The project was soon undertaken by a group of local golf enthusiasts, many who gave generously of their time and financial resources to support the construction of Kittansett. This hole plays dead straight with thick forest running down the right the entire way. This is a great closing match play par 5 where birdies will fly. The penalty for this infraction is disqualification, of course, and Grainger invoked it without hesitation. Visit https://get.webgl.org to verify that your browser and hardware support WebGL. The wind had shifted, so while we thought wed be heading back towards the clubhouse with the wind at our back that wasnt the case. Verdict: The charming and exclusive Kittansett Club is one of the most underrated courses in America and might be my dark horse candidate for best course in New England. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Briggs said his original fine by the state Ethics Commission was for $10,000, but his lawyer was able to negotiate the fine down to $7,500. Review: The William J. Devine Golf Course at FranklinPark, Review: Marion Golf Club Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews, Follow Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews on WordPress.com, #134 Best Course in the World Golf Digest (2018), #84 Best Course in North America Top100golfcourse.com (2018), #77 Best Course in America Golf Digest (2021), #65 Best Course in America Golf Magazine (2022), #73 Best Course in America Top100golfcourse.com (2019), #49 Best Classic Course in America Golfweek (2022), #4 Best Course in Massachusetts Golf Digest (2021), #6 Best Course in Massachusetts Golf Magazine (2023), #7 Best Course in Massachusetts Top100golfcourse.com (2020), #7 Best Private Course in Massachusetts Golfweek (2022). Its not just the length, the lack of elevation on the 11th teebox makes judging the distance even more difficult. The setting of the clubhouse is top 10 among the courses Ive visited in my travels. At a prodigious 220 yards, this is a semi-blind par 3 courtesy of tall fescue directly in front of the teebox. The Kittansett Club is a Please contact the clubhouse For membership rates & information Course Info Location and Contact 11 Point Road, Marion, MA, 02738 kittansett.org update website (508) 748-0148 update phone Have you golfed here? We all have our list of bucket list courses. The Club was originally built by founding member Frederic C. Hood who had significant knowledge of other American and British courses of the era. But if a golfer decides instead on the less perilous route down the right, he must then clear a gnarly bunker complex and more grassy mounds to land his second shot onto the putting surface. The conditions were surprisingly calm and beastly hot that Labor Day weekend 53 years ago. Ive heard that before the trees were removed you could be standing on 16 and 17, which come back towards the water on 3, and you wouldnt even be able to see the bay. Other times they come off quite strategically. Here's a rare chance to see it for yourself, with a member from the club in your group to show the way. He said the irony of this situation is that his association with Tabor was part of the reason he was appointed to the ConCom in 1997 by then-Selectmen Al Winters, Lori Schaefer and Jody Dickerson because the town wanted a better working relationship with Tabor Academy and the Kittansett Club. Selectmen seemed hesitant to act immediately. When golfs luminaries gathered in September on this lovely seaside ground just south of the Cape Cod Canal, the prize at stake had become The Walker Cup, forever and always. His troubles seemed to coincide with the controversy that arose when Tabor Academy, for the purposes of expediency, circumvented the towns building process for the construction of Duffy Field under the Dover Amendment, which allows schools and hospitals to bypass most town boards to perform construction. A cross bunker comes into play from the left on tee shots, and the best move is taking on that hazard with ones drive, keeping the ball on that side of the fairway for a more open approach to the green. This hole is notable for a creek that crosses the fairway at 285 yards and bunker just short right of the creek. This hole is perhaps the courses only routing blemish as the 8th green is near the 9th and you have to walk the length of the hole backwards to reach the teebox. Because of the ever-present winds perhaps, Hoods design rarely calls for forced carries into the greens themselves. Once again, golfers must determine just how far they want to hit their tee shots and whether they lay up before that obstacle or try to fly it. Thats absolutely wild to think about, and it makes you glad the membership voted to take a chance and go ahead with the removal. The Kittansett Club is a private course available only to its members and their guests. Known as one of the top courses in the blossoming Scottsdale golf scene, this Coore/Crenshaw design is thoroughly enjoyable with minimal houses, an easily walkable, intimate routing, and plenty of strategy and variety. We didnt play on a particularly windy day, but I imagine these two holes rarely play the scorecard yardage. The most famous hole at Kittansett comes early in the round in the form of the 167-yard par 3, 3rd hole. There are a number of very good golf holes with interesting routing, and a beautiful setting. Darius Oliver, in this short extract from the book Planet Golf USA, writes: "Enjoying scenic outlooks across the water to Cape Cod, Kittansett is a lovely setting for golf and the ever-changing nature of its holes ensure that a round here is constantly engaging. Big hitter? The course feels quite natural but was in fact designed to within an inch of its life by one Frederic Hood, who had consulted with Donald Ross and worked from some drawings provided by William Flynn. Par is a tremendous score here. This has led to significant changes in bunkering, and even more notably, the removal of hundreds of trees that have completely reshaped the look and feel of the course. The Walker Cup competition began in 1922 as matches between amateur golfers from Great Britain and the United States. It makes for an interesting choice off the tee. 10, with a diagonal row of grassy mounds on the left side of the landing area and a pair of bunkers on the right, both of which force golfers to consider distance and direction on their drives. Its been a fixture on the various top 100 lists for decades. But Kittansett is seldom what it appears to be, especially at first glance. MARION, MASSACHUSETTS | Competitors in last weeks Massachusetts Amateur had the pleasure of playing one of the Bay States best golf courses at the Kittansett Club. The Succession actor has yet again voiced support for J.K. Rowling in the wake of controversy surrounding the author's transphobic comments. The A.V. The locker room is surprisingly small, but it fits the quaint atmosphere of the club. The left side is fairly open until 280 yards when it too develops forest. I paid the fine and Im living up to the agreement.. I made numerous friends while there and many of . George Herbert Walker, great-grandfather to President Bush and founding patron of the international cup series, embodied the spirit of these times. Yet Kittansetts length (6,814 yards, par 70), its smallish, steeply pitched greens, its overall strategic mettle were undiminished. This green generally slopes back-to-front. Walker died just prior to the Kittansett Matches, in June of 1953, and his death did little to buttress his longstanding efforts to keep a low profile. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Unlock All Content, Become A Subscriber Today. So, we formulated a master plan with a slow implementation of five or six years, so we could open up the course again and restore many of its original features and feels.. Bobby Jones, who hadnt attended a Walker Cup in 21 years, was there at Kittansett along with Francis Ouimet, fellow Cup veteran Fred Wright and the estimable Mrs. Edwin S. Vare, Jr., better known as Glenna Collett. I hit my tee shot to 8 feet and drained the putt for my only birdie in 3 days. Kittansett can be a brute, but those who can control their distances and work their golf balls in the wind can certainly score. Club records indicate that construction on the course commenced in summer 1922. 4 through No. During their annual 4-Ball Tournament I got my first hole-in-one on #3. Congressman from its Second District went 2-0, winning his foursomes match with Ward, 9 and 8, and clinching the Cup with another landslide victory in singles, 7 and 5 over Roy MacGregor. Being as exposed as it is, its clear much of the courses defense can come from the elements. The major defense is undoubtedly the wind, which usually whips off the Ocean, but the layout is also difficult, especially off the tee. But the layout is so much more: a steely, uncommon test on the calmest of days. With a teebox in the middle of a marsh, this is a difficult teeshot with a forced carry of 160 yards and dogleg not coming until 225 yards. When you hit 16, youre brought back out of the trees to finish the course in the open. Relative to par, Im not sure theres a more difficult hole than the 11th. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Youre driving out on what becomes an increasingly narrow peninsula, but youd never know it. Kittansett loosely translates to "near the sea," and that only scratches the surface of this gem. Although the land is flat, Hood and Flynn sculpted numerous mounds and subtle elevations throughout that add to the courses tremendous character. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2012-2022 Location 180, LLC | All rights reserved. The rest, to be believed, must be experienced first-hand. The parking lot is one of the most scenic in all of golf, occupying prime oceanfront property. 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