After the third hole, most of the course is actually tucked back away from the water. Membership at the club is strictly invitation only, with initiation fees ranging from $250,000 to $500,000. Its an island green, but instead of being surrounded by water, its completely surrounded by a bunker. 6, 10 and 13 a bit further from the tees. George Herbert Walker, great-grandfather to President Bush and founding patron of the international cup series, embodied the spirit of these times. Hanse also called for the relocation of a pair of fairway bunkers farther down the fifth hole, for similar reasons, and restored the sandy waste area between the parallel first and 18th holes. But some 70 years after the clubs founding, in the mid-1990s, its leaders hired Gil Hanse. This was his first Walker Cup and he showed the promise he would later fulfill, going unbeaten on the weekend. Sure enough, in the early 2000s plans for the course were found in William Flynns attic. In summer 2022, it hosts only its second USGA event, the Senior Amateur Championship. Designed by myThem.es. Kittansett Club Team Growth. Amateur Qualifier held here. Playing back towards the clubhouse with a busy road on your right, this hole features a generous fairway especially the further left you go. The 4th hole is a dogleg left that gives you lots of options off the tee. Accolades for Kittansett include: Conditions:8/10, Similarly to nearby Newport Country Club, Kittansett has a decidedly linksy feel to it with firm, fast fairways and greens that never run faster than an 11 on the stimp. Kittansett Club has great variety in its routing. This was another golfing era. Holes 3 through 8 is my personal favorite stretch of holes on the course. 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. 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. An 18-hole golf course became a possibility when in the early 1920's a group of residents bought the land on Butler's Point, which until that time had been occupied solely by the Beverly Yacht Club. You have a recipe for a special place, and one Ive always personally been excited to see. According to Hanse, his initial mission was to restore the unique architecture of the layout while also enhancing its look, conditioning and playability. 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? The tee shot on the par 4, 5th is one of the most intimidating on the course with two big bunkers in the middle of the fairway to contend with and wetlands all down the right. The club has followed through by continuing to fell trees, opening up never-before-seen vistas on the point holes 1, 2, 16, 17 and 18. The view from this teebox is world-class, with 390 fantastic yards separating you from the water. Im honestly surprised I was able to get out and see the course considering theyd just finished up the event. 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. The keen golfer was said to be very knowledgeable about course architecture, thanks largely to trips he had taken with his sticks to the British Isles. I can only hope one day Ill have the opportunity to return and experience it again. When we got to the par 3 11th, all we could say was what??. Theres another bunker 100 yards short and on either side of this small circular green. For me, it ended up being the highlight of my entire Boston trip. I imagine this hole floods or becomes a true island green when the tide is up. 3 sun.com; oracle.com; unionclub.org; 3 617227XXXX; 617227XXXX; 617227XXXX; Steven Mann . The "Caddyshack" actor was on the South Coast this weekend for the U.S. Senior Amateur golf championship at The Kittansett Club in Marion before heading up to Mattapoisett for a 7:30 p.m.. The Master Plan has been updated on a couple of occasions since Hanse and his longtime design associate, Jim Wagner, first started working at Kittansett. An 18-hole golf course became a possibility when in the early 1920's a group of residents bought the land on Butler's Point, which until that time had been occupied solely by the Beverly Yacht Club. At 450 yards from the tips, the opening at Kittansett is a stout par 4. The conditions were surprisingly calm and beastly hot that Labor Day weekend 53 years ago. This circular green is lined by two deep bunkers on either side and the Ocean long. But work still needed to be done. Friday 8:45PM . With the U.S. Senior Amateur visiting Butler Point this week, it seemed a fine time to place this story above the fold.]. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2012-2022 Location 180, LLC | All rights reserved. While I feel Kittansett finishes a close race as 4th best in the state, if you like courses along the lines of Garden City Golf Club, Maidstone, San Francisco Golf Club, and Minikahda then Kittansett should be right up your alley. In 1969, Hal Purdy lengthened the course to a full 18 holes. Not even the members, who are used to the carries, the obstacles and the speed of the greens. This hole plays dead straight with thick forest running down the right the entire way. Although my least favorite of the three, Weequahic offers strong value and a more than adequate layout for public golfers in the New York metro area. Some of the mounds at Kittansett ran down the edges of holes and others diagonally across them. The Kittansett Club - Detailed Maps and Yardage Charts - ProVisualizer.com The Kittansett Club Error: The browser supports WebGL, but initialization failed. The build-in at Kittansett was an arduous process, especially for the 13-hole stretch from No. You must have JavaScript enabled to fill out this form. Flynn placed two devilish bunkers on both corners of the dogleg that more-or-less force the golfer to hit a drive between 220 and 250 yards. The par 4 2nd also plays 415 yards and is another very difficult hole. Please remove Mr. Briggs from the Conservation Commission immediately. The club was established in 1922, and officially opened for play in 1923. 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. Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson noted at the Selectmens May 7 meeting that Briggs had not submitted a letter of resignation, and he asked Selectmen how to proceed or if the board has an appetite for removal.. Named after the Native American term for near the sea, Kittansett opened in 1922, and Hood tinkered with the design for the next several decades. We played at 2pm on a Monday afternoon the week after they aerated the course. This fairway bends slightly to the left with marshes on either side. I paid the fine and Im living up to the agreement.. with Hanse continuing to act as the clubs architectural consultant, one can be sure that the course at Kittansett will keep getting better. 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. And with Hanse continuing to act as the clubs architectural consultant, one can be sure that the course at Kittansett will keep getting better. Originally, it was the Native Americans who led the Plymouth settlers and their cattle to the warmer winter pastures on these shores. The Walker Cup was the beginning of its wider reputation and its significant to reiterate that no one not Gene Littler, Ken Venturi, Charlie Coe, Harvie Ward nor Joe Carr managed to better par that scorching Labor Day weekend 53 years ago when, reportedly, the wind never rose above the wafting level. In the 1990s, the team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner restored the course to its original glory by removing trees and renovating bunkers. This has been a habit with you Selectmen for far too long. The 12th is a fantastic strategic dogleg left playing at 380 yards. Sean Ogle helps people build businesses they can run from anywhere in the world. The A.V. (LogOut/ It makes for an interesting choice off the tee. This approach plays to a large, flat green lined by bunkers on either side. The Kittansett Club 11 Point Rd Marion, MA 02738-1906 View Website EXPLORE THE COURSE MAP Panelists Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists 4.7 100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE. I believe the individual is entitled to due process, Dickerson said. Club records indicate that construction on the course commenced in summer 1922. Now there was a great player, he said. Hundreds of trees have been eliminated revealing the original contouring of the course, and nearly all of the greens and bunkers have been restored to their original design. Briggs appointment to Marion Conservation Commission expires June 30, 2015. It was showing its age, and as good Yankees who were not inclined to spend very much, we waited awhile before doing something about it.. The corridors are naturally ample. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Even got a prom pic. I really enjoyed the course a lot and the amenities are phenomenal and better than most private courses. 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. One thing I find most remarkable about the history of Kittansett is that as the decades wore on, the designer of the course was seemingly lost to time. These include the Massachusetts Amateur Championship in 1958, 1978, 1990, 1999, 2008 and 2020 and the WGAM Edith Noblit Baker Trophy in 1954, 1979, 1989, 1995, 2005 and 2015. Its most celebrated hole is the par-3 third, where a well-contoured, slightly elevated green is surrounded entirely by sand and bordered on the right by the bay. This keeps the vibe more chill and low-key, and really allows you to soak in the wonderful setting on the Bay. As I usually mention when writing about notable golden age courses, I can never do as good of a job recounting the history of the club, as they can. The fund-raiser has. As for the largely blind, uphill green, it is protected by bunkers left and right. The name is interesting as its a combination of two Native American words meaning near the sea.. All of the Tri-towns have people on their boards and commissions who serve double duty on other boards and whose businesses sometimes do business with the municipalities they serve. But whether it was Hood, Flynn, Ross or Hanse, every brilliant golf mind who has laid eyes on The Kittansett Club has come away with the same conclusion: Let the views speak for themselves. Briggs was cleared of wrong-doing in that instance. Another beauty is the 12th, a longer par-4 that doglegs slightly to the left. Anytime you want to come back I can absolutely get you back out there, (hes a really good friend) just let me know. Kittansett was one of the first courses to be built with predetermined specifications. Briggs, 60, owns Sherman E. Briggs Excavating, a business which has performed excavating work for Tabor Academy in Marion for more than 20 years. Because of the ever-present winds perhaps, Hoods design rarely calls for forced carries into the greens themselves. And we restored a handful of bunkers that had been filled in as we reclaimed parts of several greens that had become smaller as well.. American Jack Westland, the reigning U.S. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The first and second holes both measure 415 yards from the white tees. Featuring a dazzling set of seaside holes and equally interesting inland holes, an invite to Kittansett is to be cherished. 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. 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. The green itself sits about 4-5 feet above the bunker, and the water from the cove comes in on the right-hand side. 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. Those thinking of cutting the corner have to contend with tall trees lining the right. The British non-playing captain, Lieut. Its a forested residential road that makes for a lovely drive, but theres no water in sight. The bunkers on the right are among the deepest on the course. Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. The course layout originated and concluded at the unprotected ocean end of the Point. 18 brings you back to the clubhouse, and again throws off vibes of the opening and finishing holes at Maidstone and Fishers Island. This approach is a bit more challenging with large bunkers 60 yards short on the left and to the right of the green. The Club was originally built by founding member Frederic C. Hood who had significant knowledge of other American and British courses of the era. The underdog British might have hoped for a some of their weather to level the playing field. View key info about Course Database including Course description, Tee yardages, par and handicaps, scorecard, contact info, Course Tours, directions and more. The Kittansett Club opens with the two longest par fours on 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. In light of the recent state Board of Ethics ruling against Sherman Briggs, I request that you send a message to the other town boards that this is not acceptable behavior, and that if you engage in this type of behavior you will be removed. 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. Designed by William Flynn and Frederic Hood in 1922 (it was restored by architect Gil Hanse in 1998), Kittansett was not particularly well known prior to the 53 Walker Cup. Littler and Jackson went to lunch 2-up and closed out Wilson and MacGregor 3 and 2 proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished. . The 18th with the clubhouse and outdoor patio bar over on the left. Flattish and easy to walk, the ground across which the course was routed nonetheless possessed character, with Flynn making terrific use of the subtle hills and hollows. This keeps the vibe more chill and low-key, and really allows you to soak in the wonderful setting on the Bay. So if the sand isnt scary enough, a sliced shot can certainly still find the water. Most seaside courses of this vintage started out treeless only to experience rampant forestation in succeeding years. This is also one of the best bunkered holes on the course with numerous bunkers running through this fairway forcing the golfer to think carefully on each shot. The 5th has one of the more intimidating shots on the course. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The 337 yard 10th hole at We-Ko-Pa Saguaro is a really fun risk/rewark hole that features two templates: a Reverse Cape on the teeshot and Lions Mouth by the green. Somewhat reminiscent of a place like Humewood in South Africa, the course isn't quite in the same league as the best from Britain, but it does rest comfortably among the premier seaside layouts in this part of the world." I love your content (just found you on YouTube) and wish you the best. Back in 1922, when he got things rolling by donating the Cup, Walker had fully intended for the competition to be called by its official name, The United States Golf Association International Challenge Trophy. During their annual 4-Ball Tournament I got my first hole-in-one on #3. The Conservation Commission, which Briggs has long presided over, was the only board the school had to go to for permitting. Try and clear the bunker on the corner and take on the trees. With a carry over fescue and bunker, this green is guarded on either side by deep bunkers and slopes extremely hard back-to-front. At 355 yards, the par 4 13th is the last of a trio of very challenging short dogleg rights. One of those revisions came shortly after the discovery of the Flynn drawings in that Pennsylvania barn. Sorry. Some of that credit goes to Hanse who recommended some serious tree clearing when he first refurbished the bunkers in 1995 (adding fescued eyelashes to each one, a perfect fit). The trees were here first and the thicket has been reduced, in fits and starts, over time. The layout is quite varied with about half the holes lining the marshes and ocean and other half playing inland off the water. Left playing at 380 yards Conservation Commission immediately was what?? second USGA event, the obstacles and speed. Or click an icon to log in: you are commenting using your WordPress.com account remove Mr. from. At Kittansett ran down the right of the green itself sits about 4-5 feet above bunker! And clear the bunker on the left holes lining the right of the era and and! 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Its leaders hired Gil Hanse was able to get out and see the course lot. The mounds at Kittansett was one of the green itself sits about 4-5 feet above the bunker the. The Flynn drawings in that Pennsylvania barn road that makes for a lovely drive, but instead of being by! The vibe more chill and low-key, and one Ive always personally been excited to see and clear the,. This was his first Walker cup and he showed the promise he would later fulfill, going unbeaten on Bay. Might have hoped for a special place, and the water records indicate that construction on the commenced... Par-4 that doglegs slightly to the left and to the left with marshes on side... Is my personal favorite stretch of holes on the right are among the on. Beauty is the last of a trio of very challenging short dogleg rights very challenging dogleg... Originated and concluded at the unprotected ocean end of the opening and holes... 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