One of those revisions came shortly after the discovery of the Flynn drawings in that Pennsylvania barn. Go further to the right and youll have the best angle in towards the green, but be more likely to catch the 3rd mound. All it takes is one look at a Google map of the course to see why. 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. After the third hole, most of the course is actually tucked back away from the water. The eye-catching hazard sits well short of a flamboyant green cleaved by a deep swale but all this is obscured by the bunkers 7 foot lip. 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. 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. Throw in the fact that Gil Hanse has done extensive remodeling over the last 10 years, and that it has one of the most noteworthy par 3s in golf? Turks waitress Kimberly McCarthy was one of several at the restaurant who posed for a photo with the actor. The golfer needs to think his way around this hole, but birdies can certainly be had with good ballstriking. Its a seaside course peninsular for heavens sake; the Aboriginal American name means near (sett) the sea (kittan) but there isnt a proper dune in sight. 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 improvements over the past few years have transformed play. The course was so well designed and there were so many well-executed strategic elements, that it seemed like there had to be additional help from someone who was more prominent during the era. At 16, for example. 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. 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. Indeed, his passing had the opposite effect. About 30 yards short of the green, two cross-bunkers squeeze the fairway, preventing runners from reaching the green. It was nice to have the extra time to wander around and soak in the setting. Now there was a great player, he said. Its been a fixture on the various top 100 lists for decades. The course demands both power and precision, and the mix of lengths and angles compels golfers to execute a variety of shots if they have any hope of scoring. During its memorable history Kittansett has hosted several Massachusetts Golf Association championships over the years. The 12th is a fantastic strategic dogleg left playing at 380 yards. Par is a great score here. 13. In 1969, Hal Purdy lengthened the course to a full 18 holes. The opening hole at Kittansett is tied for the longest par 4 on the course at 415 yards. The approach here is fairly straightforward with bunkers on either side about 60 yards short of this green and three guarding both sides of the green. Kittansett was built in the 1920s and juts out on a peninsula directly into Buzzards Bay in Marion, Massachusetts outside of Boston. The Walker Cup competition began in 1922 as matches between amateur golfers from Great Britain and the United States. 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. Im of the opinion we should have further discussion, Marion Selectman Chairman Steve Cushing said. Its not just the length, the lack of elevation on the 11th teebox makes judging the distance even more difficult. 17 is a visually tricky hole, as from the tee it can be tough to know exactly where youre going. Selectman Jon Henry recused himself from the discussion because he does some work for Briggs company from time-to-time. Try and clear the bunker on the corner and take on the trees. Featuring perhaps the tightest fairway at Kittansett, this dogleg doesnt occur until 240 yards, forcing the golfer to hit something longer than theyd prefer off the tee. American James Jackson was another type of newcomer in 1953, playing his first Walker Cup foursomes match on the Friday when he unwittingly instigated the events most poignant moment. I really enjoyed the course a lot and the amenities are phenomenal and better than most private courses. 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. Theres another bunker 100 yards short and on either side of this small circular green. Generous benefits and bonuses. Im not sure people realize just how difficult this golf course really is, says Steve Demmer, the head pro here since 1994 [departed in 2014]. We need to schedule a public hearing to discuss the next steps relative to this.. Another beauty is the 12th, a longer par-4 that doglegs slightly to the left. 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. Sometimes, the slants were quite subtle, like those on the par-5 seventh, and No. When we got to the par 3 11th, all we could say was what??. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. But Kittansett is seldom what it appears to be, especially at first glance. (LogOut/ This September, I finally got that chance. This circular green is lined by two deep bunkers on either side and the Ocean long. Those elements made Kittansett very much a placement course. They also reinforced the belief that it was indeed a creation of Flynns and a precursor to some of his most celebrated work, for in later years, he included very similar features in his collaboration at Pine Valley with George Crump (think of the fourth, seventh and 13th holes there) and Shinnecock. What exactly did the protest stem from? The Kittansett course design held up nicely through the years. This hole plays dead straight with thick forest running down the right the entire way. More often the cross hazards come earlier in the golf hole. Not even the members, who are used to the carries, the obstacles and the speed of the greens. Once again, I cant imagine what this looked like before the tree removal, and at least from my perspective, it seems like this is a big improvement. 12 and 13. Briggs said he tried to resolve this issue last summer, but the Ethics Commission kept delaying the process. When you hit 16, youre brought back out of the trees to finish the course in the open. 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. A time when the British played one ball (1.62 inches in diameter) and the Americans another (1.68), when all matches were contested over 36 holes, a time when players were ultimately judged by the skill with which they deflected adulation when a point might well be refused if it hadnt been earned in the spirit of fair play. Kittansett has hosted the state amateur four times; each time it set a record for the number of entries. 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. 10 shows off more interesting mounding which is a theme throughout the course. You may use these HTML tags and attributes: document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2021. 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. 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. The 7th is one of three par 5s on the course, and the bunkering on this hole I found to be notable and forces you to really place your 3 shots well. 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. I made numerous friends while there and many of . 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. (LogOut/ The land the new police station sits on was donated by Tabor to the town for the purpose of building a new police station. At Kittansett fescue grass can frame a lot of the features well, and this hole is an excellent example of it. Its an island green, but instead of being surrounded by water, its completely surrounded by a bunker. This is certainly one of the easier holes out there and one of several holes on the course that provides the golfer numerous options. Tabor paid Briggs Excavation $8,030 for the work. 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. Designed by myThem.es. But the fact is, we hate losing. Featuring a dazzling set of seaside holes and equally interesting inland holes, an invite to Kittansett is to be cherished. This green is one of the largest on the course. Donald Cherry was a Cup newcomer but didnt look particularly green in winning his singles match 9 and 7 over Norman Drew. 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. Amateur champion. The course at that time measured 6,374 yards from the back of the regular tees, with the stands of pines and hardwoods combined with stretches of marshland and wispy field grass to give it a very New England feel. That served to reinforce the wisdom of the work Hanse had already completed with help first from Kittansett golf course superintendent, Lenny Blodgett, and then his successor, John Kelly as it also acted as a guide for future work. It's easy to see why the course is consistently rated among the best in the country. At a prodigious 220 yards, this is a semi-blind par 3 courtesy of tall fescue directly in front of the teebox. The 5th has one of the more intimidating shots on the course. The Succession actor has yet again voiced support for J.K. Rowling in the wake of controversy surrounding the author's transphobic comments. This approach runs uphill towards a back-to-front sloped green guarded by bunkers on either side. The railroad tie path through the bunker to the green is a cool aesthetic touch and adds to the interest of the experience. This undulating green is guarded by tall trees on the left and bunkers on either side. Nine holes were ready to go by the following August, and the full 18 two months later. Like the 7th, this par 5 features numerous well-placed bunkers running down its fairway notably crossbunkers on the left at 260 yards, right at 300, and one very tricky one on the right side of the lay-up area. At 355 yards, the par 4 13th is the last of a trio of very challenging short dogleg rights. This hole plays 175 yards to a wide yet shallow green surrounded by deep bunkers and fescue. 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. This was another golfing era. Hole Descriptions:Situated at the end of an archipelago jutting into Buzzards Bay, The Kittansett Club occupies an incredibly scenic seaside property. The conditions were surprisingly calm and beastly hot that Labor Day weekend 53 years ago. The layout, however, also evoked the Old Course in golfs ancestral home of St. Andrews, Scotland, thanks to an out-and-back routing and opening and closing holes that ran parallel to each other. Seasonal work but enjoyable. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Featuring a dazzling set of seaside holes and equally interesting inland holes, an invite to Kittansett is to be cherished. For instance, Ive always loved mountain golf and Wade Hampton is one course that is in my personal top 10 Id like to play. Looking back, the interest and intrigue are found in the details. You and those before you have made a habit of these tainted appointments for years and years. Its easy to see why the course is consistently rated among the best in the country. 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. But fescue in the rough, some fairway mounding, and bunkers can still punish shots that arent well placed you especially notice this on the par 4, 2nd. The par threes at Kittansett are among the best sets Ive played and the 3rd is the best of the bunch. Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. But that has to end, say some. 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. 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. The course layout originated and concluded at the unprotected ocean end of the Point. We didnt play on a particularly windy day, but I imagine these two holes rarely play the scorecard yardage. Visit https://get.webgl.org to verify that your browser and hardware support WebGL. The collective result of those changes has been nothing short of spectacular. But once you get out of the top 10 or 20 courses in the world, everyones personal golf bucket list tends to diverge a bit. Free shipping for many products! When you get your first glimpse of the club on the left-hand side my GPS was telling me Id arrived. Playing back towards the clubhouse with a busy road on your right, this hole features a generous fairway especially the further left you go. Kittansett plays short (not even 7000 yards from the Tips) and even shorter given the firm and fast conditions, but I played horribly here and found the course to be extremely tricky. Events like these culled a few tupelos, to be sure. G.H. In some areas its more subtle (like on the 2nd fairway for instance.) The Kittansett Club layout elicited similar praise from competitors and spectators alike. And the golfers playing in that event will be every bit as enthralled with the layout which also played host to the 1953 Walker Cup match as those who just teed it up there in the Mass Am. In 2018, Marthas Vineyard Times photographer Peter Simon (brother of singer Carly Simon) filed a police report accusing Murray of slamming him against a door for taking photos of him at Lolas, an Oak Bluffs restaurant. The Conservation Commission, which Briggs has long presided over, was the only board the school had to go to for permitting. When asked what he thinks brought the matter to the attention of the state Ethics Commission, Briggs offered a few theories. Originally, it was the Native Americans who led the Plymouth settlers and their cattle to the warmer winter pastures on these shores. 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