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 building of the course is a bit of an anomaly. Featuring a dazzling set of seaside holes and equally interesting inland holes, an invite to Kittansett is to be cherished. What exactly did the protest stem from? We need to schedule a public hearing to discuss the next steps relative to this.. Anytime you want to come back I can absolutely get you back out there, (hes a really good friend) just let me know. All it takes is one look at a Google map of the course to see why. Member Services Representative (Former Employee) - Marion, MA - November 1, 2015. Its a very nice setting with the clubhouse off to the left, and is the shortest of the par 5s at Kittansett. KITTANSETT CLUB MARION, MA 02738-1906 | Tax-exempt since May 1947 EIN: 04-2035017 Nonprofit Tax Code Designation: 501 (c) (7) Defined as: Social and recreational clubs. Venturi, 22, was the baby in the group but his form was perhaps the best of all. This teebox is directly adjacent to the pro shop and youll almost certainly have a gallery. The American team was, in a word, loaded. So now we were faced with a 23o yard tee shot into the wind, with a very tricky green. Sure enough, in the early 2000s plans for the course were found in William Flynns attic. Briggs lawyer, Robert Troy of Troy Wall Associates in Sandwich, used the Rule of Necessity in arguing Briggs case before the state Ethics Commission. But considering, again, there was no water in sight, I had a feeling a still had a little ways to go (The GPS sends you to the halfway house after the 9th hole). Try and clear the bunker on the corner and take on the trees. 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. A mile later, I arrived at the end of the road. This drive requires a carry of 145 yards and avoidance of dense marshes on the right. Even got a prom pic. The opening hole at Kittansett is tied for the longest par 4 on the course at 415 yards. This hole marks a return to the Ocean, as the final three hole play on the tip of the archipelago. Most critics point to the 16th as the best par 4 at Kittansett and I have to agree. 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. 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. The actor, who has a home on Marthas Vineyard, has been spotted multiple times on the South Coast in recent years, grabbing takeout from restaurants in New Bedford and Fall River. The par 4 2nd also plays 415 yards and is another very difficult hole. Apparently overgrown trees behind this green obscured the view, but Gil Hanse removed them in the 1990s. The fairways, teeboxes, and greens are meticulously kept and the course has very little rough, instead featuring both swampy marshland and dry hardpan for those who venture offline. The 5th has one of the more intimidating shots on the course. A fine hole in its own right, this short one-shotter features a front-to-back sloped green with a giant bunker short and cliffs long. The club was established in 1922, and officially opened for play in 1923. Not even the members, who are used to the carries, the obstacles and the speed of the greens. Tabor Academy representatives filed a Notice of Intent with the ConCom on June 3, 2011 regarding the project. The soil was quite rocky, and that presented Hood and his construction crew with a couple of problems. The golfer needs to think his way around this hole, but birdies can certainly be had with good ballstriking. Opened for play in 1923, Kittansett and its various attributes should surprise visitors. Kittansett's beautiful clubhouse and the 18th green You get a real feel for the wind on the exposed range. Your email address will not be published. Looking back, the interest and intrigue are found in the details. We all have our list of bucket list courses. Those who go left or long will find a bunker at 195 yards or worse be OB. But Kittansett is seldom what it appears to be, especially at first glance. (LogOut/ 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. Kittansett hosted the 1953 Walker Cup, when an American team that featured Ken Venturi, Bill Campbell, Harvie Ward, Dick Chapman, Gene Littler, Charlie Coe, and other notables routed the GB&I team 9-3. The green itself sits about 4-5 feet above the bunker, and the water from the cove comes in on the right-hand side. 12 is a fantastic hole that is simplynotone that favors my game. Sean Ogle helps people build businesses they can run from anywhere in the world. More recently, concerted clearing efforts have rendered portions of the routing, especially those holes furthest out on Butler Point, darned links-like surely more open and scenic today than they were when the Hood finished his lifes work. When asked what he thinks brought the matter to the attention of the state Ethics Commission, Briggs offered a few theories. Most days, the approach plays dead into a southwest wind, making the most sensible play a punch shot that bores its way to the putting surface. Littler and Jackson were eventually penalized two holes, placing them three down on the fourth tee. Relative to par, Im not sure theres a more difficult hole than the 11th. The rest, to be believed, must be experienced first-hand. The view from this teebox is world-class, with 390 fantastic yards separating you from the water. 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. 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). For instance, Ive always loved mountain golf and Wade Hampton is one course that is in my personal top 10 Id like to play. For as challenging as this hole is, the green complex is one of the most interesting on the course. Big hitter? (Credit to this SI article for additional details). The land the new police station sits on was donated by Tabor to the town for the purpose of building a new police station. with Hanse continuing to act as the clubs architectural consultant, one can be sure that the course at Kittansett will keep getting better. But there are so many other holes of note. Club's weekly film round up. Members here bleed the right color and the course itself, perched on Butler Point and surrounded on three sides by Buzzards Bay, is surely transformed by a stiff wind. 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. 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. This was his first Walker Cup and he showed the promise he would later fulfill, going unbeaten on the weekend. The 47 year old from Washington state the sitting U.S. Yet Kittansetts length (6,814 yards, par 70), its smallish, steeply pitched greens, its overall strategic mettle were undiminished. 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. Playing back towards the clubhouse with a busy road on your right, this hole features a generous fairway especially the further left you go. In some areas its more subtle (like on the 2nd fairway for instance.) 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. Kittansett hosted U.S. In retrospect, the 1953 Walker Cup was a thoroughly fascinating event, but not necessarily because it served as the coming-out party for Kittansett, for a pair of promising young Californians, Ken Venturi and Gene Littler or because E. Harvie Ward managed in the course of the competition, to avenge his 1952 British Amateur loss to the talented Irishman Joe Carr. Yet hardy stands of white pine, oak, cedar and tupelo frame the inland holes, creating a extremely stout test when it comes to driving the ball between the trees, over and around these myriad crossing features, and amid a random collection of chocolate drops. We played at 2pm on a Monday afternoon the week after they aerated the course. At a prodigious 220 yards, this is a semi-blind par 3 courtesy of tall fescue directly in front of the teebox. Briggs said he tried to resolve this issue last summer, but the Ethics Commission kept delaying the process. Tabor paid Briggs Excavation $8,030 for the work. I believe the individual is entitled to due process, Dickerson said. Donations to this. Marion, MA 02738 Clubhouse: (508) 748-0148 Pro Shop: (508) 748-0192 Employment 34 F | Wind 12 mph Copyright 2020 The Kittansett Club Site by Clubessential Options Close Site Options Hide Settings Images ( ) & CTES ( ) Object Plugins FED The course needed a facelift, said Jim Osborne, who was green chairman at the time. 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. Teeing off on the first hole gives you vibes similar to other old-school seaside courses like Fishers Island or Maidstone. But these situations of local trades and business people serving and doing business with the municipalities they serve has confounded small town public government for years. Free shipping for many products! Holes 3 through 8 is my personal favorite stretch of holes on the course. Perhaps the best hole on the course is No. Town of Marion, Massachusetts, United States View. This keeps the vibe more chill and low-key, and really allows you to soak in the wonderful setting on the Bay. In other cases, its much more prominent, as youll find on 10. This is certainly one of the easier holes out there and one of several holes on the course that provides the golfer numerous options. The British non-playing captain, Lieut. Because Kittansett is a golf club you're not going to find a pool, tennis, or all of the other amenities that you'll typically find at a country club. An obvious case is Sherman Briggs on the Conservation Commission. 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. Rolling down Point Road toward The Kittansett Club, past Sippican Harbor and passing before an ever more stately line of summer cottages (all in gray shingle), the ancient course comes into view through the drivers side window initially a hole or two bounded by Cape-style miniature pine, but then a striking, open expanse punctuated by golden fescues, lines of bracken hedgerows and chocolate-drop mounding. When you hit 16, youre brought back out of the trees to finish the course in the open. Those thinking of cutting the corner have to contend with tall trees lining the right. Known for being an exclusively male club, Augusta recently opened its doors to three. And theres a good chance driver will be too much and take you through the fairway. 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. By all accounts, Murrays interactions with fans at Turks Seafood on Sunday were nothing but positive. You have a recipe for a special place, and one Ive always personally been excited to see. Briggs worked well with the facilities personnel at both those private entities, he said. By all geographical rights the course should be links-like, but trees line two thirds of the routing and the soil isnt sandy at all, meaning it seldom plays hard and fast outside the dog days of summer. The name is interesting as its a combination of two Native American words meaning near the sea.. Four times the State Amateur has been held here; each time it set a record for the number of entries. Col. Anthony Duncan, supported his players and informed Totton Heffelfinger perhaps the most fittingly named USGA President in history that his team could not accept victory if it should depend on disqualification.. Tabor officials then hired Briggs business to perform the excavation work. The low score was 71. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), Bill Murray and Wynonna Judd spotted at Newport restaurant, Jill Biden visited a beloved Boston seafood restaurant, Complaint about Bill Murray leads Searchlight to halt filming of Being Mortal. Hole Descriptions:Situated at the end of an archipelago jutting into Buzzards Bay, The Kittansett Club occupies an incredibly scenic seaside property. This hole is extremely open on the left with the 18th fairway but features a lateral hazard on the right with marshland. At just 155 yards, this world-famous hole plays directly over the Ocean to an island green surrounded by beach sand. This hole features another demanding teeshot with a narrow fairway lined by marshland and trees on either side. Kittansett has hosted the state amateur four times; each time it set a record for the number of entries. Here and there these oversized Kisses (more like chocolate-covered cherries really) reside on a holes periphery, seemingly without purposes. 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. A charming rock wall and fescue guard just right of the green as well. The course held the Walker Cup in 1953, and most recently held the US Senior Amateur in September 2022. Many of the bunkers had also shrunk in size over the years and lost what had initially been a rugged, almost windswept appearance. Like the short 4-par at No. This has been a habit with you Selectmen for far too long. Friday 8:45PM . Many of the games greats were indeed on hand for the event. At 16, for example. When you get your first glimpse of the club on the left-hand side my GPS was telling me Id arrived. The parking lot is one of the most scenic in all of golf, occupying prime oceanfront property. The Club was originally built by founding member Frederic C. Hood who had significant knowledge of other American and British courses of the era. Its a special place, and one its members are extremely lucky to be a part of. In the 1990s, the team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner restored the course to its original glory by removing trees and renovating bunkers. Located in this sleepy sailing village on Buzzards Bay just west of Cape Cod, it is a Golden Age classic, routed across an exposed, often windswept spit of land and through more sheltered swathes of New England woods. You and those before you have made a habit of these tainted appointments for years and years. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. As for the Conservation Commissions need for a better relationship with Tabor: Much of the academys waterfront property is located in a flood plain and wetlands, and therefore subject to Conservation Commission overview for building projects. 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. So check this out for a more detailed retelling of the history of Kittansett Club. The hole looks pretty innocent from the tee, but there is more to it than initially meets the eye. Kittansett was built in the 1920s and juts out on a peninsula directly into Buzzards Bay in Marion, Massachusetts outside of Boston. This approach is fairly straightforward with a narrow green guarded by large bunkers on either side. Kittansett can be a brute, but those who can control their distances and work their golf balls in the wind can certainly score. 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. This integrated piece appeared as a course feature and Walker Cup sidebar in LINKS Magazine during the summer of 2006. Pace of play is tremendous, and this seaside gem is a joy to walk. The first and second holes both measure 415 yards from the white tees. It's easy to see why the course is consistently rated among the best in the country. Amateur Qualifier held here. The par threes at Kittansett are among the best sets Ive played and the 3rd is the best of the bunch. The Succession actor has yet again voiced support for J.K. Rowling in the wake of controversy surrounding the author's transphobic comments. I made numerous friends while there and many of . 8 is a fantastic par 3 with an interesting green, nice mounding in the rear, and bunkers directly in front of and to the right of the green. The Kittansett Club is a private course available only to its members and their guests. This undulating green is guarded by tall trees on the left and bunkers on either side. 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. 18 brings you back to the clubhouse, and again throws off vibes of the opening and finishing holes at Maidstone and Fishers Island. This hole reminds me a lot of the 5th atWannamoisettwith the ideal line playing over mounds at the right corner. Actor Bill Murray enjoyed dinner at a Massachusetts seafood restaurant over the weekend, posing for photos with staff and fans. 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