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. We didnt play on a particularly windy day, but I imagine these two holes rarely play the scorecard yardage. 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. Town of Marion, Massachusetts, United States View. This integrated piece appeared as a course feature and Walker Cup sidebar in LINKS Magazine during the summer of 2006. Kittansett was founded as a way to reduce costs for the local Beverly Yacht Club. Add in a cross bunker about 200 yards out (that shouldnt come into play), and another bunker through the fairway on the same line (which also likely wont come into play), and you get a very challenging tee shot visually. You must have JavaScript enabled to fill out this form. The fact that Kittansett was the site of the Mass Am last week for the sixth time in its history speaks to the high regard in which the course is held. Free shipping for many products! This fairway bends slightly to the left with marshes on either side. (LogOut/ Then, there were the angles with which Flynn endowed so many of the holes. The most famous hole at Kittansett comes early in the round in the form of the 167-yard par 3, 3rd hole. Welcome to The Kittansett Club Our History Guest Information Golf Contact Login Eleven Point Road. 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. In the 1990s, the team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner restored the course to its original glory by removing trees and renovating bunkers. 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? Several experts had been consulted regarding the course layout, including William Flynn, but it was founding member Frederic C. Hood who undertook the actual construction of the course based on his considerable knowledge of American and British golf courses of that day. Beverly's clubhouse was only open for a short portion of the year in general but was actually used only on two weeks of official race days. At 450 yards from the tips, the opening at Kittansett is a stout par 4. At just over 5700 yards, this par 70 plays more difficult than youd expect with small greens, tight fairways, and a hilly terrain. The bunkers on the right are among the deepest on the course. Because Kittansett is a golf club youre not going to find a pool, tennis, or all of the other amenities that youll typically find at a country club. The par 4 2nd also plays 415 yards and is another very difficult hole. 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. With the wind usually howling, this is an exhilarating teeshot and one you wont soon forget. Cushing and Dickerson agreed that they would discuss the ethics matter publicly at the May 21 Selectmens meeting. All it takes is one look at a Google map of the course to see why. In addition, he constructed a new, L-shaped back tee on Nos. The British non-playing captain, Lieut. 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. Out by the 7th tee box theres a 9-foot signpost that shows the high-water marks of the major hurricanes that have blown through here over the years: 1938, 1944, 1954 (Carol), 1991 (Bob). 17 is a visually tricky hole, as from the tee it can be tough to know exactly where youre going. This hole plays dead straight with thick forest running down the right the entire way. The hole looks pretty innocent from the tee, but there is more to it than initially meets the eye. Designed by myThem.es. 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). They had to put the rocks somewhere, Demmer says with a smile and a shrug. Yes, Mr. The two that stand sentinel on either side of the somewhat lunar 16th fairway appear to frame the target but are actually 50 yards short of the green, seriously messing with a visitings depth perception. Hood helped build it, but it was unclear who did the initial plans. Matt. But there are so many other holes of note. Marion, MA. So if the sand isnt scary enough, a sliced shot can certainly still find the water. Im of the opinion we should have further discussion, Marion Selectman Chairman Steve Cushing said. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Beyond his prom pic with McCarthy, Murray snapped a selfie blowing bubbles with a dozen diners and employees, and signed a golf ball for McCarthys fiance, Trevor Kellum. Framed by cedar shake houses and the loveliest view of the Atlantic, Kittansett has a special place in the heart of all who visit. William Campbell was yet another veteran of the 1951 team, while Kittansett Club member Richard Chapman held the distinction of having won the amateur championships of the United States, Great Britain, Canada and France the only man to achieve this feat. Another one thats been on my personal list? View key info about Course Database including Course description, Tee yardages, par and handicaps, scorecard, contact info, Course Tours, directions and more. Go further to the right and youll have the best angle in towards the green, but be more likely to catch the 3rd mound. 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. When asked what he thinks brought the matter to the. 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. I paid the fine and Im living up to the agreement.. 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.. 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. The penalty for this infraction is disqualification, of course, and Grainger invoked it without hesitation. Generous benefits and bonuses. 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. 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. In other cases, its much more prominent, as youll find on 10. At just 155 yards, this world-famous hole plays directly over the Ocean to an island green surrounded by beach sand. Originally only open to high rollers like Shadow Creek, Cascata is now fully public but doesnt receive much play and commands a hefty $400+ pricetag. Yet Kittansetts length (6,814 yards, par 70), its smallish, steeply pitched greens, its overall strategic mettle were undiminished. 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.. This was another golfing era. The 126 yard 9th hole is Cabot Cliffs shortest hole. The Club was originally built by founding member Frederic C. Hood who had significant knowledge of other American and British courses of the era. It makes for an extra special moment on 16 when you come out of the trees and out towards the water and the 3rd hole. 4 through No. American weather, if you will. They are, in fact, enough to humble and beguile just about anyone in any sort of weather. About 30 yards short of the green, two cross-bunkers squeeze the fairway, preventing runners from reaching the green. Keep it up! . The land provided well-drained and unusually fine fairways and greens. In some areas its more subtle (like on the 2nd fairway for instance.) The average employee at Kittansett Club makes $0 per year. This approach runs uphill towards a back-to-front sloped green guarded by bunkers on either side. A Kittansett club wedding was a dream of Molly's. She grew up spending summers in Marion, surrounded by the sea and spending time with her family. After the third hole, most of the course is actually tucked back away from the water. Known for being an exclusively male club, Augusta recently opened its doors to three. Selectman Jon Henry recused himself from the discussion because he does some work for Briggs company from time-to-time. 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 building of the course is a bit of an anomaly. Although the land is flat, Hood and Flynn sculpted numerous mounds and subtle elevations throughout that add to the courses tremendous character. Sean Ogle helps people build businesses they can run from anywhere in the world. Kittansett's beautiful clubhouse and the 18th green You get a real feel for the wind on the exposed range. This hole features another demanding teeshot with a narrow fairway lined by marshland and trees on either side. 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. Finally, in March of this year, while Briggs was on a motorcycling vacation in Florida, he got a call from his attorney saying the Ethics Commission was ready to sign an agreement to resolve the matter. 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. 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. Had the fortune of playing We-Ko-Pas Saguaro Course last Spring, the first round for me in Arizona. Its a severely sloped back-to-front green with a bit of a swale in the middle separating it into two sections. There are a number of very good golf holes with interesting routing, and a beautiful setting. The conditioning and scenery were also fantastic. During its memorable history Kittansett has hosted several Massachusetts Golf Association championships over the years. The major defense is undoubtedly the wind, which usually whips off the Ocean, but the layout is also difficult, especially off the tee. Featuring a crossbunker on the left at 170 yards and dense forest down the left, this difficult teeshot causes many golfers to bailout right, leaving a more difficult approach possibly blocked out by trees. 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. The A.V. This cold and rainy weather has me reminiscing about my round last year at Cascata, a Rees Jones design built in the desert just outside Las Vegas. 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. Thankfully, nobody had messed with the design or routings of the original holes. Par is a tremendous score here. in the minutes leading up to your arrival, you can be forgiven for thinking you might be in the wrong place. This keeps the vibe more chill and low-key, and really allows you to soak in the wonderful setting on the Bay. 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 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. Here and there these oversized Kisses (more like chocolate-covered cherries really) reside on a holes periphery, seemingly without purposes. But he built the course himself with local crews of similarly inexperienced folk. The course needed a facelift, said Jim Osborne, who was green chairman at the time. Flynn also broke up several fairways into sections, with cross bunkers protruding into landing areas from different sides of holes and gnarly stretches of rough and sandy waste areas stretching across some of them entirely. 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. Thirteen holes at Kittansett feature some sort of deep cross bunker or bank of mounding perpendicular to play. The Kittansett Club layout elicited similar praise from competitors and spectators alike. He also made sure that consecutive golf holes rarely played in the same direction. 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. The tournament, held at the Kittansett Club each summer, features retired athletes like Celtics Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn, Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee and Bruin Milt Schmidt. Briggs admitted to violating the conflict-of-interest law by voting as a town Conservation Commission member to issue an Order of Conditions authorizing Tabor Academy to install two 2,000-gallon saltwater tanks at its Marine Sciences Center building. The 8th marks the start of the interior holes, which have a decidedly different feel than their seaside companions. Par is 71, measuring some 6,800 yards from the tips but a little more than 6,400 yards from the markers used by most male members. For instance, Ive always loved mountain golf and Wade Hampton is one course that is in my personal top 10 Id like to play. A similar trio is reprised at the wonderful, short par-4 10th, where the hazards are reasonably cleared with a long-iron or fairway wood mind games notwithstanding. A giant sandy wasteland bisects the fairway at about 260 yards and is in play off the tee. 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. Its easy to see why the course is consistently rated among the best in the country. The reachable 330 yard 10th gets my vote for easiest hole at Kittansett. 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. As you make the drive out Point Rd. You and those before you have made a habit of these tainted appointments for years and years. But that has to end, say some. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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.