National Golf Links of America

Last updated

Club information
Location Southampton, New York
Established1911
TypePrivate
Total holes18
Events hosted Walker Cup (1922, 2013)
Designed by Charles B. Macdonald
Par 72
Length6,873 yards
Course rating 73.6
Slope rating 137

National Golf Links of America is a prestigious links-style golf course in Southampton, New York, located on Long Island between Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and Peconic Bay. Though the course is noted for hosting the initial Walker Cup in 1922, which the United States won 8 and 4, it has never hosted a major men's championship. [1] The Walker Cup was again held at the National in 2013. [2] The private club has been called "America's snootiest golf course" due to its exclusive nature. [3]

Contents

History

Windmill at National as viewed from Shinnecock Hills National Windmill.jpg
Windmill at National as viewed from Shinnecock Hills

The course was designed by Charles B. Macdonald, who had been schooled at the University of St Andrews in Scotland during the 1870s. Macdonald was introduced to golf at St. Andrews old course, playing many rounds there with Tom Morris, Sr. and Tom Morris, Jr., both of whom were multiple winners of the Open Championship, founded in 1860 as the first major championship in golf.

Macdonald, the founder and original designer of the Chicago Golf Club, had been paired with John Shippen, an African American, in the 1896 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Following the event, he quit Shinnecock and founded the new club. [4] He set out to design a course that would rival the prominent golf courses located abroad, looking at potential sites in Cape Cod and Napeague before settling on a plot of land on Sebonac Neck next to Peconic Bay. [5] Macdonald relied on his extensive knowledge of Britain's finest holes, using them as templates for his new course.

The course was constructed adjacent to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and now also borders Sebonack Golf Club, which opened in 2006. [6] Construction of the golf course was supervised by Seth Raynor, a local civil engineer from Long Island who went on to design several golf courses of his own, including the Fishers Island Club. [7]

Jarvis Hunt designed the club house that overlooks Peconic Bay National-golf.jpg
Jarvis Hunt designed the club house that overlooks Peconic Bay

When it opened in 1911, the course was called the National Golf Links of America because its 67 founding members, which included Robert Bacon, George W. Baxter, Urban H. Broughton, Charles Deering, James Deering, Findlay S. Douglas, Henry Clay Frick, Elbert Henry Gary, Clarence Mackay, De Lancey Nicoll, James A. Stillman, Walter Travis, and William Kissam Vanderbilt II, resided in various parts of the United States. [8] The clubhouse was designed by Jarvis Hunt, one of the club's founding members. [9] [10] James Hepburn—one of the founding members of the PGA of America—served as one of the early head professionals, working at the club from 1914 until 1928. [11] There is a small bar half-way round the course which contains P.G. Wodehouse memorabilia, and the course is mentioned, surprisingly negatively, in the preface to The Heart of a Goof short story collection.

The National Golf Links of America was selected as the host of the 2013 Walker Cup in September 2008. [12] In 2009, "The National" was ranked 15th in Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses. [13]

The current head golf professional is Jim Morris.

On April 18, 2018, the right wing of the building caught fire, but was extinguished by local fire departments causing minimal damage to the exterior.

Course design

National Golf Links of America is laid out over 250 acres (1.0 km2). [5] The course is a par 72 and plays 6,873 yards (6,285 m) from the back tees. [14] Many of the holes were patterned from famous golf courses in the British Isles and adapted to fit the local setting:

Some of the other holes were original designs, the most notable of which is the par four 14th hole. It was named "Cape" because the green was located on a small peninsula that jutted into a bay. The green was later moved during construction of Sebonac Inlet Road but is now surrounded on three sides by a large bunker. [17] A unique feature on the golf course is a windmill located between the 2nd and 16th holes. A member once remarked that a windmill would make a nice addition to the course, so Macdonald purchased one when he was in Europe and sent the member the bill. [18]

National Golf Links of America
Tee Rating/Slope 123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Back73.6/137327330426195478141478424540333945043243517436539740437550235346873
Middle71.7/133307270411177466131462404532316042940838816133636738135047832986458
Forward68.8/127289240378159451110406286514283339137035214728631136031944829845817
Par444343545364443444453672
SI 111511391773528418141210166

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Andrews Links</span> Golf course in Scotland

St Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is regarded as the "Home of Golf". It has one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century. Today there are seven public golf courses: the Balgove, Eden, Jubilee, Strathtyrum, New, and the Old Course all on the links, and The Castle Course, a mile to the east of the town. The famous Old Course is widely considered one of the finest courses in the world. The courses of St Andrews Links are owned by the local authorities and operated by St Andrews Links Trust, a charitable organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golf course</span> Series of holes designed for the game of golf

A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The cup holds a flagstick, known as a "pin". A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes, and as such most courses contain 18 distinct holes; however, there are many 9-hole courses and some that have holes with shared fairways or greens. There are also courses with a non-standard number of holes, such as 12 or 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redan</span> Feature in fortifications, a rampart shaped like the letter V, with its apex toward the enemy

Redan is a feature of fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle towards an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Course at St Andrews</span> Golf course in St Andrews, Scotland

The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course in the world. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews clubhouse sits adjacent to the first tee, although it is but one of many clubs that have playing privileges on the course, along with some other non-clubhouse owning golf clubs and the general public. Originally known as the "golfing grounds" of St Andrews, it was not until the New Course was opened in 1895 that it became known as the Old Course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Watson (golfer)</span> American golfer

Thomas Sturges Watson is an American retired professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour.

The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinnecock Hills Golf Club</span> Golf club in New York, USA

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a links-style golf club located in an unincorporated area of the Town of Southampton on Long Island, New York, situated between the Peconic Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Golf Club</span> Private golf club in Illinois, U.S.

Chicago Golf Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. The oldest 18-hole course in North America, it was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 1894. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnoustie Golf Links</span> Golf course in Angus, Scotland

Carnoustie Golf Links is in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Carnoustie has four courses – the historic Championship Course, the Burnside Course, the Buddon Links Course and a free-to-play short, five-hole course called The Nestie. Carnoustie Golf Links is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation and has hosted golf's oldest major on eight occasions, as well as the Senior Open Championship in 2010 and 2016 and the Women's British Open in 2011 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winged Foot Golf Club</span> Golf club in Mamaroneck, New York, United States

Winged Foot Golf Club is a private golf club in the northeastern United States, located in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. The club was founded in 1921, by a group largely made up of members of The New York Athletic Club, and opened in June 1923. Winged Foot's name and logo are taken directly from a sculpture in the lobby floor of the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Berwick West Links</span> Golf course in North Berwick, Scotland

One of two golf courses within North Berwick, the West Links is by far the more renowned. It regularly holds various championships and is used as a qualifying venue when The Open Championship is held at Muirfield. It was opened in 1832 and occupies a place at the centre of golfing history.

The North Berwick Golf Club (NBGC), at North Berwick, East Lothian, was founded in 1832. It is the 13th oldest golf club in the world and only St Andrews hosts a club which has played continuously over the same course for longer. Although the NBGC was the first club in the world to allow female members, full membership rights were only granted to ladies in 2005. The club is based at the North Berwick West Links golf course.

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is a complex of seven links and two par-3 golf courses on the West Coast of the United States, located alongside the Pacific Ocean in southwest Oregon, just north of the city of Bandon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Blair Macdonald</span> American golf pioneer (1855–1939)

Charles Blair Macdonald was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the first U.S. Amateur championship, and later built some of the most influential golf courses in the United States, to the extent that he is considered the father of American golf course architecture. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golf</span> Club-and-ball sport

Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.

The Fishers Island Club is a country club located near the eastern end of Fishers Island in New York. The club includes an eighteen-hole golf course designed by Seth Raynor that was ranked ninth in the 2023 Golf Digest list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Walker Cup</span>

The 44th Walker Cup Match was played on September 7 and 8, 2013 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York. The United States won 17 to 9.

Seth Jagger Raynor was an American golf course architect and engineer. He designed approximately 85 golf courses in about 13 years, his first in 1914, at age 40. His mentor was Charles Blair Macdonald, the creator of the National Golf Links of America, and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The 1922 Walker Cup, the first Walker Cup Match, was a team golf match played on August 28 and 29, 1922 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York. The United States won 8 to 4. There had been heavy rain for several days before the event and course was very wet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Apawamis Club</span> Country club in New York state

The Apawamis Club is a private country club located in Rye, New York, Westchester County, long known for its 18-hole golf course and prominence in the sport of squash. The 1911 U.S. Amateur was contested here, resulting in a playoff between the reigning British Amateur champion, Harold Hilton, and his lesser-known American opponent, Fred Herreshoff. Apawamis is also the home base of a nationally recognized junior squash program and hosts the world renowned Briggs Cup tournament.

References

  1. ↑ Clavin, Tom (16 November 2003). "The Home of American Golf". The New York Times . Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  2. ↑ "2013 Walker Cup Matches". Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Boyle, Robert H. (26 February 1962). "The Ways Of Life At The Country Club". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  4. ↑ Weber, Bruce (14 June 1992). "Members Only". The New York Times . Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  5. 1 2 Graves, Robert Muir; Cornish, Geoffrey S. (2002). Classic Golf Hole Design: Using the Greatest Holes as Inspiration for Modern Courses. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 64–72. ISBN   0-471-41372-0.
  6. ↑ "Sebonack Golf Club To Host 2013 U.S. Women's Open". United States Golf Association . 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  7. ↑ "Seth Raynor (1874-1926)". Shoreacres. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "The National Golf Links of America". The American Golfer: 163–170. August 1910.
  9. ↑ "Jarvis Hunt: Works" . Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  10. ↑ "Jarvis Hunt". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Clubmakers: James Hepburn (Carnoustie/London/New York)". AntiqueGolfScotland.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  12. ↑ Herrman, Mark (21 September 2008). "Walker Cup Headed to Island". Newsday . Long Island.
  13. ↑ "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses/2009-10". Golf Digest . May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  14. ↑ "National Golf Links of America". Metropolitan Golf Association. Retrieved 6 September 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. 1 2 3 4 "National Golf Links of America". GolfClubAtlas.com. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  16. ↑ Macdonald, C.B.; Whigham, H.J. (July 1914). "Redan Hole at the National Golf Links". Golf Illustrated.
  17. 1 2 "Feature Interview with George Bahto". GolfClubAtlas.com. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  18. ↑ Clemente, T.J. (20 April 2007). "Scotsman Charles MacDonald Creates the National Golf Links Here". Dan's Papers. Bridgehampton. Retrieved 6 September 2009.[ permanent dead link ]

40°54′34″N72°27′03″W / 40.909444°N 72.450833°W / 40.909444; -72.450833

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.