Salem Country Club is a private country club in Peabody, Massachusetts. The club's early history was unstable. In the late 19th- and early 20th century, the club moved between four locations in Salem and Peabody. In 1925, the club made its final move to western Peabody converting a territory called Sanders Farm into an 18-hole golf course. The construction was a major undertaking, costing nearly half a million dollars and necessitating 3,000 laborers. The club has had a largely stable history since then, hosting several USGA championships as well as being consistently rated by Golf Digest as one of the top 100 courses in the United States.
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Peabody, Massachusetts |
| Established | 1895 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Events hosted |
|
| Website | www |
| Designed by | Donald Ross (golfer) |
Salem Country Club was founded on November 4, 1895. [1] The club origins are peripatetic. The original members were described "as adventurers into a more or less unknown sport" and were unsure of where to place to club. [2] They ultimately settled on placing the club in North Salem on a piece of property called Gardner Farm. [1] The property was recently owned by the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. [3] It was a nine-hole course and called Salem Golf Club. It cost $10.30 to construct. [2] The following year the club "they moved clear across town" for their next venue, another nine hole course. [1] The moves continued. In 1897, they returned to Gardner Farm, but to a different part of the farm. [1] Membership expanded in ensuing years and in 1912 the club moved into Peabody, Massachusetts. It remained a nine-hole course. [1] During this era, Salem became a member of the USGA. [4]
In 1925, the club made their final move to the west side of Peabody. [1] The organization purchased a territory called Sanders Farm and converted it into a golf course. [2] [5] Engineers needed ten tons of dynamite to clear out the "wooded areas." [2] They were assisted by 300 Maine lumberjacks. [2] Overall, it took 3,000 laborers to complete the construction of the course. [5] The course cost nearly a half a million dollars to build. [2] [5] The famed golf course architect Donald Ross designed the course. [6] The new club officially opened on October 12, 1926. [5] In the 1930s, Salem began hosting a number of significant tournaments. In 1930, the course hosted the Massachusetts Amateur. [1] In 1932, Salem hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur. [1] During this era, Tony Manero, former U.S. Open champion, served as club pro. [5]
The mid-20th century, however, was a time of financial hardship for the club. According to The Salem News , the club "suffered during the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II." [1] In 1936, Salem increased life membership $1,000 per person to raise revenue. [2] Financial distress resumed, however, during World War II. The club sold steel lockers to the defense department to help stem the tide though. [2] This was "the last rough spot the organization has known" financially. [2]
In the 1950s, there were great improvements to the club. A caddy house, driving range, and practice greens were added. [2] In 1956, an Olympic-style swimming pool was incorporated into the club. [7] Lionel MacDuff, president of the Massachusetts Golf Association, also greatly influenced Salem. He was able to help the club secure a number of notable tournaments, the first of which was an exhibition match between Sam Snead and Ben Hogan in 1953. The following year the club hosted the U.S. Women's Open. [6]
In the mid-20th century, the course received a number of accolades from Golf Digest . In 1969, the publication included Salem Country Club on its America's 100 Greatest Courses list. It remained on the list for the remainder of the century. [8] [5] In 1977, the publication stated that Salem was among the top five courses in Massachusetts. It also maintained this status for the remainder of the century. [8]
Around the turn of the century, however, the quality of the course regressed. By 2005, the course fell off Golf Digest's Top 100 list. [8] The following year, it was no longer listed as one of the top courses in Massachusetts for the first time in decades. [8] Salem hired designer Eric Iverson to improve the course. The club spent $3,500,000 in an effort to rehabilitate the club and assure that the modern course corresponded to Ross's original design. [8] According to The Salem News , "The greens were restored to their original dimensions the end of 2015." [3] During this era, many trees were also removed to provide better sunlight to the surface of the course. [1] Salem quickly returned to be noted as one of the top courses in the state by Golf Digest . [8] In 2017, the course hosted the U.S. Senior Open. [9]
The club's logo is a witch. The witch's name is Luba Nin. [10] Club member Edie O'Connor served as the club's mascot when Salem hosted USGA championships in the 1980s and 1990s. Her costume received much media attention, including from Sports Illustrated . [9]
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 | |
| SI | Men's | 11 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 8 | |||
| Gold | 74.1 / 135 | 410 | 398 | 169 | 396 | 506 | 225 | 392 | 517 | 466 | 3,479 | 413 | 494 | 152 | 344 | 214 | 531 | 422 | 425 | 442 | 3,437 | 6,916 |
| Blue | 71.8 / 131 | 398 | 379 | 151 | 385 | 488 | 212 | 373 | 492 | 386 | 3,264 | 404 | 478 | 146 | 329 | 203 | 499 | 403 | 402 | 382 | 3,246 | 6,510 |
| Black | 69.7 / 131 | 362 | 369 | 137 | 358 | 470 | 177 | 355 | 477 | 373 | 3,078 | 362 | 452 | 135 | 301 | 175 | 488 | 390 | 384 | 377 | 3,064 | 6,142 |
| White | 68.6 / 125 (M) | 357 | 359 | 124 | 351 | 444 | 177 | 331 | 457 | 351 | 2,951 | 357 | 429 | 129 | 297 | 141 | 478 | 380 | 374 | 352 | 2,937 | 5,888 |
| Green | 64.9 / 113 (M) | 327 | 287 | 115 | 332 | 433 | 151 | 279 | 367 | 296 | 2,587 | 309 | 419 | 121 | 268 | 137 | 455 | 286 | 284 | 308 | 2,587 | 5,174 |
| White | 73.9 / 131 (W) | 357 | 359 | 124 | 351 | 444 | 177 | 331 | 457 | 351 | 2,951 | 357 | 429 | 129 | 297 | 141 | 478 | 380 | 374 | 352 | 2,937 | 5,888 |
| Silver | 72.8 / 128 (W) | 327 | 359 | 124 | 332 | 433 | 151 | 331 | 457 | 344 | 2,858 | 357 | 419 | 129 | 268 | 141 | 455 | 380 | 374 | 308 | 2,831 | 5,689 |
| Green | 70.2 / 125 (W) | 327 | 287 | 115 | 332 | 433 | 151 | 279 | 367 | 296 | 2,587 | 309 | 419 | 121 | 268 | 137 | 455 | 286 | 284 | 308 | 2,587 | 5,174 |
Source: [11]