Taconic Golf Club

Taconic Golf Club is a semi-private golf course located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The land that Taconic Golf Club is owned by Williams College, but an independent Board of Directors oversees the daily operation. The course has repeatedly made Golf Magazine's list of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play[1] and has been ranked as one of the top collegiate courses.[2]

Taconic Golf Club
Club information
Coordinates42.705503°N 73.201863°W / 42.705503; -73.201863
LocationWilliamstown, Massachusetts, U.S.
Established1896
Owned byWilliams College
Total holes18
Websitewww.taconicgolf.com
Taconic Golf Club
Par71
Course record67

History

In 1896, William Howard Doughty, James M. Ide, and Edward C. Gale received permission from Williams College to install three tomato cans on land adjoining what is now the 18th fairway of Taconic.[3] In the same year, the course was expanded to seven holes; one of those holes, the present 17th, is the oldest at Taconic.[3] In 1897, a longer nine-hole course was laid out.[3]

In 1927, Wayne Stiles of Stiles & Van Kleek, a Boston firm, was commissioned to design and construct an 18 hole course.[4] Construction began in August 1927 and a par 73 layout was completed by Labor Day in 1928.[5] The course was revised in 1955 to a 6,640 yard (gold tees) par 71 layout.[5] In 2009, Gil Hanse completed a renovation of the course.[6]

Course layout

Many of the greens are located on top of knolls or small hills. The property is approximately 100 acres (0.40 km2).[5] In general, the course provides plenty of room off the tee, with the real challenge being ahead at the green. The greens are often fast, with significant slope from back to front, and it is usually preferable to remain short of the hole rather than beyond the flag stick.[7]

Tournaments hosted
YearTournamentWinner
1956U.S. Junior Amateur Harlan Stevenson
1958NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships[8]University of Houston
1959Massachusetts Amateur John Tosca, Jr.
1963U.S. Women's Amateur Anne Quast
1971Massachusetts Amateur Tracy Mehr
1972NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships[9]LSU-New Orleans
1981Massachusetts Amateur Steven Tasho
1992Massachusetts Open Andy Morse
1996U.S. Senior Amateur O. Gordon Brewer, Jr.
1999NCAA Division III Men's Golf ChampionshipsMethodist University
2004Massachusetts Amateur Frank Vana, Jr.
2016Massachusetts Amateur Brendan Hunter

U.S. Junior Amateur

In 1956, Harlan Stevenson of California defeated Jack Rule, Jr. of Iowa 3 and 1. Rule beat 16-year-old Jack Nicklaus in the semifinals 1 up. Nicklaus made a hole-in-one on the 14th hole at Taconic during a practice round, where an engraved rock commemorates this accomplishment.[3]

References
  1. "Taconic Golf Club at Golf.com". Golf Magazine. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  2. "Links Magazine Top 25 College Courses". Links Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  3. "News Archive: NCAA Taconic Golf Club - Notoriety and National Tournaments". Williams College Athletics. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  4. Pennington, Bill (2008-08-04). "On Par - Stiles and Van Keek - Forgotten Architects Who Built Timeless Courses". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  5. "Taconic Golf Club at Williams College Women's Golf". Williams College Sports Information. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  6. "Taconic Golf Club Restoration Update". Hanse Golf Course Design. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  7. "Taconic Golf Club at Golf Club Atlas". Golf Club Atlas. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  8. "Houston University Golf Program: History and Records" (PDF). University of Houston. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  9. "NCAA News: LSUNO Golfers Lead CD Field" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
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