Newport Country Club
Theodore Havemeyer, a wealthy sportsman whose family owned the American Sugar Company, played the game of golf on a trip to Pau in the south of France in 1889 and returned to his summer home in Newport, RI excited about its future. In 1890 he and his friends rented some property on the old Castle Hill Farm and played golf on a primitive course. He convinced a few pals from the summer colony's social elite, men such as John Jacob Astor IV, Perry Belmont and Cornelius Vanderbilt II, - to purchase the 140-acre Rocky Farm property for $80,000 and establish the golf club in 1893. At the time of the club's founding, Newport was at the peak of its prestige as the favorite summer colony of America's wealthy elite. The city had thus established one of America's earliest golf clubs since the sport was played almost exclusively by the rich when it was first introduced to the United States. The primitive course that they played upon in 1890 was bought roughly 30 years later and is where the 2nd through 8th holes currently are on.
Theodore Havemeyer, a wealthy sportsman whose family owned the American Sugar Company, played the game of golf on a trip to Pau in the south of France in 1889 and returned to his summer home in Newport, RI excited about its future. In 1890 he and his friends rented some property on the old Castle Hill Farm and played golf on a primitive course. He convinced a few pals from the summer colony's social elite, men such as John Jacob Astor IV, Perry Belmont and Cornelius Vanderbilt II, - to purchase the 140-acre Rocky Farm property for $80,000 and establish the golf club in 1893. At the time of the club's founding, Newport was at the peak of its prestige as the favorite summer colony of America's wealthy elite. The city had thus established one of America's earliest golf clubs since the sport was played almost exclusively by the rich when it was first introduced to the United States. The primitive course that they played upon in 1890 was bought roughly 30 years later and is where the 2nd through 8th holes currently are on.
When you pull up to the club house they valet your car and you walk right through the massive open doorway. You enter into the great room shown below and then one wing of the club house is a bar / lounge area and the other wing is a meeting room with club tournament champions on the wall.
As soon as you walk in there is a staircase that takes you upstairs to the locker rooms. One side the mens, the other side the ladies. The club house is small but grand, and most likely the perfect size for the membership. The locker rooms are simple with historic decor.
The golf amenities at NCC are everything a golfer needs. The course can play all the way back to over 7,000 yards at a par 70, but has tees for all skill levels. It is rare for a classic to provide such a tough test of golf which I assume is why it has been picked for the US Senior Open. The practice range is neat and organized, they have a chipping practice area right next to the range, and the practice putting green is right off the 1st tee offering many of the same putts you see out on the course.
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