3 RI Courses Rank Inside Top 200 in America
Three Rhode Island courses rank inside the top 200 in America, according to Golf Digest.
Shelter Harbor ranks 153, Wannamoisett ranks 146th and Newport Country Club ranks 145.
They are the only three Rhode Island courses on the list, and no course made the top 100.
Shelter Harbor – 153
Shelter Harbor is ranked 153rd in America by Golf Digest.
In the previous ranking, Shelter ranked 156th in America, so it moved up three spots this time around.
About Shelter Harbor, Golf Digest writes:
“Though the late club founder and northeastern financier Finn Caspersen was not an avid golfer, he was intrigued by the idea of building a club near his summer home in Rhode Island. But the property he had was challenging and quite severe in places, strewn with wetlands and studded with huge boulders. He ultimately determined that Hurdzan/Fry was the firm that had the environmental chops and creative juice to make the most of it. Though the holes were limited in where they could go, they achieve a desired “old New England” flavor that mixes well with the more historic courses in the neighborhood and possess a dynamic range of strategic lines, carry options and green sizes. The early 1900s bunkering, crafted by Coore & Crenshaw shaper Jeff Bradley, is icing on the cake.”
Wannamoisett – 146
Wannamoisett made a massive jump in this year’s rankings.
In the previous rankings done by Golf Digest, Wannamoisett ranked 163rd in America.
This year, they jump to 146.
About Wannamoisett, Golf Digest writes:
“Built on just 89 acres, barely enough for 18 holes, no room for even a small practice range, with lots of bunkers and tiny greens, the Donald Ross-designed Wannamoisett has long held the reputation of the Sugar Ray Leonard of golf courses, compact but carrying plenty of punch. The course has received a number of renovations over the decades, the latest by Andrew Green in 2021 that included green and fairway expansions, the rebuilding of the bunkers in a more authentic Ross style (based on the architect’s field notes and sketches) and the continuation of an existing tree clearing program. A long-time host to one of amateur golf’s premier events, the Northeast Amateur Invitational, Wannamoisett is considered today the best par-69 layout in the land.”
Newport – 145
This was a bit surprising.
Newport Country Club dropped 19 spots in this year’s rankings to 145th in America.
The historic club previously ranked 126th overall.
About Newport, Golf Digest writes:
“History was made here in 1894 when the nine-hole Newport Country Club, one of five founding members of the USGA, became America’s first championship venue, hosting both the inaugural U.S. Amateur, and in the fall of 1895, the inaugural stroke-play U.S. Open Championship. In 1899, Davis added the club’s second nine on the property’s lower section, stretching it out to the Atlantic shoreline. A.W. Tillinghast remodeled the course in the 1920s, resulting in the most authentic links experience Tilly ever created, or perhaps, more accurately, co-created. Over the past 20 years, consulting architect Ron Forse has faithfully restored many Tillinghast greens and bunkers lost over time. Newport is the rare nationally-ranked course that’s never had a fairway irrigation system. Weather dictates how firm and fast it plays.”