NEWPORT COUNTRY CLUB

Course Architect(s): William Davis (1893), Donald Ross (1915),
                     A.W. Tillinghast (1923-24), Orrin S. Smith,
                     Ron Forse (1999-2003)
Year Opened: 1893
Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Slope: 132. Rating: 73.2
Par: 70
Yardage: 6,831
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 459 Yds    10 - Par 5 535 Yds
                      2 - Par 4 390 Yds    11 - Par 4 298 Yds
                      3 - Par 4 345 Yds    12 - Par 4 463 Yds
                      4 - Par 3 225 Yds    13 - Par 3 166 Yds
                      5 - Par 4 451 Yds    14 - Par 3 209 Yds
                      6 - Par 4 418 Yds    15 - Par 4 436 Yds
                      7 - Par 5 552 Yds    16 - Par 4 359 Yds
                      8 - Par 3 194 Yds    17 - Par 4 449 Yds
                      9 - Par 4 448 Yds    18 - Par 4 434 Yds
                      Par 35  3,482 Yds     Par 35  3,349 Yds

Key Events Held: U.S. Amateur (1895, 1995),
                 U.S. Open (1895),
                 Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am (1980-81),
                 Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am (1982-85),
                 Newport Cup (1987-92),
                 U.S. Women's Open (2006).

Awards Won: Ranked #2 by Golf Digest - Best in State (Rhode Island) (2006),
            Ranked #10 by Golf Connoisseur - Most prestigious private clubs in
            America (2006),
            Ranked #47 by Golfweek - America's top-100 Classic Courses (2006),
            Ranked #81 by Golf Magazine - Top-100 Courses in U.S. (2005)

HISTORY:  All you need to know is that Newport Country Club is one of the five
founding  clubs  of the USGA,  along with Chicago  Golf Club, St. Andrews, The
Country  Club  and Shinnecock Hills Golf  Club. That should tell you something
about the history of this great golf course.

Located  on  the Rhode Island coast,  the original golf course was designed by
William  Davis,  the club's first golf  professional. Davis laid out the first
nine  holes,  which would  host the  first two  United States Golf Association
championships,  the U.S.  Amateur and the U.S. Open in 1895. The site featured
very  little  in regards to housing  and vegetation, such as trees. During the
years  of 1776-78,  when  the  British Military  occupied  the land,  firewood
cutting  and  land clearing  wiped  out  most of  the  natural  beauty of  the
property.  Rumor has  it that the ridges  on the 10th fairway might be where a
former  encampment site  of  the French  occupying forces  lay  waiting for  a
possible British attack by sea.

The first event held at Newport was a match between Davis and Willie Dunn, who
was  the head professional at Shinnecock Hills. The club donated the purse for
the  nine-hole match, which was won by Dunn, 45-46. Considering the initiation
fees around the country in this day and age, a modest $100 would have made you
a  member at Newport with annual dues of $30. In just the first year, the club
had swelled to 70 members.

The  Rocky Farm Course  at Newport Country Club was founded by none other than
the  first  USGA  President,  Theodore Havermeyer,  who  reportedly  paid  the
expenses  of  the contestants in  order to ensure  that the best players would
play in the Amateur and Open events. Famed golf course architect Charles Blair
Macdonald  captured the  inaugural United States Amateur, as he bested Charles
E.  Sands,  12 & 11, in  the final. Other  founding members of Newport CC were
John  Jacob  Astor and three of  the Vanderbilt family -- Cornelius, Frederick
and  William. Havermeyer  and company purchased 140 acres from the King family
for  $80,000.  During 1894-95 a new  clubhouse was built by Whitney Warren, an
architect  who studied in  France. The style of the clubhouse has hints of the
architecture of Louis XIII.

The 1895 U.S. Open Championship fielded just 11 players, including one amateur
the  day  after the  Amateur. The course  of action was  to play the nine-hole
layout  four times. The favorite at the time was Willie Dunn, considered to be
one  of the finest  players of his time. Willie Campbell led after the opening
nine  with a  score of 41, two ahead  of Dunn and four ahead of Horace Rawlins
and two other players. Campbell struggled during the second nine, but was tied
for the lead at the halfway point with Dunn and James Foulis. Rawlins, a local
professional,  was  two strokes behind. All  played on the same day, the final
round saw Campbell take a one-shot advantage over Rawlins with just nine holes
remaining,  while  Dunn trailed by  two. During  the final nine, Campbell fell
apart, making a 9 on the third hole and a 7 on the next en route to a 48 and a
sixth-place  finish. Rawlins  and  Dunn  battled over  the  final holes,  with
Rawlins prevailing by one, as he claimed the $150 first-place prize and a gold
medal.  A.W. Smith,  the lone amateur, finished  three shots back in a tie for
third  with Foulis. To this day, Rawlins remains the lone player to win a U.S.
Open on a course in which he was employed as a professional.

In  1915, Donald Ross was brought in to design a new 18-hole course, next door
to  the  original layout. Changes  were made to  the existing layout when A.W.
Tillinghast,  designer  of  Winged  Foot,  Baltusrol,  Quaker  Ridge  and  San
Francisco  Golf  Club, was  brought in during  the 1920s. Tillinghast rerouted
some  of  the old  course and  designed nine  new holes.  With the purchase of
additional  land, Tillinghast needed to design part of the course so that none
of the shots near the adjacent Ocean Drive would be affected by wayward shots.
The  course  played today is  virtually the same  venue played back then, with
some modern modifications.

As  with most  courses during World War  II, membership dropped to just 56, as
gasoline  restrictions  forced the clubhouse to  shut down. After the war, the
club  began to  flourish once  again,  thanks in  part to  a $25,000,  70-year
mortgage.

The  Champions Tour,  previously  called the  Senior Tour,  made  its mark  at
Newport  with  the Golf  Digest Commemorative Pro-Am,  an unofficial event the
first  two years, followed by the Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-
Am from 1983-85 and then the Newport Cup (1987-92). Winners of this event read
like  a who's who,  from Sam Snead, Billy Casper, Miller Barber and Roberto De
Vicenzo  to Lee  Elder and Jim Dent.  Barber and Dent were two-time winners of
this  event,  with Dent  also  finishing  second  twice.  When Elder  won  the
tournament  in  1985, he carded  an 11-under par  61 during the opening round.
Elder needed an eagle three on the first extra hole to defeat Peter Thomson in
a playoff.

The  USGA  returned to Newport Country  Club 100 years after it's opening U.S.
Amateur  to host  the 95th staging of  this storied event. It was a remarkable
event,  as Tiger  Woods defeated  George "Buddy"  Marucci, 2-up  in a  classic
final.  In  his first  attempt at  the U.S.  Amateur in  1991, Woods failed to
qualify  for  match play.  In his  second and  third attempts,  he lost in the
second  round  on  both  occasions.  Woods then  began  his  streak  of  three
consecutive  U.S. Amateur titles  in 1994 at the TPC at Sawgrass and closed it
off with his win at Pumpkin Ridge in 1996.

After  three weeks of  no rain, the course for the 1995 Amateur was as firm as
an  unripe Georgia  Peach. Drives  bounced 50  yards extra  down the  fairway,
making  par  fives reachable in  two with irons  and par fours accessible with
wedges.  The road to match play was not an easy one for Woods, who, despite an
opening  68,  shot 75 on the  second day to  qualify just two shots inside the
number. Notable PGA players to make match play included Chad Campbell, Matthew
Goggin, Notah Begay III, Charles Howell III and Chris Riley. Woods opened with
a 3 & 2 win over Patrick Lee and then followed it up with a 4 & 2 victory over
Campbell.  Sean Knapp, who dispatched of Begay in the second round, was Woods'
next  victim  at 2 & 1.  With wins over  Scott Kammann and Mark Plummer, Woods
reached the championship match. Marucci had a more difficult time advancing to
the final, as he was forced to extra holes three times.

The  36-hole final  saw Marucci take a  3-up lead over Woods through 12 holes.
Woods  closed the gap  to one after the opening 18 holes. After birdies on the
21st  and 24th holes,  Woods had claimed his first lead of the match since the
third  tee. Marucci pitched  in on the 26th hole to square the match, however,
Woods  reclaimed  the lead for good  on the 30th. Woods began his fist-pumping
charge  with an 18-footer for birdie on the 33rd hole to go two-up, as Marucci
missed  from  20-feet. Marucci closed to  within 1-down after winning the 35th
hole,  however  Woods closed out  the match by  sticking his final approach to
within inches of the cup for the win.

Typical Rhode Island weather, along with a Monday finish, made the 2006 U.S.
Women's Open one of the most exciting tournaments in USGA history. The 61st
staging of the Women's Open started on a Friday, not Thursday due to dense fog
that blanketed the course all day. Round one at soggy Newport Country Club
produced some big numbers, as only four players broke 70, all with 69s on the
venerable layout. Se Ri Pak, Pat Hurst, Annika Sorenstam and amateur Jane
Park, all shared the lead following the opening round. Teenage sensation
Michelle Wie scored a one-under-par 70 to trail by just one. The second round
produced more of the same, as Hurst and Sorenstam shot even-par 71s to lead
the field at two-under-par. In all, there were only three subpar rounds on day
two. Despite a double-bogey on her eighth hole, Wie shot 72 and was just two
shots off the pace. Sunday's 36-hole marathon started off with more of the
same, as the players continued to struggle on this grande layout. Once again,
just four players broke par in the morning round led by Brittany Lincicome's
69 which gained her a tie for the lead with Sorenstam and Wie after three
rounds. Hurst, who shared the halfway point lead with Sorenstam, struggled to
75, but was just two shots back. Sunday's fourth round was thrilling, as six
players battled for the title. Sorenstam flew out of the gate with back-to-
back, four-foot birdie putts at one and two. She reached two-under par, but
Hurst also got off to a great start in the final round with birdies at one and
two. Sorenstam was cruising along until the seventh, as she made double-bogey
to fall back into a tie for the lead with Hurst and Juli Inkster. After an
opening birdie, Inkster parred her next seven holes, but bogeys on nine and 11
ended her chances for a third U.S. Open title. Sorenstam fell behind with
bogeys on eight and nine, as Hurst took the lead. With a birdie on 10 by
Sorenstam and a bogey by Hurst on 11, the duo were tied for the lead. Playing
ahead, Wie sank an 18-foot birdie putt on 12 to tie for the lead, however a
bogey on 13 knocked her from the top. Se Ri Pak moved into contention during
the final round after three birdies on the opening nine, however a late bogey
on 15 ended her chances as she tied for third with Wie and Stacy Prammanasudh.
Hurst made birdie on 14 for the lead, but Sorenstam countered with a birdie of
her own on 15 and then took the lead with another birdie on 16. With a
Sorenstam bogey on 17, the pair were tied again. Both players narrowly missed
birdie putts on the last to finish regulation tied at even par. Third-round
co-leader Lincicome shot 78 and finished seventh. The Monday playoff was anti-
climatic, as Sorenstam birdied the first and Hurst made bogey and the rest is
history, as the amazing Swede cruised to a four-shot win shooting 70 to
Hurst's 74 for her third U.S. Women's Open title. For the week, Newport
Country Club held its own, playing to a scoring average of 75.782. Only eight
players broke 70, all with 69s and just two players shot 69 in the final round
(Hurst and Pak).

During  the past several years, golf course architect Ron Forse was brought in
to  return  the course  to its  original design and  restore bunkers that were
eliminated  in past  years. Clubhouse renovation began in 2004 in an effort to
maintain the style from its origin.

REVIEW:  The course opens with a rugged par four stretching 459 yards from the
black  tees.  Bending ever so  slightly to the  right, the hole plays downhill
from  the  clubhouse with  a huge thicket  of trees down  the right side. Left
fairway  will  set up  the best approach  to a plateaued  green that's just 28
yards  deep. Two traps  guard either side of the surface and any shot short of
the green will roll down the fairway.

Across  the road, the second is a fairly straight-forward par four -- that is,
if  the wind is  down. Playing into the prevailing winds, this hole could be a
real  bear despite its 390 yard length. Bunkers guard the landing area on both
sides  and the putting surface features a quartet of traps. The green is quite
large  and slopes quickly from back to front. Stay below the hole for any shot
at birdie, let alone par.

Playing  uphill  and into the  wind, the third  is a dandy  of a par four. The
drive  must carry  200 yards to clear the  trap on the left side that juts out
into  the  fairway, not  to mention  avoiding the  out of  bounds to the left.
Depending  upon  the breeze, a  wedge should only remain  to a long and narrow
green that cants from back to front. Four bunkers protect the elevated surface
of the green. On a calm day (rare in New England), this hole can be had.

The  first par  three on the course  is also the longest at 225 yards. Playing
alongside  the  ocean, the wind usually  howls from left to right, making club
selection  near impossible. The green is smallish at 28 yards in depth, but is
open  in  front, allowing for  a run-up shot. Bunkers  down the left and right
side provide a great target to the surface. Par is a great score here.

It  comes as no surprise that the fifth is the hardest hole on the course. Out
of  bounds left, uphill  off the tee, dogleg to the left, nine traps, in other
words...one  tough cookie. The good news: the wind should be at your back. The
bad  news: a cross  bunker protects the landing area for your opening shot, so
favor  the right  side from  the tee.  A medium  to long  iron will  remain to
another  miniscule  green of 28 yards  in depth. Mainly a back-to-front green,
three traps play guardian around the No. 1 handicap hole.

Heading  back towards the ocean, the sixth is a fairly benign hole, except for
the  fact of the  wind in your face, the bunkers guarding the landing area and
the  ridge in  the fairway that will  leave a blind second if you mis-hit your
tee  ball. A severe, horseshoe-shaped trap guards the right side of the green,
with  yet  another bunker on the  left. The putting surface is quite demanding
with several swales, making this green one of the most difficult to read.

Although  quite long,  the snakelike, par-five seventh plays downwind, ranking
it  as one of the easiest on the course. Don't be misled, as the hole requires
not  only  length off  the tee,  but a precise  second to  set up a successful
approach. Your tee ball should favor the right side, avoiding the deep trap on
the left. The layup needs to clear a menacing Tillinghast trap that's 70 yards
in  length on the left and creeps into the fairway. Just a short pitch remains
to a narrow putting surface that is protected by four deep traps. With a back-
left  flag, the  ball rolls away, however  a front pin will slide back towards
the fairway.

Club  selection  on the par-three eighth  is a key ingredient to success. With
the  wind blowing  from right to left  and the putting surface flanked on both
sides by bunkers, this long and narrow green, which slopes towards the center,
could be quite difficult to hit.

The  final hole on the opening nine is a doozy of a par four, as it doglegs to
the  right  and uphill towards the  green. At 448  yards from the back tees, a
drive  of  some 240 yards is  needed just to  carry a crossing bunker down the
right.  A two-club  slope awaits for your  second to the green as the elevated
green  makes  it quite difficult to  adjust your approach. The putting surface
slopes hard from right to left, with a trap on either side of the green.

The  back nine  starts off with a  reachable par five. Played from an elevated
tee,  the 10th  usually plays downwind. The landing area is quite wide between
the  guarding  bunkers, but with a  successful poke, a fairway metal should be
enough  to get home in two. The putting surface, regarded as the oldest in the
United  States  and constructed  in 1893,  is relatively small  at 26 yards in
depth and is guarded by three deep traps.

The  shortest and  easiest hole on the course, the 298-yard, par-four 11th can
be  had,  but beware. Driveable, yes,  but you must avoid the Tillinghast trap
short  and  right of the green.  Second, three other bunkers guard the putting
surface and, finally, the green is long and very narrow, sloping back to front
and  left to  right. The smart play is  a three metal short of the green and a
little pitch below the hole to set up birdie.

The  "Valley"  hole is  a rugged  par four stretching  463 yards and generally
playing  back into  the wind. Even with  a drive that hits the fairway, a long
iron  will remain  to a green protected  by plenty of sand. If all else fails,
play  short and just left-center of the putting surface to leave a little chip
to  the green to save par. Who knows, that could be a round saver. The putting
surface again slopes back to front, so stay below the hole.

It's  not often you play back-to-back par threes, but the 13th is the first of
two  beauties. The  shortest hole on the  course at 166 yards plays uphill and
into  the breeze,  so take  an extra  club or  two just  in case.  The putting
surface  is bowl-like  with everything sloping to the center, except the front
edge,  which falls off towards the tee. Six bunkers are featured on this hole,
including another horseshoe shaped gem to the left.

When the U.S. Amateur was staged at Newport Country Club in 1895, the 14th was
played  as the first hole. Playing into the wind, a long iron or fairway metal
is  needed just to reach the putting surface, which is similar in style to the
13th  and  only 28 yards in  depth. Another Tillinghast trademark bunker is on
the right side of the "Redan" styled green.

The  15th is a  dogleg-right par four with a wide fairway, but that's the easy
part.  Avoiding the landing-area traps on the right with the wind canting from
left  to right is  no small task. A medium iron should remain to a small green
that  slopes  from right to  left and back to  front. Bunkers and gnarly rough
will snare any offline approach.

The  difficulty on  16 is two-fold. Out  of bounds runs the entire right side,
while  water runs  left and  by the  green. Now  that that's  settled, just  a
fairway metal or long iron off the tee should be plenty to set up a short iron
to  the smallest green on the course. Water front, left and back with a bunker
right is plenty of protection for this putting surface that slopes towards the
center. A definite chance to get one back as you head home.

Playing  downwind,  the 17th  is a  long par  four that  doglegs to the right.
Although  water is quite  visible off the tee, it generally does not come into
play.  A  drive down  the right  side should  carry the  corner of the dogleg,
setting  up a mid-iron approach. A pair of cross bunkers are well short of the
green, creating an illusion of sorts for your second shot. The putting surface
is large for Newport CC standards at 30 yards in depth, as it slopes from back
to front and towards the center.

From  an elevated tee,  the downhill, dogleg-left 18th is a gem of a finisher,
reaching  434  yards from  the tips. Playing  down the left  side is of utmost
importance,  thus setting  up a relatively short approach to the longest green
on  the course.  Any tee ball down  the right runs the risk of running through
the  fairway and  into rough, or worse,  sand. The raised green is 41 yards in
length  and slopes  hard from back to  front, with plenty of bunkers short and
right. When Tiger Woods captured the 1995 U.S. Amateur, his second shot landed
18 feet past the hole and crept back to within inches to secure the victory.
During the 2006 U.S. Women's Open, the 18th played as the ninth hole and
proved to be quite a challenge, as it played as the hardest hole for the week
with a scoring average of 4.682.

OVERALL:  What  makes  Newport  Country  Club  so  special?  Well,  I'll  tell
you...history.  One  of just five  clubs to help form  the USGA dating back to
1893. The first U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championships were held there. Back
in  the late 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower made Newport, Rhode Island,
his  summer White House,  playing many a morning on the NCC links. With Secret
Service in tow, Eisenhower was never able to break 80.

The  course  itself is  short by  today's standards,  stretching to only 6,831
yards,  but  at a  par of 70,  Newport Country  Club is every  bit as long and
difficult as this century's courses. Undulating greens, tight fairways, rugged
rough  and a  great mix of short and long  holes is what NCC has to offer as a
course.

The  elements are  what makes  this  course tough  to  score on.  There is  no
irrigation  system on  the course, so whatever the season is what dictates the
course  conditions. The spring will be soft and lush, while the summer dry and
fast.  Then, of course,  there is the soft, gentle breezes off the ocean. Most
of  the time, however,  the wind is at 15-20 m.p.h. off the water, making club
selection and ball flight quite intriguing.

Getting  a chance to play Newport Country Club is barely an option because you
must  be accompanied  by  a member,  hence  its  No. 10  ranking  on the  most
prestigious  private  clubs in America list.  This is true links-style golf at
its  best, reminiscent  of some  of the  gems across  the pond.  If you  get a
chance, make the drive and experience one of the finest clubs in America.