Our History

A historic private golf club located in Newport Rhode Island.

Newport Country Club, founded in 1893, is a historic private golf club located in Newport Rhode Island.  It has been recognized as one of the top courses in the United States.  The club is one of the five founding member clubs of the United States Golf Association.

On January 12, 1893, Theodore A. Havemeyer was elected chairman of the Newport Golf Club. At subsequent meetings of the Club, the Rules of the St. Andrew’s Club (Scotland) were adopted, a golf professional/golf course designer was hired, the act of incorporation, a constitution and by-laws were accepted and 57 members were elected.  This was not, however, the debut of golf in Newport.  Havemeyer first brought the game to Rhode Island in 1890 after having played at Pau in the south of France, where he had spent the previous winter.  On his return to Newport, he, along with several friends, leased 44.4 acres near Brenton Point and laid out a very primitive 9-hole course. During these years of golf at Newport, the Bateman Hotel was used as a clubhouse.

The lease on the 44.4 acres on Brenton Point for the 1893 season was not renewed. Havemeyer and H.A.C. Taylor, purchased the 140-acre Rocky Farm from Mary King for $80,000.  Within a month the deed was bought by a syndicate, led by both gentlemen, and in early 1894, the incorporation of Newport Country Club was established.  During 1893/4, a cottage called the Pond Cottage was used as the new clubhouse.

Havemeyer started to show sketches for a new and permanent clubhouse. During the winter of 1894/5, a new clubhouse was built. It was designed by Whitney Warren. Mr. Warren studied architecture in France, first at Dame’s atelier, and later at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The clubhouse at Newport was his first commission. The style of the clubhouse has hints of the architecture of Louis XIII. The clubhouse was designed in the shape of a propeller, with two main wings and a third built in piazza style extending to the East. To the South, members and their guests were able to view golf, and polo to the North. There was a dining room (now the bar area) where meals were served. The kitchen was in the basement where today’s bag storage room is. The clubhouse received many accolades. The New York Times proclaimed “It stood supreme for magnificence among golf clubs, not only in America, but in the world”. The piazza-styled wing was destroyed in 1954 by Hurricane Carol. This wing was constructed of lattice and glass, which was no match for the high winds of the hurricane. 


Newport Country Club is legendary in the history of golf in America. The first national championships were played at Newport in October 1895. These championships were the first sanctioned by the newly formed United States Golf Association. The start of the championships was delayed until the conclusion of the America’s Cup. The amateur championship was won by Charles Blair Macdonald of Chicago. Mr. Macdonald’s margin of victory (12 and 11 strokes) remains today the most lop-sided win in the Amateur. Mr. Macdonald was not absent from controversy. In the previous year Mr. Macdonald had lost two amateur championships. One was played at Newport and the other at Saint Andrews, NY. The 1894 championship at Newport was played on another primitive course. Mr. Macdonald lost this 1894 championship because his ball came to rest behind a stone wall. Mr. Macdonald felt that in a stroke-played championship match, a stone wall was not an appropriate hazard. Later that year at St. Andrews, another championship was played. This time it was match played, but the result was the same, Mr. Macdonald lost in the finals. With this loss, he felt the national title competition should be conducted by a national organization. In December of 1894, the USGA was organized by five golf clubs. Newport was represented by Havemeyer. With his leadership and deep pockets, he was elected the organization’s first president.

Horace Rawlins, Newport’s young assistant professional, won the first national open championship at Newport on October 4, 1895. He bested many well-known professionals of the day who were favored to win. The Open championship was played over the 9-hole layout 4 times. It was stroke played. Others competing for the championship were:  Willie Dunn, Willie Campbell, James Foulis and Newport’s head professional, William Davis, to mention a few.









The course has had several serious modifications and additions. The original 9-hole course built for the 1890 season may partially exist today. This design was modified in 1893 by William F. Davis, the professional/designer previously employed at the (Royal) Montreal Golf Club, Canada. Davis designed two new courses in 1894 on the newly acquired Rocky Farm; the “long” course and the “short” course. In 1895 the “long” course was lengthened slightly and in 1897 an additional 9 holes were added making Newport an 18-hole course, the standard which other clubs had.  It had been previously thought the second 9 holes of the long course was added by famous Scottish architect, Donald Ross, but a recent discovery of material showed that Davis added these holes. Havemeyer had not wanted a 2nd nine holes built, but after his untimely deaths in 1897, the 2nd nine holes were built.


The original 18 holes were all located east of Harrison Avenue. In 1921, the Club purchased two parcels of land, west of Harrison Avenue. One parcel was the same 44.4 acres from Mary Gammell. The same property that Havemeyer and friends has rented some 25+ years earlier. The 2nd parcel of 4.38 acres was bought from Ethel Rhinelander King family. These purchases made possible the addition of 7 holes and the rerouting of the course to the east side of Harrison Avenue, thus alleviating the long-standing complaints about fairway proximity, poor drainage and wet conditions. The redesign of the course with the new 7 holes on the west side of Harrison Avenue was done A.W. Tillinghast. 



In 1917, the Newport Country Club and the Newport Golf Club consolidated. The two clubs had co-existed since the 1890’s, but due to financial difficulties they decided to combine. The Newport Country Club had essentially owned the land where its members would enjoy the country, whereas the Newport Golf Club built and maintained the golf course.

In 1898, a silver cup was given to the golf club by Count de Turin (H.R.H. Prince Victor Emmanuel). There is a contest for the cup each year, and it remains the oldest of the Club’s tournaments. The winner of this event receives a silver medal with the coat of arms of the Count de Turin.

In the late 1970’s, the Club was the site of one of the first senior PGA events. The event was held in Newport until 1991. The first winner of this event was Sam Snead. Some of the other seniors who played at Newport are; Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Chi Chi Rodriguez and Gary Player.




In 1995, the United States Golf Association returned to “where it all began”.  The Centennial US Amateur was played in August 1995.  The course was dry due to one of the severest droughts Newport has ever experienced.  Most of the contestants had never seen a course brown and dry, but over-all they loved playing at Newport.  Tiger Woods defeated Buddy Marucci 2up in a 36-hole final won the championship.





Golf architect Ron Forse in 1998, prepared a master plan for the golf course.  A methodical implementation of the plan began the following year.  Several portions of the plan were done each year until its completion in early 2004.  Several bunkers that were eliminated in past years were revived while restoring others, all to their original “Tillinghast” design.

In June 2006, the USGA returned to Newport when the 61st US Women’s Open was played.  Contrary to the conditions of the US Amateur in 1995 the course was extremely wet.  The weekend before the championship was scheduled to start the course received over 3 inches of rain.  Hundreds of volunteers including the local fire department helped to rid the course of water. The first practice day went on, but without spectators who were not allowed on the course. Continuing with weather problems the first round of competition was cancelled on account of an all-day fog.  This cancellation created a 36-hole Sunday for those players who made the cut after the first two rounds of play. After 72 holes of competition Annika Sorenstam and Pat Hurst were tied at level par.  An 18-hole playoff was played Monday with Annika Sorenstam winning.  At USGA annual meeting in February 2007, it was decided the US Women’s Open would have 3-hole playoff rather than an 18-hole playoff. 


In October 2004, a renovation of the clubhouse commenced.  The work is the first major effort to update the mechanical and structural aspects of the building. The architectural firm of Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker, Architects was hired for the project.  When the clubhouse was built in 1894/5 the needs of the members and guests were different than those of today.  A tremendous amount of work and input was spent on the renovation to serve the members while keeping the flavor and style Whitney Warren intended over 110 years ago. All this work was finish in time for the US Women’s Open.

The RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and the National Park Service declared the clubhouse a building of historical significance.  This designation allowed the creation of Newport Country Club Preservation Foundation (NCCPF,) a 501c3 which enabled tax-deductible donations for the sole purpose of renovating and maintaining the clubhouse.  Donations to the Foundation’s endowment fund are welcomed and appreciated, and will ensure that this wonderful building will be maintained to a standard worthy of its historic status.

In the summer of 2017, the Board of Directors hired the golf architect, Gil Hanse, in order to get a fresh set of eyes on the course.  He arrived shortly and made several suggestions.  In the spring of 2018, Gil Hanse’s shaper, made several subtle changes to 5 fairway bunkers; 3 on the 2nd hole and 2 on the 6th hole. Gil Hanse also suggested the Club’s greens be restored to their original size.  This restoration would start after 2020.

The USGA was to return to Newport in June 2020 with the US Senior Open, but the event was cancelled due to Covid.  In March of 2021, it was agreed that the USGA agreed to have the US Senior Open at Newport in June 2024.  This championship will be the 5th at Newport.


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