When it comes to golf, I have a Titleist taste and a TopFlite budget.
Working in the golf industry has helped me work around this. Whether it was clubs, clothes or balls, I’ve managed to put together a strong bag with a sharp wardrobe and unafraid to play with “slightly used” ProV1s.
Course access has been the same. I’m not a country club — or any club, for that matter — member, but I’ve managed to play some great courses. Employee privileges at a couple of clubs allowed me access there and, in some cases, at other locations in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island has some truly terrific golf courses and I’m fortunate to say I’ve managed to play a fair number of them — but not all.
Over the years I’ve kept a bucket list of courses and, this spring, was able to cross one off thanks to the media day at Newport Country Club for the U.S. Senior Open.
The now updated list includes courses I’ve wanted to play but just haven’t been able to quite figure out how. Most I’ve seen live in the flesh — by either caddying or covering an RIGA event — which has only made me want to play them more.
If you don’t see some of the usual names on this list, it’s because I’ve been lucky enough to play them. Wannamoissett Country Club is a favorite, even though it beats me up every year at the Northeast Amateur Media Day. I haven’t played it in over a decade, but I knocked Rhode Island Country Club off the list when it was host to the CVS Charity Classic. My favorite course in the state might be Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club, even though I got beat by a 12-year old girl there.
The timing of this piece just happens to coincide with my staycation week where I plan on playing some golf. Just so everyone’s clear I’m not saying I wrote this in hopes someone would toss me a pity invite, but I’m not not saying it either. Also — I’m an all-time vibes guy on the course, have a variety of elite playlists, love friendly trash talk and am unafraid to give four footers.
Do with that information what you will.
Here’s my list of places I still need to play:
The Misquamicut Club, Watch Hill
This is one of the few courses in Rhode Island I haven’t stepped on. I don’t know much about it, other than it’s a Donald Ross design and has major “Rhode Island’s version of Augusta National vibes.” Reading a story from Golf.com only made me want to play it more. It’s probably a terrific walk and, despite my rotund figure, walking golf courses remains my favorite thing to do. Even mentioning Misquamicut may eliminate me from ever playing it, but I won the Masters ticket lottery last week and really just wanted to make the Augusta National comparison so I could squeeze that line in there.
ONLY WAY I SAY NO: My wife says she’ll divorce me and I can’t find a lawyer to draw up the papers fast enough.
Shelter Harbor Golf Club, Westerly
This is one of those places I’ve heard about more than I’ve seen. My lone experience at Shelter was over a decade ago, covering a high school match that I only went to so I could check out part of the course.
What I remember is the clubhouse was insane. The holes I did see looked tough.
The course tour on Shelter Harbor’s website is basically golf pornography. Everything is impressively designed and, despite being a new course, it has an old New England feel. The bunkering is perfection, the native grass brings life and the water features are jaw-dropping.
A few caddie colleagues who left TPC for Shelter have shared stories about the course and it’s as good as advertised. With the combination of what it provides — course quality, location, amenities — Shelter should probably be higher, but the other three have been on my list longer and have a different type of emotional attachment.
ONLY WAY I SAY NO: I’m floating on the Saco River, deep into my cooler of High Noons, and my 13-year old refuses to drive me back home.
Warwick Country Club, Warwick
Haven’t played Warwick yet, haven’t been to a wedding there either. Not very Rhode Island of me.
Honestly, I don’t even know if I need to play the entire course. Give me a bucket of balls on the tee box at No. 9 — the oceanside par-3 — and that experience alone would bring a smile to my face.
I’ve covered a decent number of events at Warwick and it’s a visual masterpiece. For my money, No. 8 and No. 9 are two of the prettiest holes in the state, but Warwick CC is more than just a looker.
Covering RIGA and the girls high school championships there, I’ve seen how tough this course can be. The wind was screaming when Bay View’s Brooke Brennan used her course knowledge as a member to navigate No. 18 brilliantly on her way to the 2021 title.
This year’s RIGA State Amateur provided a seemingly different course condition every day. There was heat, extreme heat, some wind and torrential rain before things cleared during the championship match between Bobby Leopold and Michael Hamilton. As the sun set, the skies burst into a colorful display, with dimming sunlight making the native grass sparkle. It was hard to think of a better place to be in the moment.
Warwick also holds a special place in my heart because it was the last place I was before my oldest daughter was born. I was there to write a story about baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt — who was playing in an RIGA event — when I got a call…
