Winchester

Established in 1897, Winchester Golf Club was the precursor to Winchester Country Club, which was inaugurated five years later. The original 9-hole course, designed by Willie Campbell near Winter Pond, no longer exists. The current layout at Winchester Country Club was established as a 9-hole course in 1902 by Alexander Findlay.

Donald Ross began working at Winchester in 1909 by adding bunkers. Two years later, the club acquired additional land, enabling Ross to redesign the original nine holes. Yet more land was purchased to allow an 18-hole to take shape in 1916. Ross was then consulted over the following two decades on modifications that were made made to his design.

Holes are essentially built on the side of a hill close to Upper Mystic Lake with many of the fairways laid out side by side due to the lie of the land. Nonetheless, the design skills of Donald Ross were such that he still managed to create an interesting and totally engaging course.

The most difficult holes here appear around the turn, where the long par four 8th requires a fairway wood or long iron approach to the green and the slightly doglegged 10th is played to a tricky two-tier putting surface.

The signature hole on the card is the 525-yard 13th, the second of back-to-back par fives, and bunkers separate its split fairway. A tee shot driven to the lower level on the left lessens the risk, but lengthens the hole whilst a drive to the right offers big hitters the chance of going for the green in two mighty blows.

New Yorker Stephen Kay revised the layout in 1991 and in 2012 Ron Forse worked with superintendent Dennis Houle to complete a bunker renovation across all eighty-one sand hazards.