By Dalton Balthaser
Imagine your favorite place, one you can’t live without.
Now imagine what your life would be like if the influential figure(s) didn’t have the courage to branch out and create something on their own.
For Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club, that person is Thomas Suffern Tailer.
T.S. Tailer was a wealthy banking magnate in the early 1900s. He founded Tailer & Company, an influential banking firm.
A typical Newport summer citizen, Tailer wasn’t impressed by Newport Country Club’s layout at the time. It was nowhere near the course it is today.
So, in 1919 Tailer purchased 65 acres of land across Ocean Drive and hired Seth Raynor to design a course he would call "Ocean Links."
We’ll get to Raynor in just a bit.
"Tailer used to host a tournament at Ocean Links called the Golden Mashie," said Steve MacQuarrie, who wrote "100 Years on a Windy Hill, The History of Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club." "All the best amateurs at the time would come and play there. At the same time, we were coming out of the recession that followed World War I and the residents of Newport wanted a golf course of their own because nobody was going to let them play at Newport Country Club."
But just 10 years later, Ocean Links was gone. Tailer left funds for the course but once he died in 1928, the grounds fell dormant. Parts of the land where the course was located is now a segment of Brenton Point State Park and the rest of it sits on private houses near Ocean Drive.
Tailer’s passion and generosity for the Newport community would show in the creation of Wanumetonomy.
When he learned that perennial residents of Newport wanted a golf course of their own, he stepped up. He paid $2,500 of Raynor’s $3,000 fee to secure his services to design Wanumetonomy.
Let’s be clear, Tailer wasn’t the founder of Wanumetonomy. But if it weren’t for his proactiveness to hire Raynor to design Ocean Links, who knows what Wanumetonomy would look like today.
James King and seven other businessmen ultimately founded Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club on May 2, 1922. J.T. O’Connell, Frank O’Connell, Newport Daily News Owner Edward A. Sherman, John J. Walsh, William J.D. Burke, Carl Jurgens and former mayor of Newport Mortimer A. Sullivan put their backing to what would become Wanumetonomy.
MacQuarrie wrote some of them didn't play golf. Their creation of Wanumetonomy was solely about bettering the Newport community.
"You hear these the phrase 'hidden gem' quite a bit, but we got folks that live on the Aquidneck Island that don't know where this course is," said Billy Maguire, Wanumetonomy's golf professional of five years. "It's kind of tucked away. You think about Newport Country Club. Everyone's been for a car ride on Ocean Drive, there's really no reason to be over here unless you're going to play Wanumetonomy."
BECAUSE OF TAILER’S BENEVOLENCE AND FORESIGHT, Raynor ended up designing Wanumetonomy.
"I don’t think everyone knows how good a golf course architect Seth Raynor was," said MacQuarrie. "If you look at lists of the Top 100 golf courses in the United States, Donald Ross will have the most and Seth Raynor will be second. But you can play a lot of Ross courses. As far as I know, there's only two Raynor courses that you can get on without knowing a member, so he just doesn't have the cachet. He also never wrote books about his designs. I think the members know it's a Seth Raynor course, but I'm not sure everybody knows what that really means."
Raynor designed three golf courses before he ever swung a golf club, rare among the top designers. For example, Charles Blair Macdonald, who was Raynor’s boss, won the first U.S. Amateur in 1895 at Newport. Donald Ross finished in the Top 5 at a U.S. Open.
"If you start to look at history, you’ll see there are a lot of Donald Ross courses in the area," said Shaun Marcellus, Wanumetonomy's golf course superintendent since 2018. "There just aren’t that many Raynor courses here. Architecturally, it is a great experience and it’s different. I think we have the shortest, hardest and funnest golf course that I have ever been a part of. Having a course that can be set up and played in several different ways is more important in my opinion. I don’t hear of a lot of people coming out here and firing 67 and 68 without having a lot of experience on the course. It tests all parts of your game even though it is 6,300 yards from the back tees."
Raynor’s only recorded visit to the property came June 26-27, 1922. Wanumetonomy opened the first nine holes on July 4, 1923, and another nine holes on July 4, 1925.
But one of Macdonald and Raynor’s calling cards was these “template holes” that Macdonald saw in Great Britain and identified as necessary in developing a great golf course. Some of the names of these holes include, Eden (No. 12), Maiden (No. 15) and Redan (No. 17), which are all on display at Wanumetonomy but fewer than any other Raynor design.
"One of the theories for few template holes was he was only here once," said MacQuarrie. "The guy who supervised construction at Wanumetonomy had done the construction for Raynor at Ocean Links and had done a couple of his courses in South Carolina, so he knew what was going on.
"I suspect the founders said, 'Don't make it too hard.' And that's how we ended up with fewer template holes."
And while he didn’t spend a ton of time on property, Raynor's slippery greens have frustrated even the best golfers in the world. Including 15-time Major champion Tiger Woods.
The Centennial U.S. Amateur was held at Newport Country Club in 1995 and Wanumetonomy was selected as the second course for the stroke-play qualifier.
"Woods won the second of his three U.S. Amateurs here," said MacQuarrie, 75, of Bristol. "A few years after that, he was playing with P.H. Horgan, III at Doral. P.H. is a Newport guy. They were standing on a par three waiting for the green to clear and Horgan says to him, 'Tiger what are your biggest memories of the 1995 U.S. Amateur at Newport,?' Tiger says, ‘My strongest memories are of Wanumetonomy and those scary greens.'"
Now that’s high praise.
"Once you are out on the golf course it doesn’t matter if you have $1,000,000 or $10. It’s like, 'Can you make the putt?'" -Club President Jane Lippincott
JUST LIKE TAILER AND THE FOUNDERS OF WANUMETONOMY, the sense of community is what has kept the club and its 625 total members going strong for 100 years. Always wanting better for the next generation and investing in their crown jewel.
"It’s the culture of people here and the friendships that make this place special," said Dennis Sonnenburg, Wanumetonomy's first general manager in his sixth year. "It's a unique demographic here as far as the history of generation after generation of families, as well as new people coming in here and enjoying what we have. We are just trying to make ourselves better all the time."
Wanumetonomy members and club officials are always looking at ways to enhance the experience at the club. Their new outdoor patio has been a welcomed addition.
"The new patio area was a COVID-19 byproduct," said MacQuarrie. "When the clubhouse was closed, a lot of people sat out there and said, ‘why aren't we sitting out here more?'"
The project, which cost approximately $200,000 and took three-and-a-half months to complete, gives members exquisite views of Raynor’s masterpiece.
"I think this 100th anniversary is going to give us some perspective of expanding our area outside instead of just coming into the clubhouse," said Sonnenburg, 57, of New Bedford, Mass. "Now you get the views of our 10th tee, the rest of the golf course and the Narragansett Bay in the background. That’s tough to beat."
Members of Wanumetonomy take tremendous pride in the day-to-day operations of the club. They are invested in the club's future emotionally and financially.
"In order to apply to become a member here you must have a share of stock in the club," said Jane Lippincott, Wanumetonomy’s club president. "I think owning a share of stock gives people a sense of ownership and pride."
New members, generational members and influential members. Being a member at Wanumetonomy doesn’t come down to the almighty dollar. Club officials believe it is one of the more affordable private clubs in Rhode Island.
"I think the membership is so diverse right now," said Lippincott, in her 17th year as a member. "All types of generations and everyone blends so well. Once you are out on the golf course it doesn’t matter if you have a $1,000,000 or $10. It’s like, 'Can you make the putt?'"
The kindness that Tailer and the eight founders displayed in the community still runs through the veins of members at Wanumetonomy.
Marcellus saw it first-hand once he moved here after having stops at Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania and Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.
"The members have given me a tremendous amount of support," said Marcellus, 38, of Portsmouth. "I hear please and thank you more at Wanumetonomy than I have at any other of the private clubs I have been before. They are sincere and generous in everything they do. I’ve built relationships with members outside of the golf course.
"When I bought a house here in 2019 and my wife was pregnant, my greens chairman brought 15 members to my house to help me move in. I have no ties to Rhode Island whatsoever. My family is in New York and my wife’s family is in Pennsylvania. Gestures like that mean a big deal to me and my family, and it just shows what the people at Wanumetonomy are all about."
DON’T LET THE PATIO AND THE COUNTRY CLUB NAME FOOL YOU, WANUMETONOMY IS ALL ABOUT GOLF.
"I believe that’s what is appealing to a lot of people," said Lippincott, 63, of Jamestown. "People always ask us why we don’t have pickleball, tennis and other country club amenities. The answer is simple. We are a golf course. I think sticking to who we are is important. That’s what we want to be."
After undergoing a renovation in 1999 by golf course architect Ron Pritchard, the club has laid the foundation for its next club investment. Another restoration with the help of Tyler Rae, who worked with Pritchard for eight years before branching out on his own.
Both master plans were included in Wanumetonomy’s club bylaws at the time of creation.
"Something that's quite unusual about Wanumetonomy is that master plan is referenced in the club's bylaws," said MacQuarrie, in his 11th year as a member. "It's voted on by all the stockholders and once it goes in the bylaws, you can't change anything on the course that's not in that plan. This is the way we do it and I don't know any other club that does it that way."
Rae has developed this plan and already started some work. He completely reshaped the 10th tee, which offers a new look and challenge to one of the hardest holes at Wanumetonomy.
"I think Tyler Rae did a great job shaping a couple of our new tees," said Marcellus. "That showed the members what we can do here with his help. Taking out some trees, leveling some tee boxes and getting ready for a possible full-bunker restoration are some things were are excited about."
THE RHODE ISLAND AMATEUR IS THE CROWN JEWEL OF RHODE ISLAND AMATEUR GOLF.
To celebrate the centennial of Wanumetonomy, the club will host the 117th Rhode Island Amateur Championship.
The club has a significant history within the event's annuls. The club has hosted the event twice in 1993 and 2012 and has a total of seven Amateur titles from members.
"I believe this club has been extremely supportive of Rhode Island golf," said Maguire, 37, of Middletown. “I think being the centennial season you want to have an event that celebrates that. There’s a love for golf here. We hosted the Women’s Amateur last year, and we are hosting the men this year. It just made sense."
Joe Pezzullo was the first Wanumetonomy member to win the #RIAmateur in 1929.
John P. Burke when on a historic tear winning four in five years (1934-36, 38) and when he missed his tee time in 1937, the eventual winner was a Wanumetonomy member, C.H. "Skinny" Edward. Then PGA TOUR winner Billy Andrade, who learned how to play golf at Wanumetonomy with his father and grandparents, won in 1983.
Burke’s legacy in Rhode Island goes beyond his remarkable skill on the links.
He served in World War II as an intelligence officer. But was killed when one of his tentmates accidentally discharged a weapon sending a bullet through his stomach. He died the next morning.
MacQuarrie writes that condolences poured in after the loss of the Rhode Island golf giant.
"Sgt. Frank Strafaci wrote, 'Johnny Burke was the only amateur golfer I feared. His recovery from a deep trap beside the 18th green at Winged Foot was the first and only golf shot that ever took the heart out of me.'"
John Strege in "When War Played Through" wrote: "War was indiscriminate and could not have considered that Burke was among the good ones, that he was kindly, soft spoken, likeable. No one will know if golf history was indelibly altered on that fateful day in North Africa."
The RIGA created the John P. Burke Memorial Fund in 1946 in his honor and has awarded more than $3,000,000 in scholarships to Burke Scholars.
"We have some members who could afford to buy the club. And we have some who can just afford their dues." - Wanumetonomy Centennial Author Steve MacQuarrie
IN THE UNITED STATES THERE ARE ONLY SIX GOLF COURSES WITH A VIEW OF THE WATER from each of its 18 holes. Wanumetonomy is one of them.
The other five? Warwick Country Club, Fishers Island Club, Hyannisport Club, Trump National Los Angeles and Chambers Bay.
"That view if you drive down the road and stop at the 11th tee, I can't think of a better view from any golf hole in the world," said MacQuarrie. "If you look way out in the bay from the 16th tee you see Hope Island which was named by Roger Williams who founded Rhode Island. Right next to it is a little rock that they call Despair Island. At Wanumetonomy, hope is much greater than despair."
The club has a full docket of centennial events this year including a release of MacQuarrie’s book on June 27, a centennial member tournament on July 8 and a Seth Raynor Society outing on Sept. 27.
It will have its big centennial bash on Aug. 13.
"It's amazing when you think about 100 years," said Maguire. "It is such a long time and then you talk to a member who's been here for 50 years, and they don't seem terribly old. It puts things in perspective."
At Wanumetonomy, it has never been about the money. It has been about camaraderie, character and cherishing their past.
Its founders welcomed anyone who wanted to join, regardless of where they came from or what they had.
"We have some members who could afford to buy the club,” said MacQuarrie. "And we have some who can just afford their dues. That’s what makes the club so unique."
But as the club comes to appreciate its first 100 years, it will continue to push itself to be the best. But unfortunately, the word is out. And that’s not going to change.
"I believe our course is just as good as some of the best courses in the state," said Lippincott. "We may not have the fanciest clubhouse, but we have a fantastic golf course, and I would put it up against anyone else's."
Now that’s an attitude T.S. Tailer would get behind.
Credits:
Dalton Balthaser, Rhode Island Golf Association, "One Hundred Years on a Windy Hill, The History of Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club," Steve MacQuarrie