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Brae Burn Country Club

Coordinates: 42°20′18.67″N 71°14′2.50″W / 42.3385194°N 71.2340278°W / 42.3385194; -71.2340278
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Brae Burn Country Club
Brae Burn County Club
Club information
Location321 Fuller Street, West Newton, Massachusetts
Established1897
TypePrivate
Total holes27
Websitewww.braeburngolf.com
Designed byDonald Ross
Par72
Length6,631 (championship tees)
Course rating73.3
Course record64 – Nick Maccario[1]

Brae Burn Country Club is a golf course located in Newton, Massachusetts.

History[edit]

The Brae Burn course was built in 1897. Early in the year the Boston Evening Transcript announced, "Grounds have already been secured and work on the course is under way." There were supposed to be around 80 original members. The club's first president was Mr. George Phelps.[2] Brae Burn Golf Club opened on May 29, 1897.[3] The course is referred to as Brae Burn in honor of golf's Scottish heritage. There are many meadows and brooks on the course and in the Scots language "brae" means a bank against a valley and "burn" refers to a stream.[3] In March 1898, the club was "elected to allied membership" to the United States Golf Association (USGA).[4] The following year, the first clubhouse was constructed.[3]

In 1901, it was suggested in the The Boston Post that Brae Burn and Woodland Golf Club could merge their nine-hole courses into one 18-hole course. There were several nine-hole courses in Newton but no full-length courses.[5] In 1903, this almost became a reality. In March, the USGA reported that the courses intended to combine "with a subsidiary nine-hole course for beginners" too. However, at the last minute, Brae Burn rejected this idea.[6] At the annual meeting, held in December, the committee voted to extend the course to 18 holes.[7] The course had 135 acres to work with which helped facilitate this expansion.[7] The course would be 6,007 yards.[7] The committee also announced that they intended to expand the venue from a golf club to a country club. The members intended to add winter sports like skating and tobogan.[7][8] Also, tennis and archery were possible additions.[8] A new clubhouse was intended to be completed in the spring of 1904.[7] The clubhouse would have several floors and a restaurant.[7] In March 1904, the club voted to change its name from Brae Burn Golf Club to Brae Burn Country Club.[8] They also voted to limit membership to 300 members;[8] however, this was an expansion from the original 100 members list.[7]

Shortly thereafter, Brae Burn started hosting significant tournaments. In 1905, Brae Burn hosted the Massachusetts Women's Amateur for the first time.[9] The following year, the club hosted the Massachusetts Amateur.[10] Later, in the fall of 1906, the club hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur. It was won by Harriot Curtis.[11] In 1908, the course hosted the Women's Mass Am for the second time.[12]

The club also receiving media attention for other activities at the club. During the era, the club started hosting ice skating festivals.[13] In 1909, Brae Burn started The Boston Hockey League in conjunction with Winchester Country Club.[14][15] Curling and skiing were also popular sports.[16]

In 1912, the famed golf course architect Donald Ross re-designed the course.[17] In the summer the course hosted the Massachusetts Amateur. Francis Ouimet was considered the "favorite" to win.[18] In the semifinals, Ouimet played "remarkable" golf to defeat Brae Burn club member Ray Gorton easily.[19] However, in the finals Heinrich Schmitt defeated him 1 up.[20] Two years later, Brae Burn hosted the event again. Ouimet won this time.[17] In 1916, Brae Burn hosted the Massachusetts Open again, now a PGA Tour-level event.[21] Boston's Mike Brady defeated Ireland's Pat Doyle in a playoff.[22]

Following the success of his restoration came Brae Burn’s second United States Golf Association Championship, the 1919 United States Men’s Open Championship. The event was won by the formidable Sir Walter Hagen. In 1928 Donald Ross made a return visit to Brae Burn to revamp the course for the club’s hosting of the 1928 United States Men’s Amateur Championship. A modification of the eighteenth hole included a back tee, subsequently coined the “Jones Tee”, for eventual champion Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones Jr.[citation needed]

Later history[edit]

Since 1928, the course has remained the same, only a few alterations to tee boxes and greens have been done. Brae Burn continued to host national championships, including the Curtis Cup in 1958 and 1970, and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1975. In Brae Burn’s centennial year, 1997, the U.S. Women’s Amateur returned, in which Italy’s first amateur champion, Silvia Cavalieri, defeated Robin Burke of the United States, 5&4. Today Brae Burn is a member of both the USGA and the Massachusetts Golf Association, and actively participates as a host club for various MGA events. In 2024, Brae Burn will host the US Woman’s Mid-Amateur, from September 7-12.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nick Maccario shoots course record, leads at 2019 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur". Mass Golf. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  2. ^ "May 01, 1897, page 6 - Boston Evening Transcript at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Our History - Brae Burn Country Club MA". www.braeburngolf.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Mar 31, 1898, page 4 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Dec 01, 1901, page 7 - Boston Post at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  6. ^ "10 Things To Know: Brae Burn Country Club". MASSGOLF. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Dec 27, 1903, page 35 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Mar 13, 1904, page 41 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Jun 10, 1905, page 8 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Jun 08, 1906, page 14 - Boston Evening Transcript at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Oct 14, 1906, page 12 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  12. ^ "May 28, 1908, page 4 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Jan 19, 1908, page 10 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Jan 21, 1909, page 4 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Jan 12, 1911, page 7 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  16. ^ "10 Things To Know: Brae Burn Country Club". MASSGOLF. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Our History - Brae Burn Country Club MA". www.braeburngolf.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Jun 08, 1912, page 6 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Jun 15, 1912, page 5 - Boston Evening Transcript at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Jun 16, 1912, page 13 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Jul 09, 1916, page 55 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Wins Massachusetts Open". The Indianapolis News - via newspapers.com. 11 July 1916. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  • Brae Burn Country Club. (1997). Brae Burn Country Club, 1897–1997, Centenary, One Hundred Years of Golf and Family Life. Walsworth Publishing Company.

External links[edit]

42°20′18.67″N 71°14′2.50″W / 42.3385194°N 71.2340278°W / 42.3385194; -71.2340278

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