Brae Burn Country Club is a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

course located in

West Newton, Massachusetts West Newton is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Among the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages, the West Newton Village Center is a National Register Historic District. ...

. Designed by Donald Ross, Brae Burn has hosted seven USGA Championships, including the 1919 U.S. Open, and 1928 U.S. Amateur. Brae Burn is most noted for its diabolical greens, and classic layout.

History

Brae Burn Country Club is located in West Newton, at 326 Fuller Street. Henry B. Day, along with his brother Frank A. Day, were active in founding the club. Henry also served as the club president from 1921 to 1928. The original six-hole layout ran on both sides of Commonwealth Ave., using the founder’s home grounds and unoccupied land to lay out the course. The club was incorporated with a nine-hole course in 1897, used until 1903, when construction on a new eighteen-hole course was completed. It was on this layout that Brae Burn received much notoriety for its challenging layout, hosting the 1906 United States Women’s Amateur Champion, won by

Harriot Curtis Harriot Sumner Curtis (June 30, 1881 – October 25, 1974) was an American amateur golfer and an early participant in the sport of skiing. From the Manchester, Massachusetts area, she was one of ten children. Her father was a colonel in the Unio ...

, condoner of the

Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and ...

. In 1912, Scotsman Donald Ross underwent his first redesign of the original eighteen-hole layout. Following the success of his restoration came Brae Burn’s second

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

Championship, the 1919 United States Men’s Open Championship. The event was won by the formidable Sir

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tig ...

. 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. 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

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.

References

*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

* {{U.S. Open golf venues 1897 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Newton, Massachusetts Curtis Cup venues Golf clubs and courses in Massachusetts Golf clubs and courses designed by Donald Ross Sports venues in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sports venues completed in 1897