Taconic Golf Club is a semi-private

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

located in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

. The land that Taconic Golf Club is owned by

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

, but an independent Board of Directors oversees the daily operation. The course has repeatedly made

Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. It was started in April 1959 by Universal Publishing and Distributing, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018. It was the world' ...

's list of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play and

Golfweek ''Golfweek'' is a golf magazine and digital media outlet based in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Gannett's USA Today Network. History and profile The magazine was founded in 1975 by Charley Stine and was originally named ''Florida ...

's list of top collegiate campus courses, where it was most recently ranked 3rd in 2020. Golf Digest ranks Taconic as the 9th best course in the state of Massachusetts.

History

In 1896, William Howard Doughty, James M. Ide, and Edward C. Gale received permission from

to install three tomato cans on land adjoining what is now the 18th fairway of Taconic. In the same year, the course was expanded to seven holes; one of those holes, the present 17th, is the oldest at Taconic. In 1897, a longer nine-hole course was laid out. In 1927, Wayne Stiles of Stiles & Van Kleek, a Boston firm, was commissioned to design and construct an 18 hole course. Construction began in August 1927 and a par 73 layout was completed by Labor Day in 1928. The course was revised in 1955 to a 6,640 yard (gold tees) par 71 layout. In 2009, Gil Hanse completed a renovation of the course.

Course layout

Many of the greens are located on top of knolls or small hills. The property is approximately . In general, the course provides plenty of room off the tee, with the real challenge being ahead at the green. The greens are often fast, with significant slope from back to front, and it is usually preferable to remain short of the hole rather than beyond the flag stick.

Scorecard

Tournaments hosted

U.S. Junior Amateur

In 1956, Harlan Stevenson of California defeated Jack Rule, Jr. of Iowa 3 and 1. Rule beat 16-year-old

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

in the semifinals 1 up. Nicklaus made a hole-in-one on the 14th hole at Taconic during a practice round, where an engraved rock commemorates this accomplishment.

References

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External links

Taconic Golf Club Official Site
Buildings and structures in Berkshire County, Massachusetts College golf clubs and courses in the United States Golf clubs and courses in Massachusetts Sports in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Williams Ephs 1896 establishments in Massachusetts