OUR STORY The Course lies along the east shore of Lake Whitney, a natural lake amid beautiful settings carefully preserved by the New Haven Water Company in its conservation and protection of the water supply for the city. The course itself is on two levels, the lower running north along Lake Whitney, and the upper bordering the west side of Hartford Turnpike and Ridge Road. The view is truly magnificent. It is any wonder that the pioneers of golf in New Haven in 1898 selected this terrain, with its upper and lower levels giving such abundant variety to the layout of the golf course. Harry Vardon, on his visit in 1900, saw the greatest possibilities and was enthusiastic in his praise of this location, with its natural beauty. And so have visitors who keep returning year after year. It is an ideal playground, where the game can be played without fatigue, and whatever one’s skill, with at least ample compensations from nature for one’s exertions. The course is perhaps loveliest in June, when the mountain laurel on the shores of the lake is in full bloom. But we cannot overlook the spring, when the apple and pear blossoms sweetly hold forth their promise of fruit – for the caddies at least; or the summer, with the cool Sound breezes and the infinite soft variations of the color green so characteristic of New England; or the bold scarlet and gold and the exhilarating winds of autumn. Some even say that the game is at its sportiest on the short winter fairways and the surprising winter greens in January and February, unless, indeed, a sharp snowfall has restricted activities to the skis and sleds. To have such a spot available, so nearly in the midst of a bustling city and yet so unspoiled by urban life, is a boon which we can really appreciate only when we have struggled for a little golf outside such a city as New York or Chicago. Excerpts from: NEW HAVEN COUNTRY CLUB, THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS, 1898-1948 © 2021 New Haven Country Club. All Right Reserved 160 Hartford Turnpike P.O. Box 6145 Hamden, CT 06517 (203) 248-4488