Tag Archives: historic golf courses

Marion Golf Club, a bicoastal brethren of royalty

Marion Golf Club

We only list a few 9 holers on the @bestgolfcourses guide, but thanks to our Twitter pal, @Bschneider126, we’ve added another, The Marion Golf Club. It’s known to the local residents as “Little Marion” likely given that it’s overshadowed by nearby Kittansett. The course sits just inland from Butler Point on Buzzards Bay about 1 1/2 hours due south of Boston.

The course is a step back in time so to speak, and was George Thomas’s (L.A. CC, Bel-Air, and Riviera) first course, designed in 1904. Its photo would likely be prominent in Websters for the definition of “quirky golf course.” There’s a unique combination of design features such as as the original rock and turf walls, à la North Berwick, which surround fairways and greens on most of the holes. There’s blind shots, driving chutes through the forest, 90 degree doglegs, lilliputian greens, and OB. Its along mostly generous fairways dotted with trees on the interior with an array of 10 sand traps in some unusual positions and shapes including a horseshoe. It’s eminently walkable and at times scenic with peeks of Sippican Harbor. It’s also reasonably inexpensive, maybe challenged a bit on conditioning, but an enjoyable, unique round at 2,695 yards, par of 34, 33.6/122, course/slope ratings.