June 26
Shennecossett Golf Course
Groton, Conn.
This is an an inaugural event for the Connecticut Hickory Golf Association. Tee times will begin at 1 p.m. The fee is $40 per walking player, or $60 per riding player.
Please click here to register by Friday, June 11. Fees are due to the golf course on the day of the event.
The format is modified Stableford. Top scorers will be recognized in the Open division for both gross and net (all golfers), Senior division gross (golfers 60+), and Women’s division gross. The Open division will play to about 6,100 yards. The senior and women’s divisions will play to about 5,300 yards.
Tournament rules for equipment follow SoHG guidelines. If you have questions, please email us and we are happy to help you determine whether your clubs are eligible. A limited number of rental sets is available for a fee of $15, payable by cash or check to Jacob or Christian on the day of the event. Period attire is not required but is highly encouraged! For detailed equipment and clothing guidelines see the Society of Hickory Golfers’ Tournament Guidelines Page. While food is not included, the Par Four Restaurant at the course will be open and available to players on the day of the event.
For any questions, or for travel and accommodation recommendations, please contact Jacob Orcutt at jacob@cthickorygolf.org. For more information, visit our event webpage at cthickorygolf.org/tournaments.
Shennecossett Golf Course is among the oldest courses in Connecticut, with the original layout consisting of four holes constructed in 1898 near the Ocean House and Edgcomb House hotels on Groton’s eastern point. The course was expanded over the years to eventually become an 18-hole facility. Donald Ross completely redesigned the course in 1914, with further modifications in 1919. It is the state’s only public Donald Ross track, and today it has been only minimally modified from Ross’ original layout. Those modifications were the result of a 1997 land swap with Pfizer, which led to the redesign of five holes by Mark Mungeam. Mungeam’s work blends well with the rest of Ross’ 1919 design. Three of the newer holes overlook the Thames River, offering remarkable views of Long Island Sound and the occasional sighting of a submarine departing the New London Naval Base. The current superintendent, Eric Morrison, has helped return the course to its roots by improving drainage, reducing irrigation, restoring the course’s many bunkers, and replacing trees with areas of longer native grasses. The result is a course that runs firm and breezy – it should be an excellent test of hickory golf.
The tournament is named after two of Shennecossett’s golfing greats – Alex Smith and Glenna Collett Vare. Smith was the 1906 and 1910 U.S. Open champion and the golf professional at Shennecossett for many years. Collett (later Vare) was one of his pupils, and one of the greatest female golfers of all time. “The Female Bobby Jones” was a long hitter (one of her drives was measured at 307 yards) and a frequent champion, winning four U.S. Women’s Amateur championships between 1925 and 1930. She once won 16 consecutive tournaments, and she won seven times at Shennecossett’s Griswold Invitational.
The Connecticut Hickory Golf Association’s members are excited to honor the memory of these great golfers by bringing hickory golf back to Shennecossett. Please join us for this inaugural event.
Shinnecossett at dawn.
A green at Shinnecossett GC.
Shinnecossett panorama.