New Haven Country Club

Overview: The Lake Whitney course at New Haven Country Club is an 18-hole layout in Hamden, set beside Lake Whitney. The current directory lists Willie Park Jr. as architect, with par 71 and 6,612 yards. The course's traditional parkland character is strengthened by the lake, the surrounding elevation changes and Park's putting surfaces, which are known for their rolling and demanding contours. It is a layout where the correct approach position matters, because the greens can turn a seemingly safe shot into a difficult recovery with one poor angle.

History: The club was founded in 1898 after golfers sought a setting away from the crowded original New Haven course. Land was purchased beside Lake Whitney, and the clubhouse was begun in 1899. By 1920 the club decided the course would benefit from a redesign, selecting two-time Open Champion Willie Park Jr. to create the present configuration. Park personally supervised construction at only a limited number of his projects, making New Haven an unusually direct part of his architectural legacy.

Did You Know? A suspension footbridge once crossed Lake Whitney to connect the clubhouse with Whitney Avenue and the trolley line. The bridge shows how the club's early setting was tied to the transportation network of New Haven, not only to the lake and the golf course.