Kingswood’s earliest documentary footprint is local: the club presents itself as a 1915 foundation with an original nine holes by Donald Ross “in the early 1900s.” That phrasing, common across the club’s public-facing pages, has not yet been corroborated by publicly available plans, construction contracts, or dated correspondence. Nevertheless, “since 1915” appears consistently in club materials and regional summaries, and this entry treats 1915 as the opening of the initial nine, pending verification.
Multiple third-party directories record 1926 as Kingswood’s year built or opening year. In the absence of digitized board minutes or Tufts Archives drawings, the most conservative reading is that Kingswood operated initially as nine holes (1915) and was functioning as a full 18 by 1926. What remains unverified in public sources is whether Ross personally planned the additional nine or returned to Wolfeboro after the first phase. No contemporary newspaper clips or Ross office records were accessible for this study to settle that point.
The best-documented intervention after the initial era was a late-20th-century program by Ault, Clark & Associates. The firm’s own project list shows “Kingswood Golf Club, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire – Tom E. Clark, 1991 – Master Plan & Renovation (18 holes).” Other directories specify that six holes were redesigned in 1990, consistent with a phased effort that culminated in the 1991 plan. These entries come from the architect’s project list and public tee-sheet aggregators rather than primary club records; they should be read as reliable but still secondary.
Unique Design Characteristics
Because Kingswood’s original Ross drawings and construction notes were not accessible, attributing individual holes unambiguously to the 1915 phase is not currently possible from public sources. The present course occupies modest, tilting terrain with fairways that frequently play across rather than along slope—an older New England pattern observable on site—and interior hydrology that now shapes decisions on a majority of holes. One widely reproduced description notes five ponds and three creeks influencing thirteen holes; those features almost certainly reflect late-20th-century renovation and drainage work rather than a 1915 hazard scheme. Without the Ross plan set or early aerials, it would be speculative to tie specific diagonal bunkers, false fronts, or perched greens to the 1915 build; therefore this entry avoids doing so.
The current card shows a compact pair of par fives on each nine and several short two-shot holes that keep total yardage in the mid-6,300s. From the back set, published scorecards list a par-72 course in the 6,366–6,426-yard range, with five tee options. That scale and rhythm are consistent with an early-20th-century core later integrated with 1990–91 modifications. A definitive, hole-by-hole genealogy (which nine is “Ross” in today’s numbering; which greens preserve original fill pads or plateaus) will require primary documentation.
Historical Significance
Kingswood’s value within Ross’s New Hampshire portfolio appears to lie in its role as a Lakes Region community course with Ross attribution rather than as a host of marquee championships. Contemporary ranking sites emphasize other New Hampshire venues, and no major state or regional championships at Kingswood surfaced in the accessible record for this study. That the club claims a 1915 foundation date situates the original nine among the earlier organized golf facilities in the region, offering a local counterpoint to Ross’s contemporaneous work at more prominent New Hampshire addresses.
Current Condition / Integrity
On present evidence, routing integrity is mixed: the course reads as a coherent 18 but bears documented late-20th-century alterations. Ault, Clark & Associates’ 1991 master plan and renovation (and the reported 1990 redesign of six holes) indicate meaningful changes to strategy and perhaps to the number and placement of water features and bunkers. Public descriptions that “sand bunkers are on every hole” and that ponds/creeks affect thirteen holes describe a hazard density uncommon for 1915 and suggest that many hazards are products of later work. Without early aerials (e.g., 1938 USDA) or the Ross plan, it is not possible to specify which green surfaces or pad shapes are original; the club’s public site does not publish a hole-by-hole architectural history. Consequently, while Ross authorship of the original nine is well-attested in secondary sources and by club tradition, the extent of surviving Ross features—by hole number and feature type—remains undetermined in the public record.
From a golfer’s standpoint, Kingswood today presents as a mid-length par-72 with five tee sets, modern maintenance standards, and a practice complex sufficient for member play and public traffic. The club emphasizes semi-private access, a practice area (range plus two putting greens and a member-only practice hole), and food-and-beverage service; these contemporary amenities do not bear on Ross authenticity but define the current experience.
Sources & Notes
Kingswood Golf Club – main site and course information (semi-private status; facilities; “since 1915”; “original nine by Donald Ross”).
Ault, Clark & Associates – firm project list (Kingswood Golf Club, Wolfeboro, NH; Tom E. Clark; 1991; Master Plan & Renovation – 18 holes).
Tufts Archives (Donald Ross Society/Pinehurst) – repository reference noted for locating primary Ross drawings (no Kingswood materials accessible online for this study).