Carter Country Club originated as a private development on the west slope above downtown Lebanon, initiated by local benefactors from the Carter family in the early 1920s. Contemporary and modern summaries agree that the nine-hole course was laid out by Donald Ross and opened for play in the 1923–1924 period. The club’s own site presents 1923 as the opening year, while local newspaper accounts recount an opening day in 1924 and place Augusta (sometimes styled “Augusta/Agnes”) Carter in the foreground of the project. Early references also record the original name “Farnum Hill Golf & Country Club,” later superseded by “Carter Country Club,” a renaming that better aligned the property with the Carter family’s philanthropy in Lebanon.
Ross’s precise sequence of planning and construction is not documented online through plan reproductions or correspondence. There is, however, circumstantial evidence of a 1923 plan drawn by the Ross office and of the course’s inclusion among Ross’s new work of that year in enthusiasts’ compilations that track the Tufts Archives holdings and early newspaper mentions. None of the sources accessible for this study indicate that Ross returned for a second phase or later remodeling, and the course is absent from the 1930 Ross office booklet that sometimes recorded follow-on work at clients’ properties. In the absence of club minutes, a course file, or a Ross field report, we cannot tie specific construction dates to individual holes. The most conservative reading is that Ross provided a nine-hole plan in 1923, with construction completed across late 1923 into 1924 and first play in 1924.
The club’s modern identity as a public-access facility is the product of later ownership changes and community use patterns, and recent civic reporting has focused on development pressures and preservation efforts rather than historical restoration. Those sources nonetheless corroborate the early-1920s origin and the Ross authorship that underpins the course’s local significance.
Unique Design Characteristics
Even with limited archival material, on-the-ground descriptions and the club’s own summary allow several course-specific observations.
Routing on a short-walk hillside site. The course climbs and descends a prominent rise immediately out of the clubhouse vicinity, yielding multiple blind or semi-blind moments. Modern hole-by-hole notes by visitors describe the opening hole as a short par four that asks for an uphill second to a green sited above the player—an arrangement Ross frequently used on compact, hilly sites. The fourth hole is described as a parallel or echo of the opener on similar ground, a common Ross routing tactic on small properties to maximize variety within close corridors while keeping green-to-tee walks tight.
Small, crowned targets. Accounts also identify the third hole as a par five finishing on a “turtleback” green. The club’s website characterizes its putting surfaces as “typical 1920s New England style” and “small,” which aligns with surviving Ross greens at many early-1920s projects. Without plan drawings we should not generalize this as a design motif across all nine greens, but the preserved scale and a specific crowned target on No. 3 constitute tangible features attributable to the original era.
Hazard placement and natural carries. Contemporary descriptions of the third hole also note a forced carry from the tee across reeds and native ground with woods tight right and specimen trees left—a corridor that frames a climbing fairway before the final approach to the crowned surface. Elsewhere, the small par-three second is cited as ringed with trees and guarded by a left bunker to a compact target. Two ponds, introduced at some point in the course’s life (their original installation date is not documented publicly), now influence strategy on selected holes; their presence adds to the short-game premium emphasized on the club’s own historical page.
Most intact Ross examples. In the absence of a bunker plan or green sketches, the best candidates for intact Ross design today are (1) the uphill par-four opener and its parallel counterpart at the fourth—likely preserving original green sites and corridor alignments—and (2) the par-five third, where the crowned “turtleback” target and the rising fairway produce a classic early-1920s approach question. Verification would require comparing current green perimeters to early aerials or plan dimensions; however, the scale and siting described by players strongly suggest original intent remains legible on these holes.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s large portfolio, Carter Country Club occupies a modest but distinctive niche. It stands as Ross’s only nine-hole course in New Hampshire that has survived under its original footprint and name, and it reached its centennial in 2023. That uniqueness matters in a state where Ross produced at least one major 18-hole commission (Manchester Country Club) but where early small-property nine-hole work is comparatively rare. The course’s community role has also been unusually prominent: local media portray Carter as an affordable, “unpretentious” venue woven into Lebanon’s civic life, a reputation traceable to the Carter family, whose philanthropy shaped several Upper Valley institutions. While Carter does not appear frequently in national rankings or critical surveys of Ross design, its centennial recognition and the attention drawn by threatened redevelopment have put a renewed spotlight on its heritage value.
Events of national professional caliber are not part of the course’s record; its significance lies instead in continuity—one of the few surviving, playable examples of a Ross nine routed on a compact hillside with minimal earthmoving, built for a small New England town rather than a resort or metropolis.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing and green scale. The available record suggests that Carter’s basic routing has remained intact since the 1920s. The club’s website highlights “short distances, small greens, blind shots,” all of which are consistent with a preserved early-era nine. The crowned green at No. 3 appears to survive in form, and the uphill par-four climbs and return corridors at Nos. 1 and 4 likely retain their original green sites; however, without measured drawings, this remains an inference.
Bunkering. Specific bunker counts and placements from the opening era are not published, and the present arrangement—e.g., a single left bunker at the second—cannot yet be audited against an original plan. The website’s phrase “well-placed bunkers” indicates active hazards, but their authenticity to Ross’s scheme awaits comparison with archival material.
Water, tree lines, and vegetation. Two ponds now influence play; their construction dates are not provided in public sources, and they may not be original Ross elements. Tree growth around the compact second and in the third’s corridor likely exceeded 1920s conditions and narrows sightlines that would originally have been more open. Any restoration would need to evaluate whether tree management could better reveal intended angles.
Renovations and alterations. No comprehensive architect-led restoration or renovation campaign—by a Forse, Nagle, Prichard, or similar Ross specialist—has been documented publicly at Carter. Instead, the course appears to have evolved through incremental maintenance decisions and small-scale alterations. In recent years, the most consequential “change” discussed publicly has been the threat of redevelopment: court rulings and development proposals since 2020 have contemplated replacing the golf course with mixed-use housing and retail. As of mid-2024, local columns noted that plans included building over parts of the active course (including the fourth green). Whether these proposals proceed will determine the ultimate integrity of Ross’s work at the site. The interest in listing the property on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places reflects local recognition that preserving an authentic Ross nine is culturally valuable.
Playing conditions and operations. Recent rate sheets and travel-advisor notes describe an accessible public course with modest green fees, four tee sets, and a simple operational setup. This “golf-first” posture likely helped keep the routing and green scales close to their origins, though it also means there has been no capital project aimed at restoring early-era bunker forms or reclaiming lost green edges.
Verification needs.
Sources & Notes
Carter Country Club (official website): “Home” and “The Course” pages with course description, yardage (~3,000 yards), par (36), references to 1923 opening and “only 9-hole Ross course in New Hampshire,” and a scorecard image. Also confirms four tee sets and character notes (small greens, blind shots, two ponds).
Valley News (Upper Valley, NH/VT), March 8, 2024: Column on future of Carter CC; states the Donald Ross design date as 1923 and discusses redevelopment plans contemplating construction over parts of the course.
Valley News, July 14, 2024: Column with community history; attributes hiring of Ross to Augusta Carter; recounts an opening day in 1924 and emphasizes the course’s role as an affordable community venue.
Links Magazine (feature on courses turning 100, 2023): Lists Carter Country Club as turning 100 in 2023 and notes its earlier name, “Farnum Hill Golf & Country Club,” corroborating an early-1920s origin and name change.
GolfClubAtlas discussion thread (“Reunderstanding Ross”): Research notes referencing a 1923 Ross plan and the course’s listing under its earlier name; also observes the course is not included in the 1930 Ross office booklet. (Secondary/tertiary source; use cautiously.)
Club + Resort Business (Aug. 6, 2020): News item on a court ruling affecting redevelopment; used to contextualize integrity/preservation pressures since 2020.
Alwaystimefor9.com field report (Mar. 17, 2022): Anecdotal, hole-specific observations (e.g., uphill second shot at No. 1; small, left-bunkered No. 2; crowned/turtleback green at No. 3; No. 4 echoing No. 1). While not a primary source, these contemporary descriptions align with the club’s own general characterizations and help identify present-day features. (Use as observational evidence only.)