Golf at Rumford began as a nine-hole amenity in 1899, when Willie Campbell “laid the groundwork to the original nine-holes” for the new club. In 1914 the club engaged Donald J. Ross to remodel Campbell’s work and expand the course to a full 18, establishing the essential routing and green complexes that defined competitive play thereafter. The club’s history also records a 1926 return by Ross to “revamp his initial layout,” yielding what the club describes as the championship configuration members recognize today. These dates—1899 (Campbell), 1914 (Ross 18), 1926 (Ross return)—are all documented by the club.
Wannamoisett’s national profile crystallized early: the course hosted the 1931 PGA Championship (then match play), where Tom Creavy defeated Denny Shute in the final after ousting Gene Sarazen in the semifinal. This major-championship moment placed the Rumford layout on the national architectural map by the early 1930s.
In the modern era, the club instituted a long-running architectural stewardship. Ron Forse (with Jim Nagle) developed a master plan beginning in the late 1990s, emphasizing restoration of Ross bunker forms (including the idiosyncratic mounds flanking the 1st green) and addressing length within the constraints of the property. More recently, Andrew Green led a 2021–2022 renovation that restored green perimeters to Ross edges, re-worked bunkers for placement and presentation, modestly expanded fairways where appropriate, and added select tees. National trade coverage cited the work as one of the most notable renovations unveiled in 2022–2023.
Unique Design Characteristics
A compact Ross on ~100 acres with par-69 cadence. The routing leverages a small footprint—“no congestion” on “100 acres,” in Ross’s oft-quoted line—by stacking variety within short transitions. The rhythm is built around exacting par-4s rather than length, with only one par-5.
Gully carries and diagonal hazards on long par-4s. The 2nd and 9th are the clearest expressions of Ross using the site’s shallow ravines as tactical gates: both ask the tee shot (and often the approach) to negotiate a diagonal carry across a depression. Contemporary descriptions and photos repeatedly identify these forced-carry moments as defining tests early in each nine, with the 9th further defended by a pronounced false front beyond the pond.
False fronts and elevated targets on mid-length two-shotters. Holes such as 7 and 9 feature large front banks that reject timid or spinning approaches—an effect the club’s own hole guide warns about explicitly at 7 (“anything short…will roll down the slope 20 yards”). These fronts, paired with compact putting targets, keep wedge-in holes demanding.
Demanding one-shotters with positional variety. The sequence of par-3s—8, 12, 15—ranges from downhill mid-iron to elevated long-iron with strong back-to-front tilt, and the club highlights 15 in particular as a hole where staying below the hole is critical. The celebrated 3rd (short par-3) is a visual and strategic release valve early in the round, but its encircling sand and shed-away surfaces punish imprecision.
Bunkering with restored “knobby/gnarly” character. The Forse/Nagle work reintroduced the bolder, almost lumpy sand forms at key greens—an aesthetic and strategic push that sharpened edges around short grass. Green’s 2021–22 program then adjusted placements and refined shapes while tying bunker lines and mowing patterns back to Ross perimeters. Regional reporting and national round-ups credit these combined efforts with heightening hole-to-hole contrast without sacrificing pace of play on the compact site.
Clearest surviving Ross expressions. The opening stretch through 5 (with its mix of ridge carries and sloped greens), the 2nd/9th gully pair, and the 15th one-shotter (elevated, severe back-to-front) are the most unambiguous embodiments of Ross’s Rumford work visible today, particularly after Green’s expansion of green edges to original limits.
Historical Significance
Wannamoisett occupies a distinctive position in Ross’s New England portfolio as a high-density, par-69 tournament venue whose stature exceeds its yardage. Historically, the course bridged two lines of significance: first, as the 1931 PGA Championship host; second, as the permanent home of the Northeast Amateur since 1962, a championship that has produced a long list of elite winners (from Dustin Johnson to Nick Dunlap) and now sits inside the Elite Amateur Golf Series. The Northeast Amateur’s four-day stroke-play format on this specific routing has shaped how players and architects alike think about pace, firmness, and angles on a compact Ross site.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing and corridors. The 1914 Ross expansion (with 1926 adjustments) continues to govern hole sequence and relationships. The property’s small acreage remains an operational constraint but also preserves the short green-to-tee connections Ross intended. There is no evidence of wholesale rerouting in the modern era.
Greens and surrounds. The 2021–22 Andrew Green project restored green perimeters toward original Ross limits, which has reopened perimeter hole locations and re-energized front-edge defenses (notably the pronounced false fronts at 7 and 9). The putting surfaces are now managed to emphasize interior pitch—club materials stress the subtlety of these contours across all 18 greens.
Bunkers and fairway lines. Forse/Nagle’s earlier restoration re-established distinctive sand forms and, where practical, recovered historic hazards; Green’s subsequent work shifted or re-edged certain bunkers for strategic clarity and updated construction. Reporting also notes select fairway expansions, bringing diagonal lines and lay-up widths back into play on several holes.
Tournament set-up and conditioning. The club’s own hole guide captures the daily-play difficulty at 15 and the false fronts at 7/9, and Northeast Amateur materials emphasize fast surfaces and exacting angles as the championship’s identity. The course thus reads—after 2022—like a refreshed Ross: greens and fairways expanded to historic footprints, bunkers sharpened, and the playing narrative restored without stretching beyond the site’s carrying capacity.
Citations and Uncertainty
What is firmly documented. Club history pages anchor the 1899 (Campbell), 1914 (Ross 18), and 1926 (Ross return) dates; the 1931 PGA records are unambiguous; and multiple contemporary sources confirm the Andrew Green renovation in 2021–22, with national outlets citing green/bunker restoration and some fairway expansion.
Sources & Notes
Wannamoisett CC — Our History (official). Campbell’s 1899 nine; Ross’s 1914 expansion to 18; Ross’s 1926 return to revamp.
Wannamoisett CC — Golf/Course Overview (official). Ross quote on “100 acres,” present-day course character, and hole descriptions noting false fronts and specific tests (e.g., 7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18).
1931 PGA Championship (official records compendium / Wikipedia). Championship at Wannamoisett; dates; winner Tom Creavy (def. Denny Shute), with Gene Sarazen as medalist.
Northeast Amateur — official site. Tournament history (since 1962), event identity, and host confirmation.
Global Golf Post (Whitmer, 2024). Notes Forse’s late-1990s master plan at Wannamoisett restoring old bunkers and adding several where appropriate, within overall stewardship of the Ross layout.
GolfPass — “22 notable renovations to be unveiled in 2022” and local coverage (GolfNewsRI, 2021/2023). Andrew Green restoration scope and timeline (Sept 2021–May 2022): greens restored to Ross edges; bunkers revised; added tees; recognition among notable U.S. renovations.
GolfDigest course page (RI). Confirms 2021 Andrew Green update including green and fairway expansions and bunker work.
Top100GolfCourses (course profile). Secondary corroboration of Campbell 1899 and Ross 1914 narrative and acreage (~104 acres). Use with caution; defer to club/primary sources when conflicts arise.
GolfClubAtlas (course essay). Discussion of gully carries at 2 and 9 and of restored bunkers/mounds by Forse at the 1st green; useful for identifying specific architectural fingerprints in the field (secondary).