Timeless Golf at Quogue Field Club by Benjamin Litman is posted under IMO

[Ran Morrissett]

http://golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/litman-benjamin-s-timeless-golf-at-quogue-field-club/
 
Why tune into GolfClubAtlas.com? There are many reasons but likely near the top is to learn about courses that you otherwise might not. Of course, finding great writing and photography (especially the former) on the world-wide web isn’t always easy. Yet, Benjamin Litman’s just posted In My Opinion piece about the Quogue Field Club scores off-the-chart marks on both counts. After perusing it, I emailed to inquire if he was an English major (no, history from Yale, law from Harvard for the record!). Take this caption from his piece: “Requiesate,” the name of the original closing hole at Quogue,  appears to be a misspelling of either the plural imperative or hortatory subjunctive of the Latin word “requiescere,” typically translated as “rest,” but also as “quiet down” and “end.” Though I attended UNC, I can still appreciate the presence of an intellect. 

Courtesy of Benjamin’s work, this nine holer on eastern Long Island near Southampton jumps off the ‘screen.’ Its merit is not because of topography (like Whitinsville), but because of the tactical and shrewd placement of human-scale hazards and greens. Quogue’s site is flat, as the club’s name implies, so it required man’s ingenuity to imbue playing interest.  Who deserves that credit? Benjamin sifts through varied accounts before concluding that Tom Bendelow is responsible for the bones of today’s nine. Not uncommonly, the club originated elsewhere before settling at the turn of the last century. The course expanded to eighteen holes in 1921 and subsequently English Architect Captain C.H.C. Tippett made many improvements across all eighteen holes. However, on September 21, 1938 one of the most destructive and powerful hurricanes in recorded history struck Long Island and southern New England and Quogue was relegated to nine holes and WWII kept it such. As a fascinating side note, Benjamin points out that the two defunct nines at Quogue were designed by the professionals at Shinnecock Hills (the original Wilson nine, designed in 1895 on different property and opened in 1896) and NGLA (the Hepburn second nine, designed in 1921 and opened in 1922 and destroyed by the hurricane). Only Bendelow's nine survives, but what a singular past and historians are guaranteed to love this piece!

Regarding today’s nine, there’s much to admire, for a start: a Punchbowl green, a Biarritz with a Redan slope, and Church Pew bunkers! Like 98% of my favorite designs, little earth was moved tee to green and the shaping took place at the green complexes where it matters most. As is true at The Sacred Nine, ½ par holes thrive.

Most recently, Ian Andrews has been working here to get the details right (coincidentally, Benjamin’s writing recalls Ian’s superlative treatise on Jasper Park posted on this site earlier this year). In part, Ian has removed trees from dictating play, with the additional benefits of having the wind play a greater role and firmer turf.

This intimate course and setting is the opposite of the large scale, visually spectacular courses like Chambers Bay and Gamble Sands that I witnessed on a trip last week. Quogue Field is a natural design where mere two and three feet elevation changes markedly impact the golf. Both styles have their merits - and that’s why we are so lucky to have golf as our chosen sport.

Benjamin’s impressive entry sees Quogue Field Club join my GCA North American wish-to-play list at #10. See if you don’t surmise a similarly high opinion! As Benjamin concludes, “Golfers fortunate enough to play it will encounter the game’s timeless essence: Hitting a ball across an open field, finding it, and repeating the process over and over again. The name ‘Quogue Field Club’ says it all.”
 
Best,

[Peter Pallotta]

Benjamin - well done, and thank you. Your words and pictures bring Quogue to life, which is all/the best that words and pictures can do. I did not know anything about QFC beforehand, and as you note it immediately brings Garden City to mind (another course with the simplicity of design and peaceful aesthetics that appeal to me very deeply);  I am glad that Ian A is engaged there, both for his sake and the club's.

Peter
P.S. yes, Phillips Finlay may have been soundly beaten by Bobby Jones in 1928, but that jacket he's wearing in that photo looks absolutely terrific! I'm telling you, call me superficial, but right now I'd rather have Finlay's jacket than Mr. Jones' golf game!

[Jeff_Mingay]

You're right, Ran .. this is great, and a great reason to tune into Golf Club Atlas.


Thanks Benjamin. Upon first glance, I'm mesmerized by Quogue Field Club and can't wait to delve into your writing on the place!

[Jon Cavalier]

I was lucky to be able to read an earlier draft of Benjamin's wonderful piece on Quogue. I'd never played or even heard of the course before, and his write up blew me away. I knew I had to see Quogue sooner rather than later, and having very recently had the chance to play there, I can tell you that Benjamin's IMO piece captures this amazing club perfectly.

I'll add more later, but for now, do yourself a favor and read his piece: http://golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/litman-benjamin-s-timeless-golf-at-quogue-field-club/ - you'll be glad you did.

And Benjamin - thanks for turning me on to this amazing little slice of golf history.

[jeffwarne]

Very nice work Benjamin

Alas, another of my secret hideaways discovered.


Play quite a bit of golf there as the pro is a good friend of mine.
As usual, I had no idea who the original architect was, despite the fact the name is on the scorecard! One that I have done "accounting" on many times.
Play quite a bit of Platform tennis there in the winter with the pro and Super.


Very fun course with good length variety between nines

[Thomas Dai]

Terrific read. Well done Benjamin.


Amongst a few pretty sensible things printed on the scorecard a couple stood out -


"For non-tournament play, after two minutes, treat ball in gorse as lost in hazard"
And
"Free relief from deer tracks in bunkers. Place ball at nearest point in bunker no nearer the hole"


Atb

[Gene Greco]

[size=78%]Alas, another of my secret hideaways discovered.[/size] [/size][size=78%] [/size]

Challenge and continual fun throughout with wind always a factor.
The type of course you'll want to play for the rest of your life.

[Benjamin Litman]

Before I get to the initial wave of responses, a very special thank you to Ran for his exceedingly kind introductory post and for publishing my piece in the first place:
 
Peter: Great to hear from you, and thank you, as always, for your kind words. I am glad you enjoyed the piece and seem to have already gleaned Quogue's simple essence. I always tell friends that, to me at least, it represents what golf should be. As for Mr. Finlay, his sartorial splendor was indeed as unimpeachable as his mammoth drives, though, personally, I fell for the socks more than the jacket. Check your personal-message inbox: I just sent along a few additional pictures of him that you might enjoy.
 
Jeff: Many thanks to you as well, and I very much look forward to hearing your thoughts once you've had a chance to read through the piece. On many levels, "mesmerizing" is an excellent word to describe QFC. (By the way, I love your website and the work it reflects. I'm hoping to get up to Canada soon, and I hope to be able to experience your work in person when I do.)
 
Jon: Thank you so much for the praise, which I greatly appreciate--especially coming from you. I am thrilled that my piece motivated you to find a way to play Quogue, and I hope others follow suit. It really is one of golf's special places, and we all should be lucky enough to experience it. I look forward to hearing your further thoughts as well.
 
Jeff: Many thanks to you, too, not only for your kind words, but also for your posts on GCA throughout the years touting Quogue's virtues. Sure, the cat is now out of the bag, but hopefully you agree that the upshot of letting others learn about--and, hopefully, experience--a true gem makes the revelation worth it.
 
Thomas: Thank you very much for reading my piece and for your complimentary feedback. Your observations about the scorecard, though admittedly unexpected (I almost deleted the picture of the front and back covers of the scorecard, after all!), are quite apt. "[P]retty sensible" describes much of what Quogue is about.
 
Gene: "The type of course you'll want to play for the rest of your life." Well said; I could not agree more.
 
In keeping with Gene's reflection, let me share a brilliant paragraph about Quogue that my friend sent to me earlier:
 
"To my way of thinking, Quogue Field Club possesses many of the antidotes to the so-called 'problems' facing the game today. A course with interesting shots of all lengths across a varied landscape that is subtle, requires knowing, and is moderately easy to maintain; a course accessible for all ages and abilities, while retaining great interest for more skilled golfers from any generation; a course that accommodates the demands of life spent with family rather than imposing unreasonable time constraints on the game. I could go on and on. It’s just a great place that’s fun to play - and then you get on with your life."
 
Thanks again to everyone for your feedback so far, and I look forward to more,
 
Benjamin
 

[Gary Sato]

I asked a close friend about Quogue Field Club.  He's been a member at one of the biggies in the Hamptons for 30 plus years.  He said he's never played it and heard very little about it?


Is the club completely under the radar in the Hamptons world?

[Benjamin Litman]

That doesn't surprise me at all, Gary. There is the simple fact that QFC, unlike almost every other course in the Hamptons, has only nine holes (one of its strengths, in my book, but an explanation for why it rarely gets mentioned alongside the biggies). But more fundamentally, as I note in greater detail at the outset of my piece, Quogue itself has long been "under the radar" in the Hamptons--and largely by design. It is known as the "Quiet Hampton," after all, and most people (even those in the New York City area) know nothing about the village, much less its golf course. The village is tiny (the population hovers around 1000, and that's accounting for the swell during the summer months) and has fewer than 10 commercial establishments, all of which are on a single street. In short, it is nothing like the other Hamptons--the village website proclaims that it "proudly stands apart from the 'Hamptons Scene'"--but that is precisely why people value it so much. Simplicity, on and off the golf course, defines Quogue.

I wrote my piece largely because Quogue is so unknown--in general as well as here on Golf Club Atlas (the majority of posts about it in the past have simply asked for more information)--and I felt it deserved far more attention than it's received. Ian's remarkable work in restoring it over the last few years has really allowed the course to shine again. I very much hope that you and your friends get to experience it one day.

[Dave McCollum]

Ben—

Thanks for the write-up. No small effort for the benefit of us all.  I can’t quite recall exactly, but I think your reflections on Yale inspired me to try and play a round there with you.  It won’t happen as I’ve grown too old and feeble to think much about taking my game to new courses and friends.  Why bother subjecting someone to my crappy game?  I envy you and the other young guys on this site who still have the passion to see new courses and expand your vision of what the game can be.  I lost that somewhere.  I settle for just playing at all with my crappy buddies.  Follow your passion and enjoy.  BTW, you’ve obviously discovered the “magic hour,” the hour after sunrise and before sunset as the perfect time to reveal the features a golf course.  You want to photograph golf, that’s a good place to start.  Keep it up, you are on the way to GCA immortality. 

A fan from afar.

[Ben Jarvis]

On a recent visit to the United States, I had the pleasure of sharing a few rounds of golf with Benjamin. Thankfully, one of these rounds was at Quogue Field Club. It truly is a "hidden gem".

Benjamin - congratulations on this wonderful piece.

[John Mayhugh]

Reading something like this is every bit as exciting to me as talk of a new course being built.  Benjamin put a lot of work into this profile, and Quogue Field Club seems worthy of the attention.  Gene's summary seems just right.

I did have a couple of questions:
Did the addition of the Church Pews precede Ian's work? 
Any talk of getting rid of the hedges around the first tee? 

thanks

[PCCraig]

Benjamin, thank you for putting this piece together....a fantastic job!


The golf course looks incredible and very fun.


Interestingly enough I see a few similarities in the design of my home course (course built in 1893) from the aerial you posted from the 30's....right down to the green encircled by a bunker.


Very cool stuff! Thanks!

[Ian Andrew]

Did the addition of the Church Pews precede Ian's work? 
Any talk of getting rid of the hedges around the first tee? 

The church pews were there before me.


The hedges are planned to go with the intention of the first tee will become very large extension of the back porch. Essentially part of the clubhouse ... almost ... so everyone will have to hush on a summer afternoon to let the player swing. 


Imagine the pressure and the fun ...

[Steve Lapper]

Ben,


  My humble apologies for not posting earlier a hearty congratulations for a wonderful write-up. As discussed in a careful stroll down the fairways, it is these nuggets that make GCA great......hell, it certainly isn't Ran's golf game!


   Although I'm hardly surprised by the noteworthy breadth and caliber of your post, it's great to know that such wonderful writing is added to an already outstanding archive!


   Cheers,


I remain a wee bit surprised, however, that such a good piece comes from an Eli!! That's okay though...Quakers are better known for their math skills

[John Mayhugh]

Did the addition of the Church Pews precede Ian's work? 
Any talk of getting rid of the hedges around the first tee? 

Yes it did.


The hedges will go and the first tee will become very large extension of the back porch.
Essentially part of the clubhouse ... almost ... so everyone will have to hush on a summer afternoon to let the player swing
Imagine the pressure and the fun ...

Thanks, Ian. That's just what the first tee should be.

[Benjamin Litman]

I can't thank you all enough for your feedback; it's been very heartwarming and greatly appreciated.

Dave: Thank you for your incredibly kind and touching note. "Why bother subjecting someone to my crappy game?" To the contrary, you sound like precisely the kind of person I would love to play a round with. I play golf for the people and the natural beauty, never for score. If you'd still be interested, I hope we can arrange something soon, at Yale or elsewhere. As for the "magic hour"--especially the pre-sunset version--it's not only the best time to photograph golf courses, but, even more, to play them. What I love so much about Quogue is that you can experience that hour everyday without intruding on other plans--work, family, whatever. (That's true of all nine-hole courses, I suppose, but Quogue's proximity to the ocean makes the hour seem especially magical.)

Ben: Wonderful to hear from you, and thank you for the kind words. I remember our rounds together fondly and share your gratitude that Quogue was among them. In case you didn't believe me before, I'm sure it's now apparent that Quogue is indeed unknown and hidden even here. So I'll double down on my bet that you are the only person in Australia to know about it, much less to have played its golf course! I hope all is well back home.

John: I really appreciate what you wrote; thank you for sharing your thoughts. I see that Ian already answered your questions--and am glad to hear that the hedges around the first tee will soon be gone--but I'll just add that my knowledge of the Church Pews is limited to what's in my piece--i.e., that, according to Google Earth imagery, they appear to have been added in the 2007-2008 timeframe. I also know they have generated some mild controversy, but for the reasons I state in my discussion of the 3rd hole--in particular, the conundrum they pose to the golfer when viewed in conjunction with the scar bunker that cuts into the opposite side of the fairway--I think they function quite well.

PCraig: Many thanks for your kind note. I am so glad you enjoyed and seem to have gotten out of my piece what I intended to convey. I would love to hear more about your home course, perhaps in a personal-message exchange. I can also send you additional historic aerials of Quogue if you're interested (although the one I used in my piece is the best). As I mention in my piece, Quogue's punchbowl 2nd green (the one encircled by a bunker) is, to my knowledge, one of the first of its kind in the country. Were you saying that your 1893 home course has one, too? (Unrelatedly--except vis-a-vis your name--one of the historic houses in Quogue was built by and for a man named Pen Craig. Today the village has a street named after him. I assume no relation, but a fun coincidence nonetheless.)

Ian: Many thanks for chiming in, and, of course, for all the thought and care you've put into your remarkable work at Quogue. As I hope you can tell, I'm a huge fan of what you've done. Like John, I am glad to hear about the imminent improvements to the first tee. Especially with the new balcony atop the clubhouse immediately behind the tee, the opening shot will indeed be every bit as nerve-racking as the final approach shot--if not more.

Steve: No need whatsoever to apologize--you just did what you apologized for! So thank you; I greatly appreciate hearing your feedback. It always means a lot. I'm very glad you enjoyed the piece. As for Elis and Quakers, I know you love your rankings, so take a look! While we're on the topic, this is as good a time as any to share an amazing historical tidbit about Quogue Field Club and Yale that didn't make its way into my piece due to lack of relevance: In the fall of 1915, five Yale athletes (baseball and football players) were suspended from intercollegiate competition for having accepted room and board without charge at the Field Club that summer, when they played baseball alongside the "Quogue Field Club nine." Apparently, as soon as the Elis discovered their mistake, they immediately started paying for their room and board going forward, but it was too late, and they voluntarily withdrew from future competition. Yale blamed "the carelessness of its officers and committees," not the players, whose violation the university deemed "inadvertent."

Many thanks again to everyone for the wonderful feedback,

Benjamin

[Jon Wiggett]

Wonderful read Ben. Thanks for posting the article which highlights how good 9 holers can be.

Jon

[MCirba]

Benjamin,

I finally had the opportunity this morning to read your comprehensive, illuminating article on Quogue Field Club. 

One of my firm convictions is that golf should be a very simple game that we've well over-complicated.   By its very definition, battling the vagaries of each individual site where nature combined with random uncertainty of the elements brings infinite variety of challenges and opportunities for adventure, exuberance and frustration, we careen somewhere between the sublime and profane on every round if only our architects allow our courses to permit such variance.

Quogue certainly seems such a place.   Thank you for taking the time to enlighten us about the joys you've found there.

[Benjamin Litman]

Jon: Thank you for the note. A friend who loves nine-holers even more than I recently sent me some fascinating data from the 1950s about how the percentage of nine-hole courses used to be quite high and has steadily declined with time (and the advent of the housing development, among other factors). I don't have it handy, but I'll try to dig it up and circulate it.


Mike: Thank you very much for the kind comments. Your take on golf's simplicity--which I also value above all else--is very well put. Thank you for sharing.


David: I really appreciate your feedback and am very glad you enjoyed the piece.


Have a wonderful weekend,


Benjamin

[Paul Gray]

Reading the excellent piece by Benjamin I was reminded of some words from Ran in relation to The Addington. How applicable here, I thought:

What do National Golf Links of America, Royal County Down and Royal Melbourne West have in common? How about Merion,Pacific Dunes and The Old Course at St. Andrews? Or Sand Hills, Pine Valley and Royal St. George’s? Oakmont, Friar’s Head and Riviera? They are all great golf courses, the designs of which share several similar tenets. However, beyond that, the courses couldn’t be more different from one another or from the group or for that matter from any other course in the world. This sense of uniqueness, of being one of a kind may indeed be thesingle key attribute that world class courses possess that very good courses do not.

[Bret Lawrence]

Thanks for putting this wonderful piece together Benjamin!  Great photos and lots of information regarding a course I knew very little about.  Thanks so much for sharing.


Bret

[Benjamin Litman]

Paul: Thank you very much for your note. I must admit that, despite my fondness for Quogue, even I had never thought of it in the lofty terms that Ran used to describe Addington. But I'm beyond flattered that my piece brought them to mind for you. And now that I read them, I agree that Quogue gives off a vibe different from any other course I've played, including other flat ones, and in that way possesses a "sense of uniqueness." Thank you for that additional perspective.


Bret: Many thanks to you, too, for the very kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece and learned something new.

[Paul Gray]

Benjamin,

Without wishing to burst yourbubble, I xconfess there was a bit of poetic licence at play there.

Nonetheless, Ran's words really did come to mind when looking at your review, more than anything because I think there really is something special about a course which defines itself on its own terms.