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Community Corner

How The "Shenny," A Summer Destination, Got Started

Shennecossett Golf Course on Eastern Point has been a source of entertainment for more than 110 years, thanks to two innovative Groton residents

As a summertime activity goes, it doesn’t get any better than coastal golf with views like they have at . Golf became a popular pastime here in the 1800s and courses popped up all over the East Coast from Virgina to Connecticut. 

Shennecossett Golf Course, or historically "Golf Links," is one of the oldest courses in the Northeast, dating back to 1898.  Thomas W. Avery, an Eastern Point farmer with a hand in construction, real estate and apparently golfing, initiated the four-hole course on land inherited by his father.

Prior to the course development, the raw property was laden with “New England potatoes” commonly called boulders - some the size of a small car.  Avery undertook the arduous task of employing work horses to remove the boulders and leveled the surface in preparation for the course. 

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In America, golfing at the time was considered an affair for socialites and the affluent.  Dressing in formal gear from head to toe was only part of the expense, making this sport a costly one.  Although Avery had accrued a sizeable estate, his roots were in farming.  The creation of the course showed his entrepreneurial capacity.   

As an active member of the Eastern Point Fire Co. and a long time deacon of the Groton Congregational Church, Avery, a man with deep family roots locally and interest in local developments, passed the torch to millionaire Morton Plant, who also took a vast interest in Groton’s progress.

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By 1914 Plant took control of the course, following his purchase of the Fort Griswold House, adjacent to the course. Morton A. Mencher and Milton O. Slosberg were subsequent owners before ultimate ownership by town of Groton in 1967 for the cost of $900,000.   

Expansions occurred over the years as Plant continued to aquire additional property.  What began as a modest course, turned into a lush 18-hole destination, eventually redesigned by Donald Ross for $350,000 in 1926. 

Ross, one of the most famous of the early golf course architects, was one of the first to establish the profession and put the course on the map. 

Todd Goodhue, current golf pro at Shennecossett, says, "He came over from Scotland and started his design firm – he was one of the best course architects the game has seen. He had design teams and would visit the site, sketch out his ideas and hand them over to his construction team.”

As a part of the Griswold Hotel property, Plant spared no expense.  In 1914, he opened a country club complete with robin’s egg blue wicker furniture.  Plant brought in electricity and lavish light fixtures in addition to the restaurant, bar, locker rooms and a pro-shop. 

Over the years, Shennecossett has hosted many tournaments and as a result, some well-known golfers.

Alex Smith, Scottish winner of the U.S. Open in both 1906 and 1909 worked at Shennecossett,  legitimizing the course with his professional influence.  Smith schooled Glenna Collett Vare, who went on to become the female Tiger Woods of her era.

According to Goodhue, “Arnold Palmer played the course often when he was at the Coast Guard Academy.  Noted as one of the most gracious players, he would sign hats and autograph after playing a round.”  

Back in the day, Walter Hagen played in traveling golf exhibitions.  During these exhibitions, it was first at Shennecossett where the wooden tee, called the ready-tee, was introduced.  

“We’re a very well-respected golf course. We’ve hosted here for the last 14 years,"  says Goodhue.  "After the last championship, executive director of the PGA, Tom Hantke, described Shennecosset as ‘arguably the most important historic golf property in Connecticut’."

Golf Magazine considers Shennecossett one of the most economical and best 50 courses in the country and because of Thomas W. Avery and Morton Plant, two men with a vision, we have some of the best seasonal entertainment right at our fingertips.  

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