Home News Tam O’Shanter Golf Club, New York – Scottish By Name & Long Island In Fame.

Tam O’Shanter Golf Club, New York – Scottish By Name & Long Island In Fame.

8 years ago by Bernie McGuire Comments Off

Each day we have been heading to the Barclays Championship we have driven past a wonderful-looking golf course named Tam O’Shanter Golf Club.

Of course, living in Scotland Tam O’Shanter is a Scottish legend that was turned into a narrative poem in 1791 by legendary poet Robert Burns.

In the original tale, after a long day at market Tam O’Shanter, and a farmer from Carrick stays drinking until near the witching hour (the hour between night and day). As he rides his mare home, his course takes him past the haunted Alloway Kirk (church). Through the brightly-lit church windows, he sees witches dancing and the Devil himself playing the bagpipes.

One young witch, dancing in a short undergarment, so impresses the farmer that he shouts, “Weel luppen, Maggy wei’ the short sark!” (sark meaning short undergarment) and then has to flee for his life as with witches and warlocks give chase. He makes for the bridge over the river Doon, knowing that the fiendish creatures cannot cross running water.

Robert Burns legendary Tam O’Shanter fleeing the Auld Kirk with ‘Cutty Sark’ close on his tale.

As Burns himself wrote, as a footnote to his poem: “I need not mention the universally known fact, that no diabolical power can pursue you beyond the middle of a running stream”. Despite the horse being a fast one, by the time he reaches the middle of the arch of the bridge, the “pursuing, vengeful hags” were so close at his heels, that one of them actually springs to seize him but only manages to grip the horses tail.

This, according to Burns in his letter to his friend Francis Grose, “immediately gave way to her infernal grip, as if blasted by a stroke of lightning”. The poor horse’s tail never regrew.

It’s why there is a handful of horsehair in the hand of the female figurehead on the bow of the famed British sailing ship Cutty Sark which was a nickname given to the witch Nannie Dee, a fictional character created by Burns in his Tam O’Shanter novel.

Tam O’Shanter Country Club, Brookville, Long Island.

Of course, Tam O’Shanter was the name given to a style of headdress worn by Scottish Regiments, particularly in the First and Second World Wars and known as the General Service bonnet.

There is many golf courses in the States named Tam O’Shanter but the club on Long Island would seem the youngest having been founded on July 4th, 1962.

However tragedy gripped the club nine years later when a fire completely destroyed the clubhouse.

The Tam O’Shanter Country Club clubhouse and view from the 1st tee.

But from such sadness a new contemporary clubhouse was built and from my observations during this week of the Barclays it looked superb standing like a sentinel as it overlooked the 18-hole course below.

Seventeen years ago in 1999 the club completed a major renovation of the course and facilities under the guidance of renowned architect, David Postlethwait. Postlethwait has designed other courses in the U.S including the following:- Cimarrone Golf Club in Jacksonville, Hedingham Golf Club – Semi-Private in Raleigh, Knight’s Play Golf Center – Public in Apex, Lakes Golf & Country Club, The – Private in Westerville, Raleigh Golf Association – Public in Raleigh, Red Bridge Golf and Country Club in Locust and Riverwood Golf Club – Deer Run/Riverview Course in Clayton.

A feature of his design work, and evident in my short visit to Tam O’Shanter, is strategically placed bunkers, mound and collection areas and gently rolling terrain with well-defined and generous-looking fairways.

Tam O’Shanter CC – view off the first tee. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

The club boast four tees – Championship (Black), Tournament (Gold), Member (Blue) and Forward (Red) – and measuring from the back tees – 6,887 yards, 6,384 yards, 6,047 yards and 5,297 off the Forward or ladies tees.

For the members and off the Blue tees the longest hole is the 526-yard par five 5th hole while the shortest is the 124-yard second. The hardest hole is the par four 8th hole measuring measuring 431-yards off the very tees and 380-yards off the Blue while the club’s No. 18 index hole is the par five 11th measuring 538-yards off the back tees and for the members, it’s a still a good test at 485-yards.

Tam O’Shanter plays to a par 72 off the three back tees and a par 71 for the ladies.

Tam O’Shanter CC – View of 9th hole. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Unfortunately, unless I was accompanied by a member I could not play the course but then I delighted in being afforded permission to inspect the clubhouse surrounds and take a few photographs of some of the holes in the vicinity of the clubhouse.

However for more information go to the club’s website – http://www.tamoshanterclub.com/