McQ’s Dome on Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook is a home for winter golf, try McQ’s for golf, betting horses and or the Sports Bar and make a day of it, for more information see McQsDome.com or call (630)-739-7600. While Mistwood Golf Club is closed for winter in the new clubhouse is McWethy’s Tavern and you need to try it. A full menu and great bar menu, try McWethy’s before all the golfers get there in April and getting a table gets a little tougher, call (815)-254-7001. Links and Tee’s has announced the date for their winter open house hosted by Steve Kashul of the Golf Scene, it’s Sat. Feb. 6th, so save the date. For more information on Links & Tee’s call (630)-233-7275. 880 West Lake St. ______________________________________________________________________

The Gog Blog Chicago’s #1 Online Golf News Source by Rory Spears, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy. At Shinnecock Hills GC in Southhampton Long Island NY.

It’s time for another chapter of our Fall Classics, or Great Golf on a cold day. Today it is a cold day, and my visit to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on fall day was one of the great rounds ever. It’s always fantastic to play the great courses, and Shinnecock Hills is sure one of them.

The links style golf club is rated one of the top 5 courses in the country by various publications, it will host it’s Fifth U.S. Open in 2018. the club hosted the second U.S Open in 1896, then it’s second one 90 years later in 1986. It then hosted U.S Opens in 1995 and in 2004. Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore did some minor tweaks to the course in preparation for the 2018 U.S. Open. Mostly adding or adjusting a few tee boxes.

The Par 5, 16th hole called Shinnecock, last great chance for birdie coming home.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is listed on the National Register of Historic Place as of September 29th, 2000.

It is the oldest formal golf club in the United States as of 1891, and claims to have the oldest clubhouse as of 1892. It was the first major formal course to admit women, and it did that from when it first opened.

Shinnecock Hills came into being because of the efforts of William K. Vanderbilt, Edward Meade, and Duncan Cryder. The three men traveled to France, where they met Willie Dunn from Scotland who was building a course in France. Upon return to the states, they scouted for a location for a club, and bought 80 acres in the sandhills of Long Island near the LI Railroad and Shinnecock Canal. The land was purchased for $2,500 and the original 44 members each paid $100 dollars to join.

The view from behind the 9th green at Shinnecock Golf Club.

Willie Davis from the Royal Montreal Club designed the first 12 holes that opened for play in late summer of 1891.

The Stanford White designed clubhouse then opened in 1892. In 1893 a 9-hole course for women only opened. Finally in 1894 Dunn arrived to complete the last six holes, and make the club an 18 hole course.

By 1896 Shinnecock was hosting it’s first U.S. Open and second open ever played, but the course was not long. The USGA has the open playing at under 5,000 yards. Most of the field broke 80 and that led to a demand to make the course longer and more difficult. In the field was a black golfer John Shippen, the first black player to play in the U.S Open. the club also hosted the U.S. Amateur in the same year won by H.J. Whigham.

The Par 3 17th hole, called Eden.

The demand for a tougher golf course, marked the end of the ladies course. The redesign took place in 1901 and was done by Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor who kept five of the holes designed by Dunn.

In 1937 William S. Flynn redesigned the course again, and made the course now 6,740 yards from the back tees. Flynn kept five of the holes done by Macdonald and Raynor and one more additional green. The course was lengthened again prior to the 2004 U.S. Open by adding new tee’s, it played at 6,996 yards.

Jonathon Jennings is the superintendent at Shinnecock Hills, after coming over from the Chicago Golf Club. Jennings is seen here working at Chambers Bay during U.S. Open week in 2015.

The club has hosted the Walker Cup in 1977, the cup was won by the United States over Great Britain and Ireland by a score of 16-8.

When the club was first built, members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation held build the course. The nation has laid claim to the land over the years and says the course is built on some ancient Indian burial grounds.

There have been legal issues over the multiple sales of the land and a 1,000 year lease that was signed between the tribe and the Village of South Hampton. It’s unclear how it will all be resolved. The club is surrounded by other top clubs like the National Golf Links, and the Sebonack Golf Club, with Southampton CC nearby as well.

There is more history about the club on it’s website Shinnecockhillsgolfclub.org.