The Shelter Harbor Golf Club, located on approximately 400 acres in Charlestown and Westerly, Rhode Island, was an outgrowth of a desire to protect and preserve the natural environment of this beautiful area. This is not only in keeping with the Founders’ intentions of land retirement and restricted use, but also clearly adds to the ambience of this high-quality, exclusive golfing experience as there is no residential real estate development. The effort began with the creation of the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation. The Foundation expanded its focus and allied with other similarly minded organizations to include the whole watershed around Quonochontaug and Winnapaug Ponds.
The Founders of Shelter Harbor Golf Club acquired the initial tract from the Narragansett Electric Company whose original intention had been to construct a nuclear power plant. Deregulation of the region’s power company and rapidly rising home values along the southwest coast of Rhode Island brought this land into focus for development. Rather than allow high-density development, the Founders purchased this and adjacent properties, granted a forever green conservation to the Foundation, and later transferred these properties to Shelter Harbor Golf Club. With the express desire of creating the highest quality golf course with minimal environmental impact, the Club, after a nationwide search turned to
Hurdzan / Fry Environmental Golf Design (Erin Hills, Erin, WI, Home of the 2017 U.S. Open, Devil’s Pulpit, Calendon, Ontario; Calusa Pines Golf Club, Naples, Florida; Hamilton Farm, Gladstone, New Jersey and others.) Their impression of the golf potential of the land was “one of the top sites that we have seen in 30 years.”
Founders
H. James A. Atwood
Finn M. W. Caspersen
Frederick C. Maynard, III
Robert C. McCormack
Stephen M. Peet
Charles M. Royce
Frederick B. Whittemore