Wawashkamo Golf Club
Encyclopedia
The Wawashkamo Golf Club is a nine-hole links
golf course on Mackinac Island
in the U.S. state of Michigan
. The course was laid out by Alex Smith
in 1898, and is as of 2009 the oldest continuously played golf course in Michigan.
The golf course retains many of the features of a nineteenth-century golf links, including a relatively treeless layout, comparatively short holes, and very long rough. Smith, a native Scotsman from Carnoustie
, was familiar with the links courses of his boyhood home.
Wawashkamo was laid out on a farmer's field that had been the site of the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island
. Separate historical markers commemorate both the golf links and the battlefield. The name of the club and course comes from the Anishinaabe
word for the act of 'walking a crooked trail'.
Longtime club pro Frank Dufina
(1884-1972) is believed to have had the longest tie between a course and a professional in U.S. golfing history. It spanned 70 years, from 1898 to 1968.
Wawashkamo was honored as one of "America's Historic Golf Landmarks" by Golf Digest
in 1996. The course is contained within Mackinac Island State Park
.
Links (golf)
A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...
golf course on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
in the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The course was laid out by Alex Smith
Alex Smith (golfer)
Alex Smith was a member of a famous Scottish golfing family. His brother Willie won the U.S. Open in 1899, and Alex won it in both 1906 and 1910. Like many British professionals of his era he spent much of his adult life working as a club professional in the United States.In 1901 Smith lost to...
in 1898, and is as of 2009 the oldest continuously played golf course in Michigan.
The golf course retains many of the features of a nineteenth-century golf links, including a relatively treeless layout, comparatively short holes, and very long rough. Smith, a native Scotsman from Carnoustie
Carnoustie
Carnoustie is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast...
, was familiar with the links courses of his boyhood home.
Wawashkamo was laid out on a farmer's field that had been the site of the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island
Battle of Mackinac Island
The Battle of Mackinac Island was a British victory in the War of 1812. Before the war, Fort Mackinac had been an important American trading post in the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron...
. Separate historical markers commemorate both the golf links and the battlefield. The name of the club and course comes from the Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
word for the act of 'walking a crooked trail'.
Longtime club pro Frank Dufina
Frank Dufina
Frank Dufina was an early American golf professional. He began his career in 1898 at the just-opened Wawashkamo Golf Club on Mackinac Island, Michigan, where he became the club professional. He was a member of the Mackinac Band of Chippewa Indians and was the first Native American to play golf...
(1884-1972) is believed to have had the longest tie between a course and a professional in U.S. golfing history. It spanned 70 years, from 1898 to 1968.
Wawashkamo was honored as one of "America's Historic Golf Landmarks" by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
in 1996. The course is contained within Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park is a state park located on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. The island park encompasses 2.81 mi² , which is approximately 74% of the island's total area of 3.78 mi² . The park is also within the boundaries of the city of Mackinac Island and has permanent...
.