Visiting Winged Foot in Mamaroneck is like taking a step back in time. The historic course and Clubhouse, built in 1923 is meticulously manicured and the stone Clubhouse seems downright majestic as you pull up the Club drive. Winged Foot is located on Fenimore Road in Mamroneck which is an easy 45 minutes to an hour's drive north of New York City. The West Course is home to the 2006 U.S. Golf Open (for the fifth time in its history). This course has been played by a number of famous golf legends, including Billy Casper, Fuzzy Zoeller and Hale Irwin. This year's line-up of champion golfers is no exception to watching the best of the best.
I've had the privilege of attending the 1997 PGA as a corporate guest and recommend that this is way to attend golf at Winged Foot. Even though I'm not a golf fanatic, I was no less impressed by the impeccable conditions of the course, clubhouse and other facilities. Top shelf all the way. Just watching these golfers was a grand experience for me. And the gift bag filled with exquisite treats was simply an added bonus of watching a great day of golf. This year's event was no less thrilling as a gallery guest, and I was fortunate to have attended.
As a non-golfer, I have also been the dinner guest of club members in the dining room (which was actually built in 1968 as an extension to the original clubhouse). Did you know that George Washington's army used part of the grounds on which the Clubhouse is built as a campground for his men? Winged Foot has a fascinating history which you can read about on its website (www.wfgc.com).
Winged Foot has a strictly enforced dress code which its Board of Governors asks that all Members and persons with privileges adher to. "Jeans, tee shirts, sneakers, casual sandals, halter tops, sweat shirts, excessively
tight fitting slacks, cargo pants and shorts are NOT appropriate for the
Club. Cell phones are not to be used anywhere except inside of a car". People were dressed in their golf best when I visited here--a distinct change from the ultra casual dress of public courses.
A wonderful way to spend a summer's day.
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