Home Tee Time
Written By Chip A. Green
Photography by Nathan Coe
What, you might ask, is the most exclusive golf club on Nantucket? The answer is a club that is so exclusive few have ever heard of it and even fewer will ever get the chance to play on it. Whispering Pines Golf Club is the name of the course on Washing Pond Road, on the grounds of the home of Gene and Jane Goodwillie.
The course started out as an idea from famed designer Reese Jones, who designed Nantucket Golf Club. Jones, a good friend of Gene Goodwillie, suggested while he was on the island building the Nantucket Golf Club course that he build a course on their eight-acre property. With nine remote tees and a seven thousand square foot green, the Goodwillie’s have created a fully sanctioned 27-hole, par three golf course with holes ranging from 43 to 113 yards.
Although the club was designed as a casual feature of their home, it has expanded to include 175 members who pay dues and have the privilege of an annual club dinner and putting contest. According to Jane Goodwillie, “While we’re all out here to have fun, there are those who take it quite seriously.” Members include four golf pros. One member said that the club is so exclusive that even some of its members don’t know where it is.
Another of golf’s hidden gems on Nantucket is called The Ocean Course at Sun Up. Situated atop Sankaty Bluff, this spectacular home golf course provides hours of pleasure to its owners when they hit the links and offers one of the most breathtaking views on the island.
Referred to as “target golf,” the facility is a par-three course with eight tees and two greens. The holes range from 20 to 56 yards. To make the game more challenging, circles are placed on the greens and scores are calculated based on where shots land in relation to the targets.
