Mount Washington Golf Course

Mount Washington was laid out by Donald Ross for the Mount Washington Hotel and opened for play in 1915. The surviving resort record and contemporary descriptions consistently attribute the original routing and construction to Ross. The course’s alpine valley setting and its relationship to the grand hotel were central to the commission: vistas to the building were planned into the playing sequence, a quality still emphasized at today’s par-3 5th and par-5 11th. Twentieth-century maintenance and incremental alterations—not unusual for a heavily used resort course—obscured portions of Ross’s work by the late 1900s. In the 2000s, the resort engaged Brian Silva to restore the course “to Donald Ross’s original plans,” a phrase repeatedly used by the resort and Historic Hotels of America in describing the project. The restored 18-hole course reopened on August 1, 2008. Contemporary press noted that Silva not only reinstated Ross’s green surrounds and bunker forms from historic drawings but also constructed several new or relocated holes to accommodate hotel-area development while preserving the Ross tenor of the routing. Documented evidence points to Silva’s most intensive rework occurring on holes 3 through 6, with the remainder of the layout—especially on the inward half—tracking more closely to Ross’s 1915 scheme. On the back nine, the uphill par-5 10th, the ravine-carrying long par-3 14th, and the postcard par-3 16th (with Mount Washington as backdrop) are regularly cited as strong survivors of Ross’s original hole concepts. Notes on documentation limits: The resort has public-facing statements that Silva relied on Ross’s “original plans,” but the underlying primary materials—plan sheets, construction notes, or correspondence—are not presently available for independent review here. Unique Design Characteristics Mount Washington presents the spatial rhythms and recoverability associated with Ross’s New England work, but expressed through this site’s broad valley floor and mountain views. After 2008, bunkers were rebuilt with crisp edges and varied depths that re-establish diagonal challenge lines from the tee and into greens. Closely mown chipping areas ring many targets, intentionally restoring the “infinite varieties of recovery shots” described by the resort; this change materially altered day-to-day play versus the pre-2008, rough-collared greens. Hole-specific character remains a defining asset. The par-3 5th’s elevated green pad fronts the hotel view and asks for precise distance control over bunkers that guard short and flanks—an aesthetic and strategic tableau traceable to Ross drawings cited for the restoration. The par-5 11th turns through open ground to another framed hotel vista, with fairway bunkering set on the line of charm so that a bold tee ball opens the second-shot angle. On the back nine, the 10th climbs steadily—typical of Ross’s willingness to pit players against grade when the natural corridor allowed—while the 14th’s 240-ish yard carry across a ravine to a perched target is a memorable, stern one-shotter that has long been considered original Ross in concept and placement. The 16th, a mid-to-long iron par-3 into a green set against the massif, shows the restored short-grass surrounds at their best, inviting ground or aerial recoveries. Greens throughout are restored to broader perimeters with internal contouring that promotes corner hole locations—particularly effective on par-4s like the 8th and 18th, where approach angles from the fairway’s preferred edge confer tangible benefits. While comprehensive green-by-green contour records are not publicly accessible, the resort’s description and post-2008 photography confirm the intent to re-establish Ross’s short-grass falloffs and multi-tier internal pitches. Further verification would require access to Silva’s as-built surveys or Ross plan sheets. Historical Significance Within Ross’s corpus, Mount Washington belongs to the important 1910s period when he was actively exporting his New England sensibilities to resort properties. The course’s 2008 restoration is notable as a high-profile example of using original plan documentation to guide both reinstatement and sensitive re-routing where hotel development had intervened. Its competitive résumé—hosting multiple New Hampshire Opens and the 2010 New England Open—underscores the layout’s continuing relevance once the restoration re-centered strategy and green speeds to contemporary standards. The course has also been a perennial entry in “Best You Can Play in New Hampshire” lists since the reopening. Current Condition / Integrity As it plays today, Mount Washington reflects a hybrid of intact Ross corridors and hole concepts, plus Silva’s Ross-informed re-siting on a handful of holes. The front-nine section from 3 through 6 is the most altered relative to 1915, reconstructed by Silva to accommodate hotel-area changes while maintaining Ross-style bunkering and green settings; the back nine retains several holes widely regarded as essentially Ross in concept (10, 14, 16). The overall routing continuity—clubhouse flow, valley cross-plays, and sequencing of one-shotters—reads strongly “Ross” post-restoration. Bunker counts and placements reference the historical drawings, and the return to expansive short grass around greens is a visible, play-altering restoration decision. Conditioning is that of a mountain resort course with cool-season turf. Published tee data list the back set at 7,004 yards, par 72, with a USGA course rating/slope around 73.7/124; the resort and third-party listings present consistent totals and per-tee breakdowns. The resort maintains full practice facilities and an active daily-fee schedule in season, with walking permitted. What remains unknown or contested: • The precise extent of any pre-2008 alterations beyond routine maintenance (e.g., mid-century bunker removals or green shrinkage) is not documented in readily accessible public sources. • Claims occasionally conflate work at Mount Washington with work at the on-property Mount Pleasant course (a different, older 9-hole layout that saw late-20th-century work by Cornish & Silva). Care is needed to ensure attributions refer to the correct course. A full accounting would require access to resort construction files, aerial photography runs (e.g., 1930s–1960s), and Silva’s restoration reports. Sources & Notes Omni Hotels, “The Mount Washington Course” page (course history, 2008 restoration, hole highlights, basic specs). Omni Hotels, resort timeline noting the August 1, 2008 reopening of the restored 18-hole Mount Washington Course. Historic Hotels of America, “Golf” and resort history pages (summary of 2008 restoration, Ross attribution, event hosting). Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), “A mountain of a project” (reporting that Silva used Ross plans and constructed five new holes to accommodate resort development while restoring original features), Aug. 12, 2009. Top100GolfCourses.com, “Mount Washington (Mount Washington)” (hole-by-hole notes on which holes were reworked and which remain closest to Ross concepts; event history). LINKS Magazine, “The Accessible Donald Ross” (Mount Washington restoration to circa-1915 plans; event history). Omni Hotels, “Golf Courses in Bretton Woods” (property overview; public resort access; awards mentions). New Hampshire Golf / GolfPass features (1915 opening; par/yardage consistency).