Vineyard Golf Club – Martha’s Vineyard, MA

The Vineyard Golf Club on Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, is as beautiful and playable as it is unique. In addition to providing superior golf, the Vineyard Golf Club is one of the few organic golf courses in America. This forward-looking approach to the agronomy of golf makes the Club stand out among its peers. The course uses fewer inputs- less water, only organic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The result is a beautiful, green course that serves its players well while protecting the natural environment.

Owen Larkin was the Managing Partner who had the vision for this club – overseeing its permitting, construction, and operations, even serving as president in its formative years. The VGC was opened in 2002, and decades later, it is still reputed to be the most environmentally sensitive golf course built in the United States, if not the world. Jeff Carlson, the VGC Golf Course Superintendent who designed its organic protocol and led the grounds team for almost 15 years, has become a global leader in organic course management techniques. Carlson and his Grounds Team established and continue to maintain a course that is pesticide-free. Conventional pesticides have been replaced with bio-stimulants and composted fertilizers. Nitrogen is used to make turf hardy and increase the growth rate, as Carlson effectively works to "grow the plant out of disease."

The VGC has many classic design elements that present varied and enjoyable challenges. These qualities are the work of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, the renowned golf course architect team, who redesigned the Vineyard Golf Club– transforming the front nine in 2013 and the second nine in 2015. That year Golf Magazine awarded the Vineyard Golf Club its prestigious “Best New Private Course” award.