Changes

Taconic Golf Club is owned by Williams College and is currently rated the #1 collegiate course in the nation by Golfweek Magazine. It also claims the 30th 28th spot in the best public courses in the United States according to Golf Magazine. Taconic is located at the southern edge of campus at 19 Meacham Street, next to [[Weston Field]]. It is less than a 5 minute walk from [[Spring Street]] or the [[Odd Quad]], and it is not uncommon to see students carrying golf bags across campus down to the course.

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Other unique oddities of Taconic include a mirror behind the 10th tee to see the blind fairway, a birdhouse labeled "Suggestion Box" smack in the middle of the pond on the 4th hole, and the Latin phrase "medio tutissimus ibis" written on the scorecard, translating to "safer safest from the middle."

'''Par 5, 475 yards.''' The first tee is only yards from the door of the pro shop and outdoor patio, providing an intimate setting to begin the round. A wide fairway greets the player, only narrowing to a 20-yard wide neck at a shallow gully 275 yards off the tee. The In the Fall of his sophomore year, this generous fairway did not help Williams golfer Will Sirignano in 2003 when '06 as he blocked his tee a ball to the right, over the trees right of the fairway, over the adjacent 18th fairway, over the out-of-bounds fence, and onto the football field –- . He then proceeded to salvage a mere 75 yards offline! miraculous par. The green tilts left to right and the bunker 30 yards short of the green left is a poor place to leave second shots.

[[Image:Taconic3rdhole.jpg|left|thumbnail|Proposed changes to the 3rd hole]]The greens committee of Taconic is currently considering a course restoration project to be completed during the winter of 2006-2007. They are working with architect Gil Hanse, who has had a hand in restoring such classic courses as Merion East, Kittansett, and Fenway. One exciting proposed change is adding a lower tee for #12 to the left of the existing tee. This would make the tee ball more intimidating, as the angle would be sharper and the shot semi-blind up and over the steep falloff; hopefully Hanse will also consider removing the huge oak that currently constricts the dangerous long left driving alley. The second major change will involve the third hole - adding fairway bunkering on the left while reconfiguring the landing areas. This proposed change alters one of the best par fours on the course, so hopefully the resulting hole will not fall anything short of excellent. The third drastic proposed change is to cut down 37 pine trees behind the 16th green to make it a "skyline" putting surface - this will provide a thrilling long iron shot to a flag flapping against the sky while also opening up dramatic views across the front nine. Other changes include adding fairway bunkering on 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 15 while removing the current bland oval fairway bunkers on 6, 7, and 8; adding greenside bunkers on 5, 15, and 18; recapturing lost green space on almost every hole; stretching fairways back out to their original width to tie them to bunkers that now lie disconnected in the rough; and adding new back tees to 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18 - in total adding 200 yards to the course. The tees on 16, 17, and 18 will bring those already punishing holes to 460 yards, 245 yards, and 535 yards, respectively - should be quite the tough finish to the already demanding back nine! Sketches of the master plan can be seen here: http://www.taconicgolf.com/CourseMasterPlan/index.htm.