Grand vintage building with tall windows and a covered porch.

Tournaments and Champions

By Shea C. Nelson

All eyes will be on Newport from both the sailing and golfing worlds this June with two events taking place just a stone’s throw away from Castle Hill Inn. Just to our east, the Newport Country Club will host this year’s 44th Annual U.S. Senior Open June 27-30, while the week prior, on our western shores, the East Passage of Narragansett Bay will fill up with the boats for the Newport Bermuda Race on Friday, June 21. The Newport Country Club and the Bermuda Race each have over a 100-year history.

Grand mansion with a long driveway, set against a clear blue sky.
Clubhouse of the Newport Country Club

Designed by Whitney Warren, the clubhouse was completed the same year as the Breakers (1895) in the Beaux Arts style that was then taking over the more exclusive parts of the town. By comparison, the Castle Hill mansion was completed twenty years earlier in the Stick and Shingle styles that were the previous rage.

The first national championships took place here in October 1895. The U.S. Senior Open was set to take place at Newport in 2020 but was cancelled and now returns! In 1995, the U.S. Amateur Tournament was won by Tiger Woods at Newport. The amateur trophy is still called the Havemeyer Trophy after Theodore Havemeyer, the first president of the USGA, and the founding father of the Newport Country Club. The last national championship held at Newport was in 2006, when Annika Sorenstam won the U.S. Women’s Open here. Visit usga.org for further info and to purchase tickets for the 2024 senior tournament.

Sailboats with colorful spinnakers racing on blue water under a partly cloudy sky.
Daniel Forster (via Discover Newport)

Race Day on the Lawn

Before the competing golfers head out to the greens, the sailors will head out to the seas on the 635-mile trek from Newport to Bermuda on June 21. The start of the race has shifted a bit this year from the Castle Hill Lighthouse to a mile north of us – closer to Fort Adams and the Harbor. Wait! Doesn’t that make it a 636-mile race? Regardless, the first mile of the race will take place right in front of the Castle Hill lawn.

People gathered on a grassy shore, sailboats on blue water in the background.

The Newport Bermuda Race, the world’s oldest regularly scheduled ocean race, is held biennially and typically hosts between 150-200 entries in several divisions. For many spectators it is a tradition to spend the afternoon on our sloping lawn, which is like a natural Greek amphitheater for admiring the world’s finest sailboats, or perched on our Lawn Terrace for full service dining with champagne all around. Due to the special nature of the day, the tables on the Lawn Terrace must be reserved for the entirety of the afternoon for a fee, while entrance to the Lawn is first-come first-served for Adirondack chairs or grabbing a spot where you can with a blanket or lawn chair. Yes, special to this day, you can bring your own chair to the Lawn, but no outside food or drink, because we have that covered!

People gather by the waterfront watching sailboats, with a sign and flowers in the foreground.

Indeed, we will be firing on all cylinders, with our lively Terrace Bar and even reserved indoor seating available for lunch. Out on the Lawn, the Adirondack Bar will provide signature cocktails for Race Day and an additional food and beverage station will offer sandwiches, wine and beer. Guests with dining reservations will enjoy complimentary valet parking, while for walk-in guests, a fee will be required to park on our premises. Guests of the Inn will have special dining reservation privileges and Adirondack chair viewing sections. Our apologies for all the disclaimers, but we have organized the day to best foster everyone’s enjoyment!

We hope to see familiar and new faces for these special events in June and more to come throughout the Summer Season.