DUMMERSTON, Vt. – On Sunday, Feb. 23, from 12-3 p.m., The Landmark Trust USA (LTUSA) invites the public to its third annual Snow Golf: Chip, Drive, & Putt for Preservation. The event will once again be held at Scott Farm, 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston, Vt. Advance registration is strongly suggested.
LTUSA is a nonprofit historic preservation organization that has restored Naulakha, the 1892 Dummerston home of author Rudyard Kipling, and four other southern Vermont properties, which it owns and operates as overnight vacation rentals. According to the U.S. Golf Association, Kipling invented Snow Golf at Naulakha following his introduction to the game by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame.
This year’s event will also serve as the public kickoff for the Naulakha Campaign, a $1.25 million investment in a climate resilient future for Kipling’s historic estate, which will replace the main house’s aging cedar roof in kind, develop a comprehensive drainage solution for the property, and rehabilitate the Naulakha stable into a new overnight rental. Symbolic “shingles” will be available for purchase at the event in support of the campaign.
This year’s course will once again be designed in partnership with the Brattleboro Country Club, and feature six skills challenges – including Chipping Skeeball, tic-tac-toe, and Blindfolded Pick-A-Club – as well as one hole and a bonus “closest to the pin” shot. Players may register individually, or as a foursome, and prizes will be awarded. All tickets include an exclusive cocktail or cider drink from the Scott Farm pop-up bar, light snacks, and drinks. The “kid-driven” food cart Newton’s Curveball Concessions will be present as well, with all proceeds supporting the local community.
“We’re thrilled that Snow Golf has quickly become an annual tradition and ‘must do’ event on the winter calendar,” says executive director Susan McMahon. “It’s a great afternoon for golfers or anyone who just wants to stay active this winter, and this year is better than ever as we publicly launch our Naulakha Campaign to ensure the place where snow golf was invented has a long and vibrant future.”
For more information and registration, visit www.landmarktrustusa.org/snow-golf. The public is welcome throughout the event to eat, drink, provide rousing golf claps, and enjoy the Naulakha Campaign kickoff. All proceeds from the event support the historic preservation work of The Landmark Trust USA, helping maintain the nonprofit’s historic properties, produce place-based educational programs, and save additional historic buildings.