HOOPER MAGIC! Explore New Hampshire's Enchanted Golfing Experience
- Dooner
- 21 hours ago
- 5 min read
We love it when roads run through a course. In most cases, the road existed before golf appeared.
In the case of the gravel road that bisects Hooper Golf Course, a path lined by rock walls on a hill above the outpost town of Walpole - the road existed before the United States were in fact states.
That's just one of the magical things you'll experience if you ever find your way to Hooper.
Visitors have been stopping at this location since the 1700s. In 1788, Alexander Watkins purchased the property and began construction on a home. The site became a stopping point for stage coaches coming up that old Colonial Road travelling from Boston to Rutland, Vermont.
The rest is, as they say, history.
Fortunately at Hooper and the Watkins Inn, you don't just have to read or hear about it's history. You can see it, touch it, and most importantly, feel it.
The beloved phrase uttered by hundreds on Instagram - 'Hooper Magic' - is in fact a living embodiment of the spirit this property has held for 100 years as it's related to golf. Informally, we're confident the same would have been said for the property for more than the 250 years the U.S. has been the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.
So how did a Southeastern based outfit like The Golf Crusade end up here? On purpose!
Our love of hidden gems and courses that scoff at the notion that golf needs 18 greens and 7000+ yards to be considered great called out to us like a whisper on the wind coming off New Hampshire's White Mountains. Or maybe it was any number of respected golf writers, architects and storytellers that subliminally beat Hooper into our consciousness.
Whatever it was, we're grateful the Golf Gods brought us here.
Driving out from the New Hampshire capitol of Concord takes about eighty to ninety minutes depending on the route, a short drive by our standards. We noticed when researching the place that the Watkins Tavern also included the words 'And Inn' in its name. Even thought the tavern itself was only open the back half of the week, the Inn was still available for guest lodging on the off nights.
Armed with this knowledge and a noon flight out the next day, it was determined a twilight nine and a daybreak nine, sandwiched around a night at the Inn would make for a great story.
Little did we know we were in for an absolute treat!
We landed at Hooper around 6:00pm and hopped in with a member couple who graciously accepted a lonesome single (yes, we always write in the plural 'we' even though there's typically just one of us playing - read a couple more stories after this and you'll get it!). We spun around in a shade under two hours on a busy night, finishing in perfect time to launch the drone and capture the landscape under the day's last light.
NOTE: CLICK ON ANY PHOTO IN THIS STORY TO ENLARGE
With the Tavern closed for the night - and Walpole relatively barren of dining options - we hopped across the Connecticut River to Vermont to grab some takeout (again, reference map for all the geological references - it makes more sense!). If you envision a Dickens story set in a small New England town, you might be picturing Bellows Falls.
It certainly made enough of an impression to included it in our recap for you, so we urge you to explore it as well given the chance!
The Inn was a perfect ending to the day. Four guest rooms, only us at the Inn for the night. A good meal, a little TV and a bourbon on the rocks made for a good, yet quick, night's sleep. Sunrise comes early up North, and we wanted to be there for it.
If the golden hour round and shoot wasn't good enough, the morning fog and dawn sealed one of the best combo shooting experiences we've ever had. Sometimes when you play a great course and carry a camera, you get clouds or even rain. It's a tad deflating when you know you're likely never to return.
There aren't mulligans for guys like us when it comes to this stuff.
Thankfully, we found out first hand the power of Hooper Magic...
After we killed a battery or two with the drone, we teed it up for a daybreak round in a little over an hour. A quick shower to cool off and it was off to the airport to return the rental car and catch the noon hop to Charlotte.
This all happened a little less than a year ago. Why wait to write about it? Well, whenever we experience something as great as this, it requires a pause for reflection. We ask, 'was it really that great or are we just excited because it just happened?' Most times, it's the latter. We love and live this journey to 1000 courses and get a little more overjoyed when we can add new courses to the road. The joy increases sometimes as we can add multiple courses in a matter of a couple days like this (as we did as well).
However, Hooper is the real deal. How do we know when we've come across a special place? When we compare to everything else we've played since. It's even more special when you add it to some of 'Best of lists' that we occasionally put out (SEE: Nine Favorite 9-Hole Courses & Best of 2025 stories).
Like we said, Hooper Magic is real. Go get a taste of it if you can. It's not one everyone will experience - and THAT is what makes the magic so wonderful.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Hooper was originally designed/built by the underrated regional duo of Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. If you've heard of Taconic GC at Williams College in the northwesternmost corner of Massachusetts - one of the top college campus courses in the country - you've heard of Stiles & Van Kleek. You'll find a lot of their work throughout New England. Stiles later went on to become a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) in 1947.
A few years back, a group of residents gained control of the course and started to improve conditions, as well as undertaking steps to ensure the property remained a golf course in perpetuity via the Hooper Institute.
Ownership also enlisted the help of Jeffery Stein of Stein Golf Design to renovate the bunkers & restore the golf course to it's original intent. Stein's work is remarkable. The caretakers of the course tend to it with love at the level you'd care for a child. Next year, Hooper will celebrate its centennial. We think there is no doubt it'll see another one in another hundred years if the culture continues.
ALSO READ: Stein, along with Brian Ross, recently reimagined the Walter Travis designed Great Dunes Course on Jekyll Island. We visited there this past winter and highly recommend it as well.
The Watkins Inn & Tavern is locally owned and operated as well, making this an entirely homegrown operation.
Best of all, you can walk 9-holes here for just $30 during the week, $35 weekends. You can take two loops for $50/$55 or borrow a cart for the journey for $15 for nine/$25 for two spins.
It checks all the boxes: hidden gem, ultra-high value, great architecture, next level views, history and hospitality. What's not to like?
Everything about this place is special. Do yourself a favor and find a reason to visit!
Sincerely Fores,
Your Golf Crusade
ENJOY A LITTLE MORE HOOPER MAGIC ON US!
Hooper Magic New Hampshire Golf