On any given day, the salty winds whip along the fairways of Newport Country Club; changing direction and speed and upping the “smart golf” ante of the course at times to an 11 on a score of one to 10.

That’s what makes the fabled course – which was home to the United States Golf Association’s very first US Open Championship in 1895 – perhaps the perfect spot for this year’s upcoming U.S. Senior Championship.

Taking place June 27-30 at the historic club, the Championship will put top senior golfers to a true test not only of physical skill, but of psychological mastery and thinking on their feet.

“We intend for this to be the toughest test these players see all year,” Ben Kimball of the USGA said at a recent media event. “It’s going to be a true test of golf.”

The course has a true Links feel, with holes sidling up against the choppy Atlantic and purposely unwatered fairways to make for varied feels, depending on what nature brings. And while that spells challenge to the players, it means both incredible views and exciting play-watching for fans.

The club – one of the five original members of the USGA, was founded in 1894 at a nine-hole course by a group of businessmen including three Vanderbilts. Around 1915 it was expanded to an 18-hole course designed by Donald Ross and then redesigned in 1924 by A.W. Tillinghast.

The club is centered by a breathtaking mansion/clubhouse that was designed back at the start by architect Whitney Warren, a Vanderbilt family favorite.

That beautiful clubhouse stands high and elegant, looking out over a course that’s not afraid to embrace nature. Not only do the winds impact play – often from hole to hole, but the club’s willingness to let nature dictate play: you’ll find no irrigation on the course (only hand watering is done where needed). That means weather can change every way the course plays. Dry and sunny? You’ll see things roll fast. Wet and rainy? A totally different feel.

Senior golfers love that kind of play; where they have to marry both their athletic prowess with their long-developed strategic game.

Local golf legend Billy Andrade is excited to play the course, which he called a “classic venue. It’s old style and it all depends on the weather. Dicey weather of the Atlantic can make it challenging.”

The course has championship history, too. The very first US Open and US Amateur were played there. In more recent years, Tiger Woods won the US Amateur there. The Senior was set to be played there in 2020, but the pandemic stopped that.

Now, the club’s membership, the greater Newport region as a whole and the 156 competitors – whittled down from more than 3,000 entrants, are excited for the event to return to Newport.

Viewing stands have been under construction, perched on hills with ocean and green views, tucked up against par 3s (where you can see some exciting moments) and up near the final hole.

Tickets are available and on sale at https://www.usga.org and can be purchased for one day, multi day and packages including extra benefits.

New England sports fans will get a kick out of this year’s choice for Honorary Chair: Terry Francona, an avid golfer, has assumed the role.

Francona said golf has been a passion of his since, as a teen, he came home with a permission slip to play football.

“My dad looked at me (and pointed out my small stature at the time) and said ‘you’d get killed.’ And refused to sign. I joined the golf league instead and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Francona said he knows he may be chair but he’s never been an outstanding player.

“I am an avid and passionate golfer,” he said. “I wish I could say that translates into playing better. It doesn’t, but I still love it.”