Mechanicville Golf Club near Albany/Troy - Devereux Emmet

[Ronald Montesano]

Anyone ever played it? Thoughts?


Thank you in advance.

[John Blain]

Anyone ever played it? Thoughts?


Thank you in advance.

Ron-
I grew up in the Capital District and lived there until I was 26 years old but never played the course nor did I ever know anyone who did!  Based on that I'm guessing it's nothing special to say the least.
John

[Dave Doxey]

At 5 years old, Mechanicville Golf Club was my introduction to golf.  I started playing evenings with my father, who was a member.  I spent summer days at the course, my father dropping me off on his way to work.  I caddied, looked for balls, and played  36 or even 54 holes in a day.   I got free lessons from an old German pro there.  The course is an interesting 9 hole routing with some hills, one making for a blind drive to a reachable par 4 (there was a mirror in a tree to show when the group ahead left the green).  A very rural setting.  Only 1 hole with houses on the right.  Not a difficult course. No very demanding holes.  The course was built in 1909 for employees of a large paper mill across the Hudson river.  While it once was a very well maintained course with a beautiful clubhouse with a large porch, the club today is a bit shabby public with a cinder block clubhouse.  I don't believe that the course has undergone any changes to the original design.


Oddly, at age 15, I moved to Rye NY and played at Rye Golf Course - another Emmet course.  I unknowingly played my first 16 years of golf at Emmet courses.  Only when I joined this site did I learn about Deveraux Emmet.

[David Harshbarger]

Routing has changed imo as the blind uphill 4 that is now 7 was the original 1st, by the entrance. Now the 1st is a 4 at the non descript clubhouse/bar/lottery venue. Current 2 is a lovely short 3 over a gully with a pearl necklace of bunkers around it. Very much an Emmet design with similar at Mohawk in Schenectady. After a long walk through the woods, 3 is a decent dogleg 4 with chocolate drops.  5 plays across road (extra quirk points) to a severely sloped green. 6 looks modern to me as a straight 4 with pond fronting the green. 7 is blind uphill 4 mentioned above to a punchbowl type green. 8 is a 5 up and down to a green tucked next to woods. At the top of the ridge (going up) are the cutest spectacle fairway bunkers.

[Dave Doxey]

Routing has changed imo as the blind uphill 4 that is now 7 was the original 1st, by the entrance. Now the 1st is a 4 at the non descript clubhouse/bar/lottery venue. Current 2 is a lovely short 3 over a gully with a pearl necklace of bunkers around it. Very much an Emmet design with similar at Mohawk in Schenectady. After a long walk through the woods, 3 is a decent dogleg 4 with chocolate drops.  5 plays across road (extra quirk points) to a severely sloped green. 6 looks modern to me as a straight 4 with pond fronting the green. 7 is blind uphill 4 mentioned above to a punchbowl type green. 8 is a 5 up and down to a green tucked next to woods. At the top of the ridge (going up) are the cutest spectacle fairway bunkers.

Correct.  Starting hole number has changed, although I don't think there had been any significant changes made to any hole. The old clubhouse was hear the entrance, overlooking the pond at what now is #6.  That used to be #9.  There was a practice green on an island in the entrance road near the clubhouse.  When the clubhouse burned, it was replaced by an unattractive cinder block building away from the entrance, necessitating the changing of the opening hole. 


I remember the name of the pro, back around 1960. Tom MacKenzie.  Free, ad hoc, lessons to kids that hung around at the course.  I've still got the set of Kroyden irons that my father bought from him.  The course, although short by today's standards, has an interesting collection of holes.  I've not been there in many years, but I understand that the course conditioning has had its ups and downs.  Memories of my introduction to the game.