The Links Club

[Chris_Clouser]

I know the club still exists, but where was the golf course located?

[Mike Sweeney]

It was always a Manhattan club house of sorts for Macdonald's other courses. He lays it on a little thick, but here is the best info/review out there on it:

http://top100golf.blogspot.com/2006/11/links-club.html

[ChipOat]

The Links Golf Club (NLE since 1982) in Manhasset, NY was a separate (and newer) entity from The Links in NYC and NGLA in Southampton although most members of LGC (about 50 at its peak) were also members of one, or both, of the others.

I played LGC several times and it was an original Macdonald that had, basically, never been amended since it was built in 1918 - even by CBM, himself.  I know some of the club's history although Tom Paul knows the most about it around these parts.

For what it's worth, the name of the NYC entity is, simply, "The Links" and not "The Links CLUB".

[TEPaul]

Chip:

The Links Club golf club in Manhassett always held it's membership at 100. I would say your estimate of how many Links Club golf course members actually belonged to the Links Club in the city is just about right. My dad belonged to the golf course for years but never to the city club (it took a team of really strong horses to ever drag my Dad into the city ).

You want to talk about light play of a membership of a golf course, I think The Links had to pretty much be the ultimate that way. The only day it seemed to be used much by the membership was on Sunday because that was the only day they had that great lunch.

Do you remember Burt (Bert?) at The Links Club? That guy was just amazing in that he would bring those sophisticated drinkers exactly what they wanted when they wanted it without even being asked. It was additionally amazing because they definitely drank very different kinds of drinks depending on the time of the day.  

The ultimate that way was the famous (infamous? ) James Knott! That guy had the same things at the same time throughout every day for years and years and years. One time my dad totalled it up and it came to 39 drinks per day----no more, no less!!  



It has been mentioned on this website a number of times over the years but The Links Club course unquestionably had the finest reverse redan ever created.

[TEPaul]

Chip:

The Links Club went down the tubes in 1982? Wow, time sure does fly. It doesn't seem that long ago but obviously it is. Most of the time the people who played the course were the local firemen and policemen!

I once asked my father about that. I asked him why basically policemen played the course and Dad just said: "With the type of members of this club (those sophisticated drinkers) why do you think they let the police play it all the time?"  

As you remember the clubhouse was a really cute little very old Long Island farmhouse and the pro shop was in the barn!

The Links Club I think was also one of those really unusual private clubs where most of the time guests of members never even paid green fees. That day and age is definitely gone with the wind now, right Chipperino?

The story was also that Mr. Whitney and Mr. Paley were the only ones who paid most of the expenses but I'm not sure how true that really was.

It was also claimed that Macdonald positively refused to allow any rakes to ever be on that golf course!

[Joe Bausch]

Tom, I think you very much will enjoy the following article entitled "Links Club Building World's Severest Test", from the May 12, 1918 edition of the New York Tribune.  Click on the article below so that it expands for easy reading!

[Joe Bausch]

And if this August 25, 1918 article was accurate, the Links Club opened up 12 of the holes on September 1.

[Robert Kimball]

I remembered posting something about this club a while ago, and I am pleased to say that I was able to retrieve it using the search feature (1st time I have used it on the updated DG). I still find it an interesting story and I can imagine what it was like at The Links.

-- Rob


http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,1518.0/

[ChipOat]

Rob,

I re-read your original 2003 thread (including my posts) and would only comment that the Links Golf Club was, at least originally, not as far below Piping Rock and/or The Creek as Tom Paul suggests.  Over the years, as PRC and TC kept up with changing equipment while LGC stayed untouched, perhaps LGC began to appear diluted in comparison.

However, I remember it as having many good holes in addition to the 190+ yard reverse Redan.  The classic Macdonald features were certainly more a factor than at The Greenbrier's Old White course, for instance.

Think Myopia Hunt Club with a much better golf course and, for the most part, virtually deserted.