Cow Neck GC

[Mark Hissey]

When doing research on Seth Raynor a while back, I read that he had put together a routing for Cow Neck. Knowing that property, I think that could well be one of the best pieces if land anywhere for a golf course. Dos anyone know anything about it? Does a routing still exist?

[Dave Greene]

Mark,
I have not heard of any routing being drawn up for that property but Cow Neck was supposed to be the original site for Southampton Golf Club. I have been able to gather some information that I believe was put together by David Goddard some years ago. Dave Goddard wrote a couple of books on the history of Shinnecock Golf Club and Maidstone as well. My understanding is that he researched Southampton Golf Club with the thought of another book but it never was finalized. It reads as such:

"J.D. Corrigan and eighty others had the idea to start a golf club in the early 1920's. They originally bought the property for a course on Cow Neck in North Sea just west of Scallop Pond. The proposed course was bounded on the north and west by Peconic Bay and on the east by Scallop Pond. This fell through when they encountered legal problems concerning the use of the land for golf so close to a site that had been proposed as a wild life sancuary. Colonel H.H. Robers of New York and Southampton instituted a lawsuit to prevent an access bridge across the channel leading to Scallop Pond. Colonel Rogers planned a semi-sanctuary for wild game and filed the lawsuit to prevent the property from being used as a golf club."

Charles Sabin donated 95 acres of farmland and a farm house to be used to start the club in 1925. Another 125 acres were purchased in the same year and the lawsuit was dropped. At that time Seth Raynor drew up plans for the course at the present site. I have never heard of any actual plans on paper for the Cow Neck property and I have doubts that there ever were any but you never know.

 

[George_Bahto]

Mark, the Cow Neck property as you know, is the property you see (in the distance) about 15-20 degrees to the right, as you stand on the 17th tee at National, out in the distance.

The property was donated by Macdonald’s good friend Mr Charles Sabin (or perhaps w/matching funds) who also owned the property on which you fellas built Sebonack. The idea was to build a public access course for those who couldn’t get memberships at National and Shinney

Unfortunately, a right of way out to the property was needed and the guy whose property controled access to Cow Neck either wanted too much money or was not the least interested in granting a right of way.

The deal went down and they settled on using the present property on which Southampton was built. Again philanthropic Mr Sabin funding at least half the project    -  he was president of Manufacturers Hanover at the time (he had a few bucks).

........ of course new plans were drawn up by Raynor for the present SH course to suit the new property.

[Mark Hissey]

Thank you George and Dave. I look at that piece of land all the time and just know that it is an amazing piece of land that would make a spectacular golf course. I do know that there is a covenant ensuring that this could never happen. There is a rather incredible polo facility there presently that was built by its current owner, Louis Bacon.

[Dave Greene]

Some years ago I worked on the property on weekends and walked it many times. A course on that property would be real special.