Colt & Alison @ Century in Westchester

[Mike_Sweeney]

I have a friend who is a member at Whippoorwill (a very fun course) in Westchester who loves Century CC in Purchase. I have never played it. There is lots of love on here for Colt, so why do we never hear about Century?

I think I heard once that Metropolis (originally a City eating club) bought the old Century land and built the existing Metropolis (Tillie) course. Century moved to its current location.

So what is the deal with Century? Is it Colt and Alison there today, and how is the course?

[BCrosby]

A friend who knows a lot about gca thinks it is the best course in Westchester County.

I played it 25 years ago in a haze (self induced) and remember almost nothing about Century except that I sank an eight iron on the 9th for an eagle. (I do remember, however, the pool, a bar and a girl from Chicago.)

Bob

[Dave Bourgeois]

Old Oaks CC, which is down the road, is listed on the Colt Society as one of his as well.  However, Old Oaks claims a Tillinghast legacy.  I wonder why that is and why Century stays under the radar?  I haven't played either so can't judge if they have similar attributes or not.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mike Sweeney,

Century and Old Oaks are very enjoyable golf courses.

Old Oaks lost 9 holes to Interstate 84 or 684.

Both could benefit from tree "management" programs, but both provide an interesting and enjoyable challenge for members and guests alike.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Mike,

  If I'm not mistaken, I seem to recall Gil Hanse did work there--of what nature, I'm not certain, but it would be architectural  

  I had a conversation with Burt Ward, their GM, about the club about a year ago about this, but I don't recall the specifics.  

[Chris_Blakely]

I believe in One of D. Wexler's books in the section in the back entitled "lost nines" he has a layout of the lost nine holes at Old Oaks due to the construction of I-684.  If I remember correctly, he stated that these 9 holes were designed by Alison/Colt.

[Mike Policano]

Mike, Century is a fun course to play and I would recommend that you get there this summer.  A friend of mine from Chicago, who is a Colt     & Alison fan, says he sees C&A traits in the course.

There is a ridge that runs through the property that is well used.  The greens have some good movement and variety.  The routing is intimate and the course is an enjoyable walk.

Century did sit on the Metropolis's current site and was sold to Metropolis in the early '20s.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

A club rich in history as well.

[T_MacWood]

Century is an Alison course. I personally don't think it was one of his finest efforts. It was restored a few years ago (Hanse) and IMO it has more of a Tilly flavor today than Alison, but either way I didn't think it was ever as good as Kirtland, CC of Detroit, Milwaukee, Burning Tree, Chevy Chase, Sea Island or Timber Point.

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Century is a cousre that tends to grow on you.  I have palyed there a couple of times a season the past 17 years.  It can be a fairly tough tournament course.  It oftentimes pairs up with Old Oaks for the sectional US Open Q.  Par holds up for the trip to the Open, and this is without crazy pins.  The 18th green is beyond severe.  It might have the best par 5's in Westchester.  #8 has an awesome severe skinny green flanked by deep bunkers that makes top players consider laying up from 210--pin high or above from greenside rough is a very good up and down in 4 possibility.  The club does a remarkable job of staying under the radar--it has had a very distinguished membership over the years.  Like several other elite clubs, they establish their greatness by understatement.  This is the club where Hogan toiled before moving to Hershey.  Playing Century is a wonderful expereince--it might be missing a wow factor, but try to find a weak hole among all the very good to great holes!  

[mark chalfant]

Robert,thats a great appraisal  of Century. In addition to the stellar par fives there is a very fine assortment of par fours that span the spectrum of challenge and of topographic  interest. #3 and #12 are excellent short par fours. #5 and #6 are splendid par fours c.440-450 yds that summon precise approaches over good terrain. For example ,a deep valley must be crossed to reach the distant sixth green.Like Robert alludes to,Century is great but nuanced architecture that  probably requires more than a whirlwind tour to grasp this refined example of Hugh Alison's  artistry.

[mark chalfant]

Geoffrey Childs: are you familiar with this course. it would be to hear your thoughts !  Mark

[Dan Moore]

I saw reference to the Colt Society.  Is there a website for this group?  

[Dave Bourgeois]

Dan,

Here you go.

http://www.coltassociation.co.uk/alison.php

[Mark_Fine]

One of the best aspects of Century is the wide fairways.  More trees need to come out but they have done a nice job restoring width and angles of play.  

[Adam_Messix]

I will try to elaborate later, but, Old Oaks has much the look and feel of a Tillinghast course.  It's on a bit hillier site than some of his more famouse courses in the area, but it's still really good and the greens are severe.  

Century is a personal favorite of mine and is an Alison course that looks like it had some bunker work done in the last few  years.  Very nice property, and the courses runs up to the edge of neighboring Brae Burn I think on the 8th hole.  Century doesn't get a whole lot of play from what I understand.  

[corey miller]

What are the characteristics that make Old Oaks have the look and feel of a Tillinghast course?  Does the bunkering look like any Tillie you have seen or rather someones interpretation of Tillinghast at Winged Foot?  In fact, it is the only place I have seen the out of scale, Pam Anderson, saline, botox  injected version of Tillie.  

and it was obvious bunker work was done at Century?

Adam-If you have played the before and after renovation of Old Oaks, what are your thoughts?

[Adam_Messix]

I played at Old Oaks prior to the renovation.  Ken Dye was going to do the renovation.  I had a chance to read his report prior to the work in which he did a long history piece concerning both Tilly and Alison.  My understanding is that the routing is a Tillinghast who then had a falling out with the original founders, who then brought in Alison to finish the course.  What I saw looked like Tilly green platforms with more Tilly bunker shapes, but more grass faced, but this was 8 years ago.  What I saw was not an interpretation of Tilly at Winged Foot or anywhere else for that matter.  

Perhaps one of the experts on Tillinghast could chime in on exactly what happened, because what I said above came for a member of Old Oaks.  

[corey miller]

Ken Dye certainly writes a mean history I am sure.  The question becomes does he honor the original archtiect when he does work.  I have not played the course, only observed, but you really need to get back over there and see the work.

I think a lot of clubs in the Westchester area tell the restoration experts to "build Tillie bunkers, like Winged Foot".  

Even if one accepts that this is the proper way to go about restoration work, I have a hard time matching the Tillie bunker work at WF with the newly christened Tillie bunker work at Westchester, Rock Spring, Old Oaks, and Ardsley.

The "I will build the members whatever they want" certainly makes the 40 pages of club and architect history prefacing the recommendations pretty meaningless.

[Adam_Messix]

Corey--

I will make every attempt to get over there on my next trip to Westchester.  Dye's presentation was quite thorough, going over every hole in detail and what should be changed.  Some of those greens need to be seen to be believed as they are quite severe.  I wish someone would attempt to build Tillinghast bunkers similar to San Francisco Golf Club.  

[goldj]

Joe Bausch recently visited Century and did his usual top flight job.  As you can see below, many of the points mentioned above have been addressed and Keith Foster’s recent work brought back the Allison bunkers.



http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/Century/index.html

[Joe Bausch]

I really enjoyed Century recently. Check out the photo album that Jim provided in the post above.

The Century property is big and the proportions fit the dimensions. The routing is really good and my simple judge of that is that after 1 play I can remember all the holes in order.

The conditioning and presentation were superb. Plenty firm for my taste.

[Phil Young]

Tilly was hired to redesign the existing course in 1929 and also adding 4 new holes, numbers 7, 12, 13 & 14. What is forgotten is that, as stated in the book Metropolis Country Club:A Short History, "In the early 1970s, in order to add some badly needed parking areas, the club engaged the golf architect Joe Finger who converted the 16th hole to parking. He then designed and built a new par 3 fifteenth hole. The former fifteenth hole became the current 16th hole."
      It also states, "During 1998 and 1999 the club engaged Joe Finger's partner, Ken Dye, to redesign and upgrade the entire course. He added 134 yards to lengthen the course to a total of 6784 yards. The long uphill 16th hole, originally a par-5 and then shortened to a challenging par 4 in the early 1970's, was again redesign as an uphill par 5."
      In this same book, the club has a chapter that is titled, "How to Play Metropolis Golf Course." It was jointly written by Gene Borek, PGA Master Professional, Cheryl Anderson, PGA and LPGA Member," and their long-time head professional, "Lighthorse" Cooper. It is far too long to retype it here, so if anyone would like a copy of it, send me an email and I'll be happy to send it along.