The Monster of the Catskills is back — somewhat

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Rees Jones resurrects New York’s Monster
The Monster of the Catskills is back — somewhat. The Monster Golf Club at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, New York, reopened on August 28 after a complete makeover from Rees Jones and his associate Bryce Swanson. Once host to an LPGA major and long considered one of the toughest tracks in the country, the Monster is back, but in a materially altered form."Our vision for Resorts World Catskills always included the reinvigoration and restoration of this golf course, and we are proud to have delivered on this important commitment," said Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, which operates the resort.
The aptly named Monster opened in October 1964 as the fiendish creation of architect Joe Finger. The course was the championship layout at The Concord, a prominent mountain resort located in the Catskills town of Kiamesha Lake. The course could be stretched to 7,780 yards, an almost absurd length in the day, and was strewn with hazards and design features that made it the toughest test in the region, if not the country. In 1968, the LPGA contested an event there, playing the layout at 6,900 yards, par 77. Only the winner broke par. One year later, Betsy Rawls won the LPGA Championship at the Monster, playing a revised par-73 course that measured 6,300 yards. Her 1-over-par 293 won her the trophy.
Over the years, the resort and its golf courses fell on hard times, but at long last, a rescue operation has salvaged the Monster. To be fair, most of the original Monster is gone, including the bulk of the front nine. Jones and Swanson utilized land mostly from the old Monster back nine to create holes one through three and 10 through 18. Their design of holes four through nine unfolded atop land that was once the resort’s International course, which closed in 2009.
Nevertheless, some similarities to the old Monster are evident. Jones and Swanson employed several previously existing corridors and green sites for the new holes. They also have emulated the old Monster in the size and configuration of the greens and bunkers and via the use of multiple ponds and Kiamesha Creek. At 7,650 yards, par 72, it’s a slightly more mellow monster than it was in the 1960s, but it’s sufficiently testing to live up to its name.
    www.firstcallgolf.com/

[MCirba]

I may be wrong but from aerial photographic history it seems like only very few of the holes occupy the land the Monster course was on but by far the remainder have been built on the former International course to the north.


Can anyone confirm?   I get the marketing around "Return of The Monster" but that's not what I'm seeing.

[Stewart Abramson]

The course was completed and in almost playable condition for about three years. I have no idea why it took until to open. I called the two on site hotels several times over 2+ years to inquire, but no one was able to provide any info.


Here's a link to an earlier thread with photos of the course: [size=78%]https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,70064.msg1727694.html#msg1727694[/size]

[MCirba]

I went back based on the above information and see that the Google Earth aerial photo shows only 12 holes, so apparently more land of the original Monster course has been used than what I originally thought.   Mea Culpa.   

[Tom_Doak]

I used to drive right through the Catskills on my way back and forth from my parents' home in Stamford up to Cornell.  I did stop to see The Monster and Grossinger's on one or another of those trips, but even then, they were well past their prime, and that was in 1980-82.


Looking at the success of places like Sand Valley, you'd think that good golf within two hours of Manhattan would be an easy success, but it has never seemed to work out that well.  I have no idea what all the reasons are.

[Charlie Goerges]

Looking at the success of places like Sand Valley, you'd think that good golf within two hours of Manhattan would be an easy success, but it has never seemed to work out that well.  I have no idea what all the reasons are.

Is there good, sandy land available at a cheap enough price within 2 hours? Or 4 hours?

[Tom_Doak]

Looking at the success of places like Sand Valley, you'd think that good golf within two hours of Manhattan would be an easy success, but it has never seemed to work out that well.  I have no idea what all the reasons are.

Is there good, sandy land available at a cheap enough price within 2 hours? Or 4 hours?

Well nothing in the Catskills is sandy, that's for sure.  Probably not much going north of NYC, either.  And land on Long Island is a little pricey!


But the idea that only a sandy property could work is silly.

[Charlie Goerges]

Looking at the success of places like Sand Valley, you'd think that good golf within two hours of Manhattan would be an easy success, but it has never seemed to work out that well.  I have no idea what all the reasons are.

Is there good, sandy land available at a cheap enough price within 2 hours? Or 4 hours?

Well nothing in the Catskills is sandy, that's for sure.  Probably not much going north of NYC, either.  And land on Long Island is a little pricey!


But the idea that only a sandy property could work is silly.

That's fair enough. I guess my question should really be: Is there appropriate land within that zone that could hold 2 or more good resort/public courses of high quality for a price that would make it worthwhile? For all I know, enough land at a low enough price simply doesn't exist there.

[Mike Worth]

I used to drive right through the Catskills on my way back and forth from my parents' home in Stamford up to Cornell.  I did stop to see The Monster and Grossinger's on one or another of those trips, but even then, they were well past their prime, and that was in 1980-82.


Looking at the success of places like Sand Valley, you'd think that good golf within two hours of Manhattan would be an easy success, but it has never seemed to work out that well.  I have no idea what all the reasons are.

I grew up in the Catskills. Although the northern Catskills, not in Sullivan County.


New business ventures rarely succeed long-term — especially larger ones like golf courses, which require millions of dollars in investment.


The main reason is there’s a little staying power in the Catskills. Things last for a few years and that’s it. 


A recent example. There was significant migration upstate from NYC during tje pandemic which drove sharp increases in real estate.


I can say, now, through my own observations that the real estate market Upstate has softened considerably yes, it may be true. Yes? there is softening in a lot of real estate markets, but I’m sure it’s worse in the Catskills.


The Catskills is the graveyard of entrepreneurs. I may be biased because I grew up in the there in the 70s during distressed economic times.

[Ronald Montesano]

I never played the Thunder Hill Golf Club near Cleveland, but I suspect that it was the only course worse than the Monster, in the world. It is fitting that both are closed.

The International was not much better. The most playable course on the property was the third course, the free, beginner course below the hotel. It was a lay-of-the-land course that didn't promise much and delivered more.

All Catskills resort courses were built within the same paradigm: narrow, tree-lined fairways, water restricting options, bunkers where there is no water, and boring, round greens. Absolutely horrible place to play golf. Grossingers, Concord, Kutshers...bad golf, just bad golf.

[Stewart Abramson]

I never played the Thunder Hill Golf Club near Cleveland, but I suspect that it was the only course worse than the Monster, in the world. It is fitting that both are closed.

The International was not much better. The most playable course on the property was the third course, the free, beginner course below the hotel. It was a lay-of-the-land course that didn't promise much and delivered more.

All Catskills resort courses were built within the same paradigm: narrow, tree-lined fairways, water restricting options, bunkers where there is no water, and boring, round greens. Absolutely horrible place to play golf. Grossingers, Concord, Kutshers...bad golf, just bad golf.

I don't remember the Catskill courses as being as bad as you describe. I played Grossingers and Kutshers a few times and don't recall them as being overly bunkered or having a bothersome amount of water hazards. They certainly could have used some tree removal, but can't that be said of most parkland courses of their vintage?


I don't have photos of Kutshers. Here's a link to some of Grossingers [size=78%]https://www.flickr.com/gp/golfcoursepix/6335Snoge3[/size]