The following is taken from the 1923 50-page opening day magazine published by Winged Foot. It contains some amazing information about the history behind the site chosen, the number of men (and horses) used, and the actual work involved as well as the weather conditions that it was accomplished in:
“By the early part of 1921 interest in the establishing of a golf club had been aroused to a degree that permitted immediate attention. Six months were spent in visiting properties that had been recommended to the Golf Committee. Every [size=0pt]acre[/size] of available land south of White Plains in Westchester and east of the Harlem Railroad was investigated. Many days were devoted to this investigation, for some properties were visited several times before they were finally rejected.
“When the investigation was completed, and full data on all available properties on hand, a meeting of members of the New York Athletic Club was called. It was set for June 28, 1921, and in answer to the summons came more than a hundred golf enthusiasts. The meeting elected eleven with power to organize a golf club. With the forming of this committee real work started.
“The property most seriously considered at that time for the establishment of Winged foot was located in New Rochelle. For a while it seemed that this location would be chosen. However when definite negotiations were begun, it was found that a clear title could not be obtained. The club’s present site was looked upon even then as probably the best of many under consideration. The stumbling block in the path of securing it was the attitude of the owners. They had a parcel of 847 acres, enough land to accommodate several golf clubs, and wanted to sell it all or none.
“After considerable effort the firm of C. C. Lewis and Brothers was able to obtain 280 acres of the tract. The firm’s plan was to construct the 36 holes which comprise the two courses, and sell them to the club as a completed project. In May, 1922, this proposal was accepted, and a contract was signed under the terms of which C. C. Lewis and Brothers purchased the land and began construction. The services of A. W. Tillinghast, a noted golf course architect, were retained to lay out the holes. Under the supervision of John H. Elliff, the architect’s constructor, the dirt began to fly.
“Anyone familiar with the site of Winged Foot’s courses two years ago would be hard put to recognize the land today. Thousands of trees were cut down, tons of rock were blasted from fairways and traps. Acres of swamps were drained. And all this was done under adverse conditions. So phenomenal was the rainfall during the summer of 1922 in this section of the state that not once during the construction of the course was dust raised.
“Construction figures give an impressive idea of the enormous amount of work required in laying out the courses. There were 24,000 cubic yards of earth moved in building the greens. Seventy-two hundred tons of rock were blasted from fairways and traps. After eliminating the trees of less than six inches in diameter, the number cut down still totals 7,800. Twenty-one thousand feet of drain pipe was installed. Twenty-five thousand feet of water pipe was laid for irrigating the greens and tees. Ten and one-half tons of Kentucky Blue, Red Top and Fescue grass seed was sown in fairways and tees. Three and one-half tons of Bent, Fescue and Red Top grass seed were planted in the greens. The construction force comprised 220 men, 60 teams and 19 tractors.”