Stamford Golf Club - 1897???

[Richard Hetzel]

I did not want to thread jack the Cape Arundel course thread with Stamford GC photos. I think there may have been an original course that pre-dated this one. Stamford is a small town in the Catskills region in New York. Possibly designed by Walter Travis? Here are a few pics. Unfortunately, I took a lot less than I thought....




This par 3 had a giant pine tree almost right smack in the line of sight on this par 3.

[Chris_Blakely]

I do not doubt the Travis listing.  I have pictures from every hole and holes 1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 have many features I associate with Travis along with having wild greens.

Chris

[Robert West]

Richard, I drove over to play Stamford once when I lived in Windham a few years back. It certainly has some elevation to deal with. The beginning and ending holes really make you work. Beautiful views though. A drink on that porch was a beautiful ending to a long day. I love the 2nd Hole over the road.
I'm not sure if the bumps in some of the greens were left intentionally or not. Their greens fees were quite cheap so I can't imagine the conditioning has changed in the last 5 years or so but it seems like a lot of is has been left alone. The holes way in the back just seemed like fields with greens at the end. I had no Idea of any Travis connection. Certainly a fun afternoon but I didn't return with other courses in Greene County being somewhat kept up a little better. Now I will have to return and play it again with new eyes... I don't remember it saying it was that old either...
Ever play Blackhead or Thunderheart?

[Richard Hetzel]

My wife's family owns a farmhouse with acreage in Stamford (dont ask why as it is a hell of a drive from Detroit!) and I played here a few times while visiting in the summer. Hanging out on the porch as great after my round and the views were great. I agree on the back part of the course, quite a few of the holes were fairly boring run of the mill holes. I have not played another courses in the immediate area, as I was rained out on the days I was going to play Leatherstocking and Otseaga GC. Is the Windham CC course worth playing nearby? Is the area still fairly depressed? The Catskills were the BOOMING place to go before going down south became easier travel-wise. I thought I read there was another Stamford Course but the adjacent clubhouse (or hotel?) burned down and the course was abandoned but the club started over with a new course (Travis?). I cannot remember where I read that...if I even did! There course actually uses my pictures on their website. Its a laid back place and worth a play in nearby.

[Jim_Kennedy]

The original course was down the street at the Rexmere Hotel.

Some more info...
 
 http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,46027.0.html

...and there was almost a MacKenzie, to boot.
 
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,46083.0.html

[Ed Homsey]

Very nice pictures, Richard.  Brings back good memories of my only round at Stamford, a year ago this October, with the colors in the surrounding hills just spectacular.

The Travis Society has solid documentation verifying Travis' work on the Stamford course in 1923.  It was clearly a redesign.  Some reports suggest that it involved all 18 holes, but there is no clear evidence to support that conclusion.  We have had an extensive exchange of information with a gentleman who grew up on the course and is currently developing a history of the course.  His records indicate that an original 9 holes were laid out by a "Mr. Stark" in 1907 and opened in 1908.  It was at a different location that the current course. Regarding the current course, his records indicate that changes have been made in the routing, e.g. the original first hole becoming today's 4th.  He cites reports that suggest today's 17th did not exist in the original Travis layout.  Also, modifications were made to the 10th hole when two holes were merged to make the current par 5 10.  There are several other changes pointed out by this gentleman including his claim that the wild #16th green was created "as a joke" by the superintendent in the "70s/'80s.

Bottom-line is that, at this point, Stamford appears to be a mish-mash of holes with many changes from the layout created by Travis, from the '30s, the '60s-'80s.  The green that I would bet my last dollar on as a Travis creation is #15.  That is a beautiful green complex with very interesting internal contours, and the surrounds indicate that it was heavily bunkered.  The punchbowl 14th reminds me of the 14th at Yahnundasis, and the swale #12 at Stamford appears to be pure Travis.  In addition, I am absolutely certain that the "chocolate drops" in the 16th fairway at Stamford are the work of Travis.  Very typical of the courses he designed in the '20s.  There are other features on the course that are likely to be the work of Walter Travis, but we can't be certain.  I am hopeful that with all this attention that Stamford has received over the past couple of years, someone will find a Travis layout of the course in some dank and dark attic.

I hope others take a trip down to Stamford to play the course.  Though suffering from very low budget maintenance, it is fun.  I have to return, because I wasn't able to stay for a drink on the porch overlooking that beautiful valley.

[Robert West]

Hi Richard,
The area is still somewhat depressed for sure. The area was also hit rather hard by Hurricane Irene, and with Windham being the "rich" town that is pretty heavily reliant on the Ski Season it has had some rough months.
The Windham Country Club is public and was thrashed rather well by the storm, many holes were under water for a while. But the ski mountain bought it and I've been told that it's up and running. The greens used to be the best of the immediate area and they kept the course in pretty good shape, I never loved the attitude of the people running it though. The new clubhouse is great for a beer overlooking the valley and the town from a pretty high vantage point.
I played an even more backwoodsy place pretty regularly called Blackhead Mountain about 15 minutes away. It's a mountain course in the true sense of the term with a view of at least 3 or 4 states from the highest tee box. Lot's of trees and nothing spectacular architecture wise but a great atmosphere and pub and really really cheap green fees.
Across the river in Columbia County Thunderheart was a great treat on my budget at the time. I never made it to Leatherstocking because $100+ greens fees were just not something I could consider at $9 and hour. Never made the drive out to Hiawatha either I'm afraid.
The nine hole Rip Van Winkle golf course just outside Hunter is a nifty little Donald Ross, I haven't been in years to tell you if there's a lot of his signature left on the place but from what I remember the greens were small, like postage stamp small, all of them. Really really fun if flat against the side of a mountain.
All the courses around this area are about relaxed casual golf with awesome views and friendly, family-like attitudes. If you don't take the course too seriously, it's a great cheap region to play a lot of golf.

[Richard Hetzel]

I have played Rip Van Winkle CC near Hunter a few years back while camping with my son at nearby North/South Lake. Fun little 9 hole Ross course.