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A round at Woodstock Golf Club rewards patience, precision
More than seven decades have passed since the Woodstock Country Club opened in the spring of 1929. Some things have changed over the years, including the club’s middle name. The founders short- lived vision of an 18 hole course, tennis courts, and posh clubhouse succumbed to the Depression, and “Golf” replaced “Country”, thus Woodstock Golf Club. Other things haven’t changed.
The course’s nine holes today make the same roughly circular, counter clockwise sweep, with a back and forth jog in the middle.The course is bounded by Route 375 (known in ‘29 as the Kingston Road), Birch Lane, the Sawkill Creek, and Route 212, with majestic Overlook Mountain as a scenic backdrop. The course measures 5,511 yards for 18 holes.
Today, the club remains a mix of change and status. The club is private, with 200-plus members. Its restaurant is open to the public. The course continues to evolve year by year – a new bunker here, a new tee there – but the founders would undoubtedly recognize and approve of the club and the course they brought into being.
Now, as then, a round of golf at Woodstock starts with a walk across the Sawkill Creek, and no matter what happens in between, there are far worse ways to spend the day.
ABOUT THE COURSE:
The course is short but challenging, measuring 5,546 yards from the white and blue (men’s) tees and 5,004 from the red (women’s) tees. Long, deep rough; rock walls; and bodies of water more than compensate for the modest length. The nine-hole layout is typically played twice, with the placement of tee boxes varying from a little to a lot between the front and back nines. For men the course rating is 67.8 and the slope rating 128; for women the respective ratings are 70.4 and 124.
Here’s a brief look at several of Woodstock’s memorable holes:
No. 2 (366 yards, handicap 1) and No. 11 (315 yards, handicap 6); par 4. The second hole is the toughest on the course, as evidenced by its no. 1 handicap rating. A stream bed, marked as a water hazard, crosses the fairway on a diagonal path about 220 yards from the tee. The ideal drive stops as close as possible to this hazard without entering it. Even a well-placed tee shot may end up in a sidehill lie on the pitched fairway, which slopes downward from right to left. In order to find the two-tiered putting surface, the approach shot must navigate between towering pines and bunkers on both sides of the green, with a third bunker in back. Played from an elevated tee on the second nine, the hole is somewhat shorter but still no piece of cake, as the golfer must decide whether to attempt to carry the stream bed off the tee, leaving a short iron or wedge into the green, or to lay up with a middle or long iron, leaving a longer approach.
No. 4 (147 yards, handicap 15) and No. 13 (177 yards, handicap 2); par 3. This hole is Woodstock’s answer to the famous par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass, with its perilous island green. The green here isn’t surrounded by water, but is fronted by a picturesque pond, some 75 yards long, that the tee shot must carry. Shifting winds often complicate the choice of club. Hit it short and you’re in the water; hit it long and you’re in a lateral hazard bordering the bank of the Sawkill Creek behind the green. There’s some room, but not much, in which to bail out to the right of the green, which is protected on the left side by a bunker. Depending on the pin position and the location of the tee markers, the hole can play as short as 120 yards on the front nine and as long as nearly 190 yards on the back nine.
No. 6 (346 yards, handicap 5) and No. 15 (335 yards, handicap 10); par 4. The spectacular, north-facing view from the tee makes this Woodstock’s signature hole, as Overlook Mountain rises in the distance above a panoramic swath of the golf course. The drive should favor the left side, as tall stands of pine will swallow a slice or push and necessitate a recovery shot back to the fairway. Two sand traps in front and another on the left side place a premium on an accurate approach to a sloping green that is one of the deepest on the course.
No. 9 (193 yards, handicap 9) and No. 18 (184 yards, handicap 8); par 3. This long, straightaway par 3 makes for a terrific finishing hole. Many a tournament match has been won or lost here. With the tee box at a high point on the course, strong winds often influence both club selection and the outcome of the shot. The first order of business is to carry the Sawkill, which flows perpendicular to the line of the hole, starting about 80 yards off the tee. The tee shot must also be straight, in order to avoid capture by tall trees right and left, on either side of the creek. Shots hit too long on any side will end up out of bounds. Around the green lies sand, in the form of a deep and spacious bunker on the right and a long and narrow counterpart on the left, adjacent to a stately old pine tree. Finding the green off the tee amounts to a job well done and the perfect conclusion to a round of golf at Woodstock.
On September 2, the club hosted the seventy-third annual Woodstock Open, a prestigious tournament for professionals and amateurs. The Open is reportedly one of the longest continuously operating tournaments at a single course in the United States, second only to the fabled Masters, in Augusta, Georgia. Golf legend Gene Sarazen, who had a home in Dutchess County, competed in the 1966 and 1968 Opens, but did not win either time.
Woodstock’s head golf professional is Darryl Jack. The club’s general manager is John Rizza.
Portions of this article were provided courtesy of George Pattison, a longtime member of Woodstock Golf Club and a freelance writer who resides in Woodstock.
GOLF FOR A CAUSE
Bloomington Fire Department scrambles
at Apple Greens on September 15
Bloomington Fire Department will host a golf tournament on September 15 at Apple Green's Golf Course in New Paltz. The fee is $85 per golfer and the format is scramble. It will be a 9:00am shotgun start. The fee includes 18 holes of golf, cart, continental breakfast, bag lunch, buffet dinner. There will be a raffle and prizes awarded after dinner. Tee and green sponsorships are also available. Please contact either Kevin Keller 845-853-2242, Greg Barringer 845-339-6634, or Mike Schabot at 845-331-4346. Proceeds will be used to support the apparatus fund of the Bloomington Fire Department.
Charles Haas Memorial Scholarship
Tournament on September 27
The 2nd Annual Charles Haas Memorial Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, September 27 at Rondout Golf Club. The four-man scramble format will start at 1 p.m. Registration and lunch will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The $90 per person entry fee includes lunch, green fees, cart, refreshments on the course, assorted prizes and dinner following the tournament. You may bring a guest to the dinner for an additional charge of $30. For more information call 845-687-0948 or 845-687-9174. Proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund for Ulster County firefighters.
Doug Maloney Memorial Tournament
September 28 at Rondout
The Doug Maloney Memorial Tournament will be held at Rondout Golf Club on September 28. The event begins with an 8-8:45 a.m. breakfast and a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Dinner follows at approximately 1 p.m. Proceeds support Gateway Community Industries. Call Evelyn Flavin (845-331-1261, ext. 224).
‘Friends Helping Friends’ October 4
at Dinsmore
The 1st Annual Friends Heloping Friends Fall Classic Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, October 4 at Dinsmore Golf Course in Staatsburg. The tournament, a best ball scramble with four-player teams, starts at 9 a.m. Dinner and prize ceremony will follow at CJ’s Ristorante, Route 9G, Rhinebeck. Entry fee is $100 per person; proceeds will benefit Al Hackbarth, former owner of PacMail and Hollywood Deli. For further information or to register your team, call (845) 876-7711.
VFW Post 7765 hosts benefit
tournament Sept. 30 at Red Hook
The Men’s Auxiliary of VFW Post 7765 in red Hook will hold its first annual Scramble Golf Championship on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at red Hook Golf Club. The $100 per person cost includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, refreshments on the course and 18 holes of golf. For more information, contact Glen Coon at (845) 758-5854 or Vince DeCicco at (845) 224-4458. Proceeds will benefit the Jim Turner Fund and other VFW veterans programs.
If your non-profit organization is holding a charity golf tournament and you would like the details included in an upcoming edition of this Fairways golf page, email pertinent information to
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