Woodstock Golf Club—bordered by the Saw Kill creek, which comes directly into play on the long par 3 finishing hole, along with rugged rock ledges, stately trees, and ponds that are home to waterfowl and native vegetation—is loved by all who know it.
Hudson Valley visitors who enjoy a round of golf, listen up: A private club of exceptional beauty has opened its doors and greens to anybody who presents an out-of-town driver’s license and a receipt from any local vacation lodging or hotel.
Golf may not be what Woodstock is most famous for, but the course at Woodstock Golf Club— bordered by the Saw Kill creek, which comes directly into play on the long par 3 finishing hole, along with rugged rock ledges, stately trees, and ponds that are home to waterfowl and native vegetation—is loved by all who know it.
The historic clubhouse, with its outdoor deck at on-site restaurant Provisions, overlooks the rushing Saw Kill and offers a view of the first tee and fairway, making it a perfect place to relax before or after a round of golf.
A private club of exceptional beauty has opened its doors and greens to anybody who presents an out-of-town driver’s license and a receipt from any local vacation lodging or hotel.
But there’s more to a great golf course than a physical description. Golf, of course, is a mind game. “It’s a battle from within,” says WGC’s head pro, Chris Sanger. “There are so many interpretations. No two people swing the same; you can play the perfect hole but not get a perfect score. Every day, every swing, is a different experience; you have to be constantly grinding it out in the moment. I think that’s why I’m decent; I can just grind it out and stay focused. Golf is about constantly striving for perfection; you’re never really attaining it, but you know it’s there, and there's a million ways to approach it.”
Coincidentally, that sounds a lot like creating art. Very appropriate for the Woodstock Golf Club, originally called the Woodstock Country Club, founded in 1929 in a town that’s been branded the Colony of the Arts since the beginning of the last century. The founders' short-lived vision of an 18-hole course, with tennis courts and a posh clubhouse, succumbed to The Great Depression, but the club survived—the name was changed in 1980—and continues to thrive.
Fittingly, artists have played a prominent role in the life of the golf club since its inception.
Among the local artists who were members of the club in the 1930s and beyond were the landscape painter John F. Carlson, who was a founder of the Woodstock Artists Association; the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and facetious "inventor" Rube Goldberg; the influential painter Charles Rosen, who was a vice president of the club in the early 1930s; and Anton Otto Fischer, a noted illustrator of books and magazines and a painter of landscapes and seascapes, whose works today grace the walls of the clubhouse.
Woodstock Golf Club—bordered by the Saw Kill creek, along with rugged rock ledges, stately trees, and ponds that are home to waterfowl and native vegetation—is loved by all who know it.
The private nine-hole course, originally designed by architect Ralph Twitchell, makes the same roughly circular, counterclockwise sweep with a back-and-forth jog in the middle that it did in the beginning. Bound by Route 375 (known in 1929 as the Kingston Road), Birch Lane, the Saw Kill creek, and Route 212, the course measures 5,456 yards and plays to a par 70 for 18 holes.
Chris says people find the course surprisingly challenging. “People see the small greens and short course and assume ‘This is going to be easy,’ and it’s just not.” And he should know. His self-description as “decent” is modest, indeed; he’s a steady contender, and won the storied Woodstock Open in 2014. For Chris, it was a milestone moment. Growing up in Red Hook, he started golfing with his dad at the age of eight, but didn’t really immerse himself in the sport until high school. “Every year, I progressed; I was always chasing that improvement,” he says.
“I realized I had potential and just kept grinding, and I’m still chasing it.”
“The scenery is stunning, the course is always in great shape, and it’s really laidback. It’s a private club, but there’s no ‘you’re not welcome’ vibe going on.”
The Woodstock Open, as far as anyone knows, is reportedly the longest-running US golf tournament held at the same course and open to both amateurs and professionals.
Shortly after it began came the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, which is the second-longest-running tournament to be held at the same course and open to professionals and amateurs; the first Woodstock Open took place in 1932, and the Masters began just two years later in 1934. The legendary Gene Sarazen competed twice in the Open in the 1960s, remarkably failing to win either time.
Provisions Restaurant and Pub is open to the public, serving humanely-raised, all-natural meats, daily house-baked breads, handmade mozzarella and fresh vegetables, all of it locally sourced.
Indeed, the Open has a lively history in the annals of the sport. There was 2012, when 16-year-old high school junior Ethan DeForest shattered the competitive course record of 63 by shooting a stunning 10-under par 60 en route to winning the amateur division.
Ethan’s historic round included two eagles, seven birdies, and a single bogey. Also in the Open field that day was Ethan’s father John DeForest, a longtime golf professional from the area and one of four men who held the previous course record.
Less than one year later the course record would fall again, as Club Pro Judd Noto shot an astounding 11-under 59. Noto eagled his second shot (from the fairway on the par-4 15th) and had all birdies up to that point. Noto was as surprised as anyone with the record round, which featured six birdies and an eagle on his 8-under 27 back nine, and three more birdies on the 3-under 32 front nine—their second nine.
“Golf is about constantly striving for perfection; you’re never really attaining it, but you know it’s there, and there's a million ways to approach it.”
“It’s a special course,” says Chris. “The scenery is stunning, the course is always in great shape, and it’s really laidback. It’s a private club, but there’s no ‘you’re not welcome’ vibe going on, ever. Our demographic is all over the place! And being just outside the center of town, obviously, we are convenient to a whole lot of wonderful, fun things.”
Locals or regular visitors who are interested in joining can visit Woodstockgolf.com for more details or email General Manager Brent Powlison at Brent.P@WoodstockGolf.com and take advantage of their half-off special for the 2020 season. Occasional visitors should not forget that they’re invited to bring their lodging receipt and ID and play a round as a welcome guest.
If you'd like to get a peek at the course, Provisions Restaurant and Pub is open to the public, serving humanely-raised, all-natural meats, daily house-baked breads, handmade mozzarella and fresh vegetables, all of it locally sourced. Lunch is from 11:30am to 4pm Tuesday through Sunday, or grab a slammin’ dinner and live music fix on a Monday evening from 5pm till 10pm.
woodstock golf club
114 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock 845-679-0432
woodstockgolf.com
