Meadow Brook Golf Club
The Meadow Brook Club is a private golf club in Jericho, New York, Long Island, New York, United States. From 1894 to 1954 it was part of a hunting club, which soon evolved into a major polo club. After the original grounds were expropriated for urban development, it moved to its present location and became primarily a golf club. The Meadowbrook Polo Club is now a separate entity.
| Club information | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Coordinates | 40.795184°N 73.556582°W |
| Location | Jericho, New York, United States |
| Established | 1894 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Website | www |
| Designed by | Dick Wilson |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,405 yards (6,771 m) |
| Course rating | 75.3 |
| Slope rating | 143 |
Origins
The club originated as the Meadow Brook Hunt Club, established in 1881 in Westbury, New York and home of the Meadow Brook Hounds.[1] The hunt club had its headquarters in Westbury, but convened in different rural parts of Nassau County where the hounds and horses could run free. Future President Theodore Roosevelt was a member of the hunt club, which met at his home in Oyster Bay in 1886. The members sometimes hunted foxes, but often drag hunted, where the hounds followed a trail of anise scent.[2]
The Hunt Club gave birth to the Meadowbrook Polo Club, whose founders included the polo player and millionaire Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. (1862-1941).[3] Hitchcock was one of the founders of the Meadow Brook steeplechase races in 1883, and in 1889 became master of the Meadow Brook Hunt.[4] The club in Westbury had eight polo fields, and was the leading polo center in the United States.[5] During the first half of the 20th century the polo club was often the site for national or international polo championships.[3]
First course
A nine-hole golf course was built for the Meadow Brook Club in 1894.[1] It was located in Hempstead, New York.[6] In 1895 the first national women's golf tournament was held at Meadow Brook.[3] The winner was Lucy Barnes, wife of Charles S. Brown, with 132 strokes for the eighteen-hole match.[7] The club became an early member of the United States Golf Association.[1] On 31 March 1897 the Metropolitan Golf Association was formed at Delmonico's in New York City, at first called the Metropolitan League of Golf Clubs. Oliver W. Bird of Meadow Brook Golf Club was a member of the five-person formation committee.[8]
In 1936 Sam Snead won two matches at the Meadow Brook Club, earning a $10,000 fee. This gave him the money he needed to start playing professionally full time.[9]
Present course
The original polo ground and golf course was requisitioned by New York City Park Commissioner Robert Moses for a parkway extension.[10] The Meadowbrook State Parkway extension of 1954 cut through the club property from north to south.[11] The polo club moved to Post Road in Old Westbury, New York, in 1954.[3] A new entity was formed, now called the Meadowbrook Polo Club, which continued to arrange polo matches on Long Island. In the 1990s it hosted two U.S. Open Championships at Bethpage State Park.[11]
A new site for a golf course in Jericho, New York was selected in October 1953 by Dick Wilson, the architect of the course.[10] Wilson drew up plans for the course in just six weeks. Construction began in April 1954 by Troup Brothers of Miami, who undertook the heavy-duty earth movement. Irrigation and drainage pipes and tile beds were installed in the summer, and grass sown in the fall. Seaside bent was used for the greens and a mix of Astoria bent and Chewings fescue for the fairways.[10] With the move to Jericho the Meadow Brook Club changed into a golf club.[12] The course was officially opened for play on 4 June 1955.[10]
The course has championship tees up to 7,405 yards (6,771 m) in length. It has been host to regional tournaments such as the Metropolitan PGA Championships, the Metropolitan Open and the Lightpath Long Island Classic.[1] Recently Tripp Davis renovated the course, placing more emphasis on interest than on challenge.[13]
References
- Welcome to Meadow Brook Club.
- Panchyk 2007, p. 71.
- Panchyk 2007, p. 73.
- Winants 2000, p. 80.
- young & Young 2007, p. 372.
- Werner 2010, p. 141.
- Kirsch 2009, p. 54.
- Bakker 2013, p. 118.
- Moss 2013, p. 188.
- Wind 1955.
- Laffaye 2009, p. 179.
- Phipps 1997, p. 38.
- Klein 2013, p. 172.
Sources
- Bakker, Pamela A. (2013-01-01). Eyes on the Sporting Scene, 1870-1930: Will and June Rankin, New York's Sportswriting Brothers. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0167-0. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Kirsch, George B. (2009). Golf in America. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03292-9. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Klein, Bradley S (2013-09-01). Wide Open Fairways: A Journey Across the Landscapes of Modern Golf. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-4849-6. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Laffaye, Horace A. (2009). The Evolution of Polo. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5415-0. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Moss, Richard J. (2013-06-01). The Kingdom of Golf in America. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-4680-5. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Panchyk, Richard (2007). A History of Westbury, Long Island. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-59629-213-0. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
- Phipps, Lang (1997-08-18). "Party Animals". New York. New York Media, LLC. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- "Welcome to Meadow Brook Club". Meadow Brook Club. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
- Werner, Doug (2010-10-01). Golfer's Start-Up: A Beginner's Guide to Golf. Tracks Publishing. ISBN 978-1-884654-76-3. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Winants, Peter (2000-08-17). Steeplechasing: A Complete History of the Sport in North America. Derrydale Press. ISBN 978-1-4617-0822-3. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- Wind, Herbert Warren (31 October 1955). "The Meadow Brook Club's New Course In Jericho, L.I. Has All the Hallmarks Of A 'born Classic' Of Golf". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
- Young, William H.; Young, Nancy K. (2007). The Great Depression in America: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33521-1. Retrieved 2013-10-31.