Founded in 1914, Bellevue Country Club engaged Donald Ross to design a course for the members. Two years later, a 9-hole track was in play and by 1920 another nine holes had been developed to fashion much of today’s layout.
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Founded in 1914, Bellevue Country Club engaged Donald Ross to design a course for the members. Two years later, a 9-hole track was in play and by 1920 another nine holes had been developed to fashion much of today’s layout.
Bellevue
It’s no secret that much of New York is flush with great golf courses from both Golden Age and modern designers alike. Syracuse drew a relatively short straw compared to other major cities in the state, but it still has a pair of noteworthy classics, in Onondaga (from Walter Travis) as well as Donald Ross’s Bellevue Country Club.
The renowned architect found many a hill to work with at this club when he arrived for the original nine-hole design, and even more when the club acquired additional acreage four years later for him to complete a traditional 18.
A long descent from the tee box is memorable to all golfers, and several holes fit the description at Bellevue, including No. 4 and the closing hole. Although players will get help off of the tee, they’ll need it: The former is the No. 1 handicap hole, and No. 18 will require a long approach to a green that slopes away from the player. The signature feature at Bellevue, however, comes at No. 14, where a visible rock ledge along the right of the fairway may distract players.
Ron Forse has been commissioned for a master plan to restore the Ross elements at the club in the near future.