Schuyler Meadows

History was always on the mind of the founders at the Schuyler Meadows Club; after all, the original clubhouse was designed to be a mimic of George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon. Fortunately for them, their hiring of Devereux Emmet assured that the golf course would retain historic relevance as it approaches its 100th anniversary.

The appreciation of that history has ramped up during the new millennium, as Gil Hanse was tasked to produce a modernization plan in 2002, but Bruce Hepner (himself a golf history buff) was the architect commissioned eight years later to rebuild the bunkers. The current route measures nearly 6,900 yards from the back tees, and features Emmet’s distinguished variety of bunkers throughout.

Although a par four, the No. 11 hole seems to feature a small-scale version of Tillinghast’s “great hazard,” and local alumni may want to suggest the two fairway bunkers at No. 17 stand for “Albany University,” despite its location next to Siena College.

The club is one of the standouts in the New Albany region, home of the state capital but perpetually living in the shadow of the bigger New York City, both in terms of political and golf clout.