Teugega country club is in possession of a 1921, Donald J. Ross-designed golf course. It sits across the street from the Delta Reservoir and occupies a topographically-diverse and interesting piece of property. The course began a restoration in 2004 under the watchful eye of Barry Jordan, a Syracuse-based architect. Ten years later, the club continues to restore the club to the state it knew when Donald Ross walked the property. As with many courses, trees were planted by various committee members, until canopies of arbor grew over fairways, reducing sunlight exposure and air flow to the grass. The way Ross intended the course to play was lost and it took a master plan to bring it back.
The principal difference between front and back nines is found in the character of the putting surfaces. The front nine rolls across a gently-undulating segment of the property and offers a number of elevated and ground-level putting surfaces. While their conditioning is excellent, few of them demand a second look from the player. When one reaches the 10th green, a heaving ocean of a putting green, it is clear that the flat stick will be tested to a greater extent over this portion of the course. That the holes move across more-broken ground than the front nine adds an additional element of challenge to the inward nine.
While courses like Pinehurst #2 and Oak Hill West receive more attention for their Donald J. Ross courses, this small but strong, northern New York golf course has successfully preserved a legacy laid down some 80 years prior. If golf is simply a chance to enjoy some free time, you should learn a bit more about the architecture of the game.
