Powelton Club facts for kids
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| Club information | |
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| Coordinates | 41°31′28″N 74°00′57″W / 41.52444°N 74.01583°W |
| Location | Balmville, NY, United States |
| Established | 1892 |
| Type | private |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Website | http://www.powelton.com/ |
| Designed by | Devereux Emmet |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,007 yards (5,493 m) |
| Course rating | 69.3 |
The Powelton Club is a historic sports club located in Balmville, New York. It sits near US 9W and Interstate 84, just north of Newburgh. This club is very old, being one of the five oldest golf courses in New York state and among the ten oldest in the entire United States. It was first started as an archery club. Because of its long history and importance, the Powelton Club has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999.
Contents
History of the Powelton Club
Early Days and Sports Beginnings
The land where the Powelton Club now stands was once known as Powelton Farm. Later, a hotel called Powelton House was built there, but it burned down in 1870.
In 1878, people started getting together for fun activities, which was a new idea during that time, known as the Gilded Age. They informally created the Powelton Archery Club. Just a year later, in 1879, tennis courts were built. These same courts are still used today! In 1882, the Powelton Lawn Tennis Club of Newburgh was officially formed. This was one of the first tennis programs in the U.S. and was recognized by the United States Tennis Association.
Golf Arrives at the Club
Ten years later, in 1892, the club rented more land and built a new clubhouse. They added places for baseball, bowling, and croquet. Club stories say that the first five golf holes were created almost right away. This was only four years after the very first American golf course was built in Yonkers. We don't know who designed these first golf holes.
By 1897, the club bought more land, which allowed them to have a full nine-hole golf course. A club member named James Taylor designed this course. A map from 1903 showed that the club covered about 57 acres (23 hectares). Balmville, where the club is, was a leafy area along the Hudson River where wealthy businessmen from Newburgh built large, fancy homes.
Expanding to 18 Holes
After World War I, the club decided to make their golf course even bigger, to a full 18 holes. In 1921, they hired Devereux Emmet, a famous golf course designer in the New York metropolitan area. Two years later, after the club got more land that Emmet needed, he started his work.
The new 18-hole course opened in 1926. It introduced new features like sand traps and trees to separate and protect the fairways. For the first time at Powelton, the course used special golf grasses instead of just regular pasture grass. The land was also changed to make the course more challenging.
However, the course's new design didn't last long. The very next year, the state announced it would take part of the club's western land to build a new highway, US 9W. Emmet quickly redesigned three holes to fit the new road.
Changes and Modern Additions
Around the same time, a swimming pool was added north of the clubhouse. Sadly, the clubhouse burned down in 1929. The current clubhouse, which is made of whitewashed brick, was designed by Francis L. Abreu and opened by the next summer.
The club stayed mostly the same until the 1960s. At that time, the state's Department of Transportation took another piece of land from the south end to finish Interstate 84. The club worked hard to keep more of its land this time, which saved the golf course from another big change. This reduced the club's property to its current size of 100 acres (40 hectares).
Some updates were made to the clubhouse around that time, including a small addition. A wading pool was also added. Thirty years later, a two-story addition was built on the north side of the building, creating a meeting room and lounge.
The groundskeeper's building and a nearby barn, both built in 1865, are the only original Powelton Farm buildings still standing on the property. All these old buildings and structures, except for the wading pool, are considered important parts of the club's historic value.
See also
