The Background
Saint Andrews in Yonkers is America’s oldest golf club. It was founded in 1888 and it is also a founding member of the USGA alongside the Country Club, Chicago, Newport and Shinnecock Hills.
The course is regarded as “one of the best conditioned layouts” and is a challenging par 71 which was redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 1983.
The Scene
In February 1988, Scottish sportsman John Reid and a few of his friends took some clubs and balls to an area of land in Yonkers which is 20 miles outside of New York City.
The clubhouse they established was an apple tree that they hung their coats on and originally started the course as a three hole layout.
This was the beginning of what would become the oldest golf club in America.
In 1998 the club hosted the anniversary for the first 100 years of golf in America. Many famous names including, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player were all in attendance.
In 1995, Saint Andrews began the tradition of the Founders Cup which are matches played between the five founding members of the USGA.
The Legacy
The links to the clubs’ Scottish heritage still lives today with a healthy tournament relationship with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (St Andrews, Scotland).
The club also participates in the Julian Curtiss Cup matches, a series held exclusively between clubs at least 100 years old, including Baltrusrol, Baltimore and Greenwich.
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