CLUB HISTORY

A Golf Course in Roscoe!

How did the word and gram get started, anyway? The word ‘golf’ (or chole and kolf) was thought by historians to be derivative of the word for ‘club’, a large stick often used to bop folks over the head when words just wouldn’t do. One theory has it that in the 12th century, a group of bored Scot’s shepherds started knocking stones into rabbit holes with a stick, and the game was born. All agree that 500 years ago, the word also appears to have covered different types of medieval stick and ball games that were gaining immense popularity in the British Isles. In fact, in 1457, King James II felt archery practice in Scotland was being seriously neglected in favor of a new game called ‘ye golf’. It immediately went on his ‘banned’ list, with, of course, serious penalties for the playing of said game!

When you mentioned the twin towns of Roscoe/Rockland to most folks coming into the Sullivan County area, they immediately think of standing in the sunlight while happily fishing for trout in Junction Pool. (After all, Roscoe is called “Trout Town USA”!) Clearly, visitors don’t expect to find a fantastic golf course that’s open to the public and has quite reasonable green fees In fact, the Roscoe area boasts two active and scenic links, one-off Rockland Road and the other by Tennanah Lake and a third, The Beaverkill Golf Course, (1899 – 1963), located high up in the Beaverkill Valley, is still played in the memories of older residents. This brief article will focus on the history of the Twin Village Golf Club, a lovely 9-hole course tucked into the base of a mountain facing the Beaver Kill River.

We have to go back in time to a mild May evening in 1925; The Roscoe-Rockland Commercial Club was meeting with the intent to form a golf club, giving it the name Twin Village Golf Club. One of the Commercial Club members was from Scotland and really missed the game. The men chose the name ‘Twin Village Golf Club’, which the facility still bears today. Interestingly though, the current site was not the first choice. According to the old Sullivan Country Review records dated 5/7/1925: ”A committee was empowered to purchase of the Keery Chemical Company a tract of land situated along the Wilowemoc River near the AJ Bennett Farm to be used at the links…and it is reached by the road known as the “back road” to Hazel.” The article goes on to mention that “Thomas Lindsey, a professional golfer,” had inspected the site and was quite impressed. However, two weeks later, the paper carried a much different story. The new headline read: “Lands near Rockland House favored by expert.” (5/21/1925) The golf club had decided to go with the local property owner and one who was reckoned to love golf: “…having leased of Joseph Taylor a large strip of flat land and gently sloping hillside situated at Rockland opposite the Rockland House.” A new golf expert, Lakewood Farms’ James Hanion was found to extol the virtues of the new Rockland Road site. Mr. Hanion weighs in with his opinion and, “declared that the course would be very sporty and that construction would be very inexpensive.” Ah, yes, there was the problem of money to both lease the land and pay for the construction of a 9-hole course.

Financing the golf course was solved by forming a committee dedicated to selling stock in the club at $25.00 a share. Mind you, this was not necessarily a cheap price in 1925. Joseph Taylor (who owned the Rockland House), Walter Hones, and Joseph Lindsay were selected to head the committee whose goal was “to encourage a universal interest in the project by the residents of Roscoe & Rockland.” Mr. Lindsay was from Scotland and had long dreamed of a convenient place close to his home to play. He and later his nephew, J. Bruce Lindsay, were eventually the driving forces for making the course a reality. Construction began that summer and the course was completed after months of effort. The town of Rockland lived up to its name for former members can recall digging and dragging a lot of very large rocks out of the fields.

When the course was opened, it was considered a 9-hole ‘executive’ style and was intended for golfers of all skill levels. According to many of the written pieces about the course, it is open, and the small greens are ‘medium speed’. (It is a ‘Par 32’ course.) The course or terrain is quite easy to walk because it is flat. There are water bits on the 1st and 9th holes, while the 5th hole is the best spot for a great view of the course and the lovely mountains in the background.

The clubhouse building also has a really interesting and rather old history. It shows School Number 9 on the 1875 map of the area, which was known as the Westfield Flats. It was not the ninth school in the town but was located in the 9th District, so it took its name from the district itself. Several seniors remember going to classes in the school, which was in operation until the late 1930’s. They told me that the building then had two stories but the golf club removed the second floor and added to the side of the building. You can see from the window style that the edifice is quite old. Pine trees surround the building, and the links are in the rear, with the mountain buffering the wind.

A large golf ball is the only sign really, that there is truly a fantastic golf course right here in the twin villages of Roscoe & Rockland. The Twin Village Golf Club website gives a ton of great information, including directions and fees, and also has a great outline of the links which would instantly make a golfer out of a visitor. Finally, although one cannot hear the river, the Beaverkill is within walking distance of the clubhouse if you bring your fly rod along with your golf clubs. All in all a marvelous spot for a day’s outing.

Dr. Joyce Conroy

Rockland Historian

Contact Us

Twin Village Golf Course

146 Rockland Rd

Roscoe, NY 12776

(607) 498-4020

twinvillagegolf@townofrocklandny.com