CRARYVILLE, New York – Copake Country Club, a scenic public access course here in New York’s Upper Hudson Valley, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The Devereux Emmet 1921 design – in Craryville – is known for its strategic holes, fast greens, dramatic elevations and stunning vistas.
Copake Country Club (6,300 yards, par 72), considered one of the top public golf courses in the U.S., sits on the shores of Copake Lake and is at the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Architect Mark Fine developed a Master Plan for the vintage course that included significant restoration and renovation work.
“The long history of Copake demanded that respect be paid to this era of design,” said Fine.
The mission was to preserve, protect and promote the strategic Golden Age features that the original architect left behind. The result is a course that’s a “must play’’ for golfers who want to experience an authentic design by one of America’s greatest early architects.
Emmet (1861-1934), a New York native and graduate of Columbia University, is considered a giant of American golf design and one of the quintessential architects of the Golden Age. He is credited with designing more than 150 golf courses worldwide. Some of his more famous work in the U.S. is Garden City Golf Club, Congressional Country Club, Bethpage State Park (Green Course), as well as Pelham Country Club, The Powelton Club, Sewane Country Club and Wee Burn Country Club.
Copake is a shot maker’s paradise with its green complexes the strength of the course. Most of the greens are crowned and severely canted in places and feature steep false fronts.
Copake was almost lost to a real estate developer, who was planning to purchase the land for the construction of some 400 townhomes. In 2006, an initiative led by local resident Jon Urban saved the historic course from destruction and thus preserved its legacy.
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