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Fenway Golf Club
Architect: AW Tillinghast Year: 1924 384 Old Mamaroneck Rd, Scarsdale, NY 10583 Phone: (914) 723-6000 Course Access: Private https://www.fenwaygolfclub.com/ |
Fenway Golf Club
In 1920, an aspiring group of businessmen chose the 40-acre Scarsdale estate of publishing baron Eugene Reynal as the anchor point for a new golf course. Having begun this quest almost 100 years to the day that James Fenimore Cooper, the famous early American author of The Last of the Mohicans, settled in Scarsdale, they chose to name their new club after him. By the spring of 1921, the members of Fenimore Golf Club had acquired enough adjacent land to build a full, 18-hole course as well as a nine-hole executive course. To carve out these courses, they enlisted legendary golf course architect Devereux Emmet.
Not long after its introduction, the members determined that the Emmet design did not fulfill their goal of establishing a truly championship caliber course. Therefore, the club retained the services of the incomparable A.W. Tillinghast, who was then designing neighboring venues Winged Foot and Quaker Ridge.
“Tillie's” design featured a strong dependence upon the natural terrain along with heavily bunkered greens of various dimensions. When Fenimore re-opened in 1924 its new course was immediately crowned a smashing success.
During its first decade, Fenimore became one of the first clubs in the country to employ a playing Tour professional as well as a standard club professional. Leo Diegel, who won back-to-back PGA Championships in 1927 and 1928, was among the club’s notable playing pros. During this period, "Wild" Bill Mehlhorn, a member of the PGA Hall of Fame and Diegel's counterpart on the Inaugural United States Ryder Cup Team manned the club's Pro Shop.
With the nation suffering through the Great Depression, Fenimore's members found themselves struggling to maintain the club's financial viability. The club was forced, in 1936, to reorganize as Fenway Golf Club.
Since that time, Fenway has flourished as one of the preeminent golf clubs in the Metropolitan area.
Golfing greats Sam Snead and Byron Nelson have lauded Fenway greens and Tommy Armour referred to the course as “one of America’s best”. GolfWeek Magazine routinely ranks Fenway amongst the 100 Greatest Classical Courses in the United States and Golf Digest Magazine lists Fenway alongside such magnificent designs as Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills, Oak Hill, and Bethpage Black as one of the top 20 courses in New York State.
Following in the footsteps of Diegel and Mehlhorn, a young player from Port Chester, NY, named Herman Barron settled into the Head Pro position. Over the next four decades, Barron became a golfing legend throughout the United States. A leading tour player, he captured the Western Open, Philadelphia Inquirer, Goodall Round Robin, Senior PGA Championship, the World Championship along with scores of other tour and local events. Herman was a member of the 1947 Ryder Cup Team, considered by many to be the greatest of all time.
Jimmy Wright, a seven-time Met PGA Player of the Year, won his Met Open title at Fenway in 1969. He later returned to Fenway as Head Pro in 1976. Jimmy captured all the major local titles, earned entry into the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Hall of Fame and still holds the Westchester Classic scoring record with a remarkable 62.
Jimmy was succeeded by Jeff Foxx. Jeff won the Nissan Classic in 1984 and the Westchester PGA in 1985 and played in the U.S. Open in 1984 and the PGA Championship in 1986.
In 1999, Fenway welcomed Heath Wassem as its Head Golf Professional and is now serving in his 21st year at the club. He was honored as the 1999 Westchester Golf Association Player of the Year. A five-time qualifier for the National PNC, Heath has also won multiple Metropolitan Section events as well as runner-up finishes in the 2008 Met Open and 1998 & 2000 Met PGA Section Championships. Heath continues the eminent, professional golfing tradition at Fenway by representing the Club in numerous events and by serving on the Board of the Metropolitan PGA since 2002, chairing several committees, completed a three-year term as the Metropolitan PGA President, served as Honorary President for the association and won the award for 2018 Metropolitan PGA Professional of the Year.
In 1920, an aspiring group of businessmen chose the 40-acre Scarsdale estate of publishing baron Eugene Reynal as the anchor point for a new golf course. Having begun this quest almost 100 years to the day that James Fenimore Cooper, the famous early American author of The Last of the Mohicans, settled in Scarsdale, they chose to name their new club after him. By the spring of 1921, the members of Fenimore Golf Club had acquired enough adjacent land to build a full, 18-hole course as well as a nine-hole executive course. To carve out these courses, they enlisted legendary golf course architect Devereux Emmet.
Not long after its introduction, the members determined that the Emmet design did not fulfill their goal of establishing a truly championship caliber course. Therefore, the club retained the services of the incomparable A.W. Tillinghast, who was then designing neighboring venues Winged Foot and Quaker Ridge.
“Tillie's” design featured a strong dependence upon the natural terrain along with heavily bunkered greens of various dimensions. When Fenimore re-opened in 1924 its new course was immediately crowned a smashing success.
During its first decade, Fenimore became one of the first clubs in the country to employ a playing Tour professional as well as a standard club professional. Leo Diegel, who won back-to-back PGA Championships in 1927 and 1928, was among the club’s notable playing pros. During this period, "Wild" Bill Mehlhorn, a member of the PGA Hall of Fame and Diegel's counterpart on the Inaugural United States Ryder Cup Team manned the club's Pro Shop.
With the nation suffering through the Great Depression, Fenimore's members found themselves struggling to maintain the club's financial viability. The club was forced, in 1936, to reorganize as Fenway Golf Club.
Since that time, Fenway has flourished as one of the preeminent golf clubs in the Metropolitan area.
Golfing greats Sam Snead and Byron Nelson have lauded Fenway greens and Tommy Armour referred to the course as “one of America’s best”. GolfWeek Magazine routinely ranks Fenway amongst the 100 Greatest Classical Courses in the United States and Golf Digest Magazine lists Fenway alongside such magnificent designs as Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills, Oak Hill, and Bethpage Black as one of the top 20 courses in New York State.
Following in the footsteps of Diegel and Mehlhorn, a young player from Port Chester, NY, named Herman Barron settled into the Head Pro position. Over the next four decades, Barron became a golfing legend throughout the United States. A leading tour player, he captured the Western Open, Philadelphia Inquirer, Goodall Round Robin, Senior PGA Championship, the World Championship along with scores of other tour and local events. Herman was a member of the 1947 Ryder Cup Team, considered by many to be the greatest of all time.
Jimmy Wright, a seven-time Met PGA Player of the Year, won his Met Open title at Fenway in 1969. He later returned to Fenway as Head Pro in 1976. Jimmy captured all the major local titles, earned entry into the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Hall of Fame and still holds the Westchester Classic scoring record with a remarkable 62.
Jimmy was succeeded by Jeff Foxx. Jeff won the Nissan Classic in 1984 and the Westchester PGA in 1985 and played in the U.S. Open in 1984 and the PGA Championship in 1986.
In 1999, Fenway welcomed Heath Wassem as its Head Golf Professional and is now serving in his 21st year at the club. He was honored as the 1999 Westchester Golf Association Player of the Year. A five-time qualifier for the National PNC, Heath has also won multiple Metropolitan Section events as well as runner-up finishes in the 2008 Met Open and 1998 & 2000 Met PGA Section Championships. Heath continues the eminent, professional golfing tradition at Fenway by representing the Club in numerous events and by serving on the Board of the Metropolitan PGA since 2002, chairing several committees, completed a three-year term as the Metropolitan PGA President, served as Honorary President for the association and won the award for 2018 Metropolitan PGA Professional of the Year.
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