A September 20, 1917 notice in the Warrensburg News announced a “new Schroon Lake attraction” to be laid out by Donald Ross for proprietors James and Louis Emerson and Phillip Rice, who had purchased roughly 100 acres along Hoffman Road for the project. Construction proceeded in fall 1917 and spring 1918, with Memorial Day 1918 set as the opening. Day-to-day field work was overseen by John Daigneau—longtime head greenkeeper at Cobble Hill in Elizabethtown—who was hired to supervise construction; a local contractor and workers from the Emerson farm completed the build. The local history compiled in 1984 by Robert G. Swan notes candidly that “it may have been originally designed by Donald Ross, but John used what was there and the time he had and built a golf course,” an acknowledgement that the realized work reflected both a Ross plan and pragmatic field decisions.
The opening version in 1918 consisted of seven holes with two fairways crossing—a temporary expedient driven by schedule and site preparation—on land previously used as farm and pasture. The 1919–1920 campaign added holes to complete the nine, with the 2nd and 3rd fairways carved from woodland and the 1st and 4th lengthened. A small, two-room clubhouse with a club-repair shop was built, though early amenities were minimal; water for the course was hauled from nearby springs.
Through the 1920s, incremental improvements continued under Daigneau’s sons and successor professionals: toilet facilities were added, clay tees gave way to grass and rubber, and select holes were adjusted again—holes 8 and 9 lengthened, a new tee for 7 constructed, and fairways top-dressed with trucked topsoil. During this period the course supported a robust resort economy tied to the Leland House and Brown Swan Club, drawing summer visitors and occasional dignitaries.
In December 1944 the Town of Schroon purchased the course as a municipal attraction, formalizing public ownership that continues today. A later phase of municipal reinvestment culminated in a new clubhouse opened in 1982. The town’s site now manages hours, fees, and league/tournament information, but does not publish original drawings or later renovation plans.
Unique Design Characteristics
The realized 1918–20 course reflected modest construction means on a small Adirondack farm parcel, which shaped its early architecture. Greens were described as small, with shallow, flat sand traps and fairways prepared by farm machinery and hand labor; tees were initially boxes filled with clay, later replaced as resources allowed. Even if a Ross plot guided the routing, these on-the-ground details suggest a minimalist first build that emphasized walkability and economical hazards rather than elaborate bunkering.
The current card preserves a classic nine-hole par sequence: par 36 with two par fives (6 at 464 yards; 7 at 441), two par threes (2 at 195; 3 at 120), and five par fours, including a 421-yard 8th that functions as the side’s sternest two-shotter. This pattern is consistent with the 1920s reports that 8 and 9 were lengthened and 7 received a new tee, implying that the side’s finishing stretch has anchored the course’s challenge for a century.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s New York portfolio, Schroon Lake stands out as a small-scale, early Adirondack commission that was not included in Ross’s 1930 catalogue yet has been recognized by state golf historians as extant Ross work. The New York State Golf Association (NYSGA) specifically identified Schroon Lake as a previously under-credited Ross course still in play, an acknowledgment that elevates its documentary interest despite its humble scope. Regional tourism histories likewise note that Ross “had a hand” in the Schroon Lake nine during the 1910s. The course’s persistence as a municipal facility—rather than a resort-hotel dependency—also marks it as a community anchor that weathered the decline of the Leland House and the Brown Swan era.
Unlike better-documented Ross layouts, Schroon Lake did not host nationally prominent championships, but its local role was substantial: the course sustained a lively caddie culture during the 1920s–30s and attracted seasonal play from politicians and entertainment figures vacationing in the southern Adirondacks. These details, preserved in the town history, tie the layout to the broader story of Adirondack resort life between the wars.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing and scale. The nine-hole configuration and overall corridor sequence appear continuous with the 1919–20 enlargement, including the two mid-round par fives and the strong 8th. The municipal ownership since 1944 likely protected the footprint from real-estate pressure, even as maintenance practices evolved.
Alterations and accretions. The course underwent intermittent improvements through the 1920s (lengthening 8–9, tee work on 7), and a post-war municipal phase in which infrastructure and basic conditioning were the focus. The 1982 clubhouse replacement is documented; however, there is no published record of a named architect leading a comprehensive restoration or redesign of greens and bunkers. Early traps were “shallow and flat,” greens small, and tees clay-filled boxes—features that have almost certainly been modernized, though the degree of change at each hole is undocumented in public sources. The town website provides operations and fee details but no architectural inventory.
What remains / what is uncertain. The best-preserved elements likely are the routing choices and hole sequencing implemented by 1919–20 under Daigneau, presumably on or near a Ross plot. Precise green perimeters, bunker counts, and original contours cannot be asserted without primary drawings or early aerial photography. For a definitive integrity map, researchers would need access to any surviving Ross plans, town or proprietor files (1917–20), and state aerial surveys from the late 1920s–30s for comparison with present imagery.
Earlier lakeside golf vs. present site. Swan distinguishes the present municipal course from earlier, now-lost lakeside courses associated with the Leland House and Scaroon Manor. Researchers should avoid conflating those venues with the current Hoffman Road property; documentation beyond the Swan text—maps, deeds, hotel ephemera—would solidify separations.
Sources & Notes
Robert G. Swan, “Schroon Lake Golf Course: A History…1917–” (June 1984), Schroon Lake Public Library. Town-hosted PDF compiling local documents and oral histories; includes (a) 1917 ownership transaction and Warrensburg News notice crediting Donald Ross to lay out the course; (b) construction/opening dates (Memorial Day 1918); (c) Daigneau’s supervisory role; (d) enlargement to nine holes in 1919–20; (e) specific later adjustments (8–9 lengthened; new tee for 7); (f) municipal acquisition (Dec. 21, 1944); and (g) 1982 clubhouse opening. Also describes early features (small greens, shallow traps, clay tees).
Town of Schroon — “Schroon Lake Golf Course” (official site). Current contact, hours, fee schedule, and municipal status.
18Birdies — “Schroon Lake Municipal Golf Course.” Public scorecard listing 9-hole yardage 2,936 and 18-hole composite ≈6,105 with hole-by-hole lengths (e.g., No. 2 = 195, No. 3 = 120, No. 6 = 464, No. 7 = 441, No. 8 = 421).
NYSGA, “Donald Ross and his New York Influence” (Oct. 24, 2017). Research feature noting previously under-credited Ross work in New York, naming Schroon Lake as one of two extant examples. (Secondary synthesis; does not reproduce plans.)
Experience Adirondacks, “History of Golf in the Adirondacks” (2022). Regional overview stating Ross “had a hand” in the Schroon Lake nine via a 1910s commission; provides tourism context rather than technical detail.