Siwanoy’s early years (1901–1913) unfolded on leased land; rapid growth prompted a new site search. Donald Ross was engaged to evaluate options and, after inspecting properties, endorsed the Manor property, then planned and supervised construction of a new eighteen-hole layout in 1913. The course opened for play the following season (1914). Contemporary club records note the original course measured 6,251 yards and carried an initial par of 73 that was soon standardized to 71—figures that underscore Ross’s reliance on angle and contour over brute distance. Two years later, in October 1916, Siwanoy hosted the inaugural PGA Championship, won by Jim Barnes in a 36-hole final—an event that immediately inscribed the course into the national competitive record.
Post-war modernization arrived in 1952, when Robert Trent Jones directed a substantial campaign to “tighten up” the layout for better players by reshaping greens, modernizing and relocating bunkers, building new tees, and stretching overall yardage to around 6,400 yards. Later twentieth-century stewardship included periods of tree management and restorative work to recover width and playing angles. In the 2000s, architect Mike DeVries prepared a long-range improvement plan (authored 2007) that focused on restoring lost green edges and pinning areas, re-establishing traditional mowing patterns, rebuilding bunkers, and guiding tree and water management; that program was carried through the following years (project credited as completed by 2015). The club’s campus also underwent a major clubhouse renovation and expansion completed in 2020.
Unique Design Characteristics
Ross’s routing at Siwanoy distilled a lot of golf into a modest footprint by exploiting subtle ridgelines and creek crossings while frequently changing direction to sample prevailing and quartering winds. Several holes remain crisp illustrations of his work on small acreage:
Short holes with exacting greens. The par-3 6th (roughly 150 yards) is the shortest on the course but among the most exacting: a three-section, fiercely sloped green sheds indifferent shots, with tight bunkers left and a steep fall-off right that accentuate trajectory and spin control. The 11th (mid- to long-iron) also demands precise line and distance into a narrow target flanked by guarding bunkers.
Convertible long holes and angle-based risk–reward. The 4th plays as a par 4/5 depending on setup; from the elevated tee, the fairway bends left past penal corner bunkers that dictate line. A confident carry shortens the approach; bailing right lengthens the hole and complicates the angle into a large, undulating target—classic Ross leverage of a diagonal hazard creating multiple plays. The 18th, a three-shot finisher for most, doglegs right around rough-line bunkers to a fairway pinched by a creek ~100 yards from the green; prudent lay-up is rewarded with the best angle to a broad, subtly contoured final green.
Green sizes and mowing lines restored for intent. Through the DeVries plan, Siwanoy recaptured green perimeters and short-grass presentation that re-introduce Ross’s intended pinnable corners and ground-contour interest. This work, alongside bunkering updates and tree management, sharpened the course’s “play off the ground” options and returned strategic value to fairway width.
Collectively, these elements make the 6th, 4th, 15th–18th finishing stretch, and the mid-iron 11th the clearest surviving expressions of Ross’s Siwanoy—holes where angle, stance and green contour outweigh pure yardage.
Historical Significance
Siwanoy’s primary claim within Ross’s corpus is chronological and cultural: it provided the stage for the first PGA Championship in 1916, anchoring the birthplace of a major championship in a Ross design. That match-play event—Barnes over Hutchison by 1 up—tied the club permanently to the professional game’s institutional history and to Rodman Wanamaker’s effort to elevate the standing of club professionals nationwide. Beyond the tournament, Siwanoy functioned as a proving ground for elite amateurs in the metro New York scene; the course is consistently cited as the home club of Jess Sweetser, the first American-born winner of the British Amateur (1926) and the 1922 U.S. Amateur champion, strengthening the course’s association with precision golf at the highest amateur level. Modern course guides continue to list Siwanoy among notable Westchester-area classics.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing and bones. Club documentation states that the course Ross “laid out and had constructed in 1913 is basically the same… today,” notwithstanding reductions in some sand features over time; the routing integrity remains high. The 1952 Robert Trent Jones program modernized hazards and tees and increased yardage, reflecting mid-century tastes and equipment. Later restorations—culminating in the DeVries plan authored in 2007 and implemented thereafter—focused less on re-imagining the course and more on recovering Ross’s intent: expanding greens to original edges, restoring pinnable surface area, re-setting mowing lines, and re-positioning/rebuilding bunkers to re-establish diagonal challenge.
Present features and play. The club’s current scorecard shows a back-tee total of 6,626 yards (Plate) with a par of 71 (total listed as 70/71 due to the convertible 4th). Individual hole write-ups corroborate the course’s strategic DNA: a short par-3 with a severe green (6), a mid-length par-3 demanding a shaped mid-iron (11), a tempting but exacting convertible par (4), and a tough, creek-influenced finishing par-5 (18). The 16th is noted as “significantly changed in the recent restoration,” illustrating targeted refinements rather than wholesale re-routing. The club also completed a major clubhouse renovation and expansion in 2020, ensuring the off-course infrastructure aligns with the historic stature of the course.
What has been preserved vs. altered.
Preserved: routing framework; general sequence and use of the Manor property’s ridges and creek; the reliance on angle-creating bunkers and green-entry contour.
Altered: select bunkering schemes (notably in 1952) and tee placements to keep the course relevant; certain water features and safety clearances; tree plantings and later removals that altered corridors and wind—subsequently adjusted in restoration to recapture width and sightlines.
Restored: green perimeters/pin areas; fairway width and lines; bunker forms emphasizing strategic, not merely penal, roles; selective tree and water management to rebalance agronomy and play.
Extent and authorship of late-20th-century work. Publicly accessible sources clearly document the 1952 Robert Trent Jones modernization and the DeVries long-range plan (2007; realized thereafter). References to additional late-1990s restoration/tree-management led by other architects appear in enthusiast forums and trade anecdotes; these may be accurate but should be verified before being presented as definitive.
Sources & Notes
Siwanoy Country Club — Course History. Club website. Details Ross’s 1913 construction, 1914 play, original yardage/par, and 1952 Robert Trent Jones modernization. Also notes continuity of the routing.
Siwanoy Country Club — History. Club website. Documents the move from the Hunt property, Ross’s site inspection/endorsement of the Manor property, and broad club chronology; notes 2020 clubhouse renovation.
Siwanoy Country Club — Course Tour & Scorecard. Club website. Current hole-by-hole descriptions, yardages, ratings/slopes; total 6,626 yards (Plate) and par 70/71 (4th as 4/5). Also hole-specific notes for 4, 6, 11, 16, and 18 cited in the narrative.
PGA of America — 1916 PGA Championship (secondary summaries) / Wikipedia entry for 1916 PGA Championship. Location, dates (Oct. 10–14, 1916), and result (Jim Barnes def. Jock Hutchison, 1 up) at Siwanoy Country Club.
Clayton DeVries & Pont / DeVries Designs — Siwanoy Country Club project pages. Outline the 2007 long-term improvement plan and the restoration focuses (green perimeters, mowing lines, bunker reconstruction, tree/water management); CDP notes completion by 2015.