The origins of Thendara’s golf course date to 1921, when Donald Ross designed and the club built an initial nine holes on property along the Moose River flats near the hamlet of Thendara. Contemporary summaries and later architectural notes consistently attribute the front nine to Ross and place opening play in 1921. After operating as a nine-hole course for several decades, the club pursued an expansion to 18 holes in the post-war period. That second phase was not a Ross return: the back nine was designed by Russell D. Bailey, an engineer associated locally, and was constructed in the mid-1950s (sources differ whether 1955 or 1957 marks opening; the thrust is mid-1950s).
By the late 1960s, Geoffrey S. Cornish—then active across the Northeast in expansions and modernizations—undertook remodeling work at Thendara (documented in the Cornish/Hurdzan archives). While project scope is not detailed in publicly available records, later commentary from golfers and historians suggests at least selective green or bunker revisions on the original nine. No primary club minutes or original Ross plan sets are published online; therefore, exact plan dates and any Ross site visits beyond the 1921 build remain unverified from primary sources.
Unique Design Characteristics
Ross’s nine at Thendara is compact, walkable, and routed so that greens and tees sit in close proximity—a hallmark of efficient Adirondack resort golf in that era. The front nine’s defense lies in its small, often sharply contoured greens. Accounts by players and raters repeatedly call out the severity and interest of these targets, with specific mentions of the opening hole’s green, the seventh, and the ninth. The green at No. 2 and the home hole (No. 9) are singled out as especially memorable for their interior movement and demanding recovery shots. Bunkering on the Ross side tends toward modest scale and strategic placement rather than sweeping sand—features that, in Thendara’s sandy-loam/riverine setting, tie into the low-profile construction of the early 1920s. Fairway corridors on the front nine allow for angle-seeking; approaches reward running trajectories in firm conditions.
Crossing to the Bailey back nine, the character pivots. Holes tighten into forest corridors, with narrower landing areas and a greater premium on driving accuracy. Green contours on the back are generally less dramatic than the Ross front, and the test shifts toward positional play. This contrast—open/undulating front vs. wooded/straighter back—remains one of Thendara’s defining experiential traits.
The clearest surviving examples of Ross’s work are the front-nine greens and routing. Nos. 1, 7, and 9 are commonly identified as emblematic, with recoveries around No. 9 in particular reflecting Ross’s tendency here to allow balls to feed away from the putting surface into tight chipping zones. Some observers have speculated that the current fourth green shows evidence of later rework, likely aligning with Cornish’s 1968 visit; if so, holes like 2, 7, and 9 may be the purer reads on Ross’s original intent.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s broader portfolio, Thendara represents a resort-area, small-town commission where he adapted a compact front-nine routing to Adirondack topography and a river-adjacent site, delivered during the prolific post-World War I phase of his career. While not a nationally ranked venue, Thendara has maintained regional competitive relevance as a Central New York PGA host; the Section Championship and other CNY PGA titles have recently been contested here, affirming the course’s ability to test accomplished players despite its modest yardage.
The course also serves as a tangible comparison point in discussions of early- vs. mid-20th-century architecture. Writers have used Thendara’s two nines to illustrate how the shift to narrower, tree-defined corridors in the 1950s altered playing strategies compared with the more width-and-contour-driven approach of 1920s designs. In that sense, Thendara functions as a living case study in evolving American golf architecture across four decades.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing integrity on the Ross front nine appears largely intact: holes still occupy their original corridors, and the walk remains compact. The greens on the front retain pronounced interior movement and small targets, though there are credible indications that at least one front-nine green (commonly cited as No. 4) was reworked during the Cornish remodeling era; other greens (Nos. 1, 7, 9) are frequently cited by players as retaining “diabolical” or “severe” Ross-style contours. Bunker forms on the front nine are relatively modest and plausible for the 1921 period, while the back nine’s hazards and tree density reflect Bailey’s mid-century aesthetic and subsequent maturation of the forest.
On the back nine, the wooded corridors have tightened over time, amplifying the contrast with the front. Maintenance melds the two nines with consistent putting speeds and mowing lines, but strategic intent still differs markedly: the Ross side rewards angle creation and short-iron precision to small, lively targets; the Bailey side rewards driving accuracy and controlled approaches into more conventional putting surfaces.
From a facilities standpoint, Thendara today offers a semi-private model with daily-fee play, a grill room, shop, and basic practice amenities (putting green and range). Course setup for CNY PGA competitions indicates the club can present firmer, faster conditions, which in turn accentuate Ross’s green contours on the front and keep scoring honest despite the total yardage.
Citations and Uncertainty
Uncertainties / items needing primary verification:
– The precise scope of Geoffrey Cornish’s 1968 work (which green complexes, bunker changes, and any tee relocations) is documented only as a “remodel” in the Cornish archive index; obtaining Cornish’s job file or club architectural records would clarify.
– Back-nine opening is variably reported as 1955 or 1957; local newspapers or club board minutes from those years would fix a definitive date.
– Claims that “several” front-nine greens were rebuilt in later decades appear in user reviews; these should be treated as anecdotal until corroborated by project documents.
Sources & Notes
Thendara Golf Club official site: general course description; hole listing pages; club positioning as semi-private and facilities overview.
The Fried Egg, “Playing Hickories at Thendara Golf Club” (Sept. 22, 2019): front nine attributed to Donald Ross (1921), back nine to Russell Bailey (1955); narrative on contrasting design character.
Discover Upstate NY travel listing: front nine (1921) by Ross; back nine by Russell Bailey opened 1957; semi-private status and amenity summary.
Golf.com Course Finder (arch. summary): architects and year breakdown including Geoffrey Cornish (1968).
Michigan State Univ. Libraries – Cornish Archive Index (“Remodeled Course Designs by Name”): Thendara Golf Club, Thendara, NY (1968) listed under Cornish remodels.
Central New York PGA – event reports (2020s) noting Section championships hosted at Thendara; plus Wikipedia list reflecting 2022 Section Championship venue.
GolfClubAtlas discussion threads with hole-specific observations (front-nine green severity; mentions of Nos. 2 & 9; note on possible 4th-green rework). Treated as informed secondary commentary pending primary documentation.
GolfPass course page: architect credits (Ross 1921; Bailey 1956), seasonal operation note; user reviews noting front-nine green contours. (Anecdotal; used cautiously.)