The Donald Ross Society’s current directory lists “Lake Pleasant Golf Course, Lake Pleasant, NY — 9 holes — 1922 — PUB 9,” which places the commission among Ross’s small-scale Adirondack projects of the early 1920s and provides the baseline for authorship and date. Local civic histories likewise record the establishment of the “Lake Pleasant Golf Course” in 1922, corroborating the year the club came into being. Regional heritage pieces add that the course formed part of the Hotel Morley complex and, in the early years, was associated with the Hamilton County Adirondack Club—context consistent with the tourism-driven development of golf amenities around the lakes.
Several secondary sources repeat that Ross “designed” or “laid out” the course in 1922 and note a 1923 season as a practical “opening” for play; a local article cited on a research forum even quotes a contemporary report asserting Ross had surveyed the nine and praised the naturalness of the ground. However, no Ross plan set, correspondence, or construction file from Lake Pleasant is presently available online, and the quoted newspaper has not been independently verified here.
Unique Design Characteristics
Because original drawings have not surfaced publicly and because the course has operated continuously as a simple local nine, assigning hole-by-hole Ross features must be done cautiously. What can be described from current scorecard data and site reports is the scale and pattern of the holes: the card shows par 35 at 2,864 yards with par-5s at the second (470 yards) and sixth (488 yards), a long par-3 at the fifth (225 yards), and short-iron par-3s at the fourth (130 yards) and eighth (220 yards). The opening tee shot plays downhill off a ridge by the clubhouse into the valley where most of the routing sits, a terrain move repeatedly noted by local tourism sources and consistent with what one sees on site. The club’s own description emphasizes tree-lined corridors, several sand bunkers, and alternate tees that change angles on a second loop—modest, practical devices that suit the property’s confined footprint between the lakes. Without authenticated plans, it is not possible to claim today’s green contours or bunker forms as “original Ross” with certainty; the most prudent candidates for surviving Ross intent are the corridors and green sites that occupy naturally receptive ground in the valley (especially on the mid-course stretch from holes 2 through 6), but this inference requires confirmation through archival comparison and historic aerials.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s New York work, Lake Pleasant stands as a rare, surviving public nine-holer listed in the Ross directory, contemporaneous with other Adirondack or upstate commissions such as Schroon Lake (1917), Thendara (initial 9 in 1921), and, on a grander resort scale, The Sagamore (1928). That context matters: Lake Pleasant exemplifies the small rural leisure project that brought golf to seasonal communities tied to hotels and lakes rather than to metropolitan clubs. The Ross directory’s explicit inclusion of Lake Pleasant (with its public status noted) is significant in itself, given that some Adirondack attributions have shifted over time as new documentation has emerged. No record was found of state or national championships at Lake Pleasant; the course’s contribution is instead its continuity as a community venue that preserves a 1920s Ross-authored routing in daily public use.
Current Condition / Integrity
The present course remains a nine-hole, daily-fee layout with a putting green and minimal practice infrastructure; it does not advertise named renovation architects or any masterplan aimed at historic restoration. The holes are played as posted (par 35/2,864 yards), with four alternate tees employed to vary angles on repeat loops. Absent plan comparisons, it is impossible to state precisely how much of Ross’s detailing survives; nonetheless, the course’s routing scale, hole count, and general valley setting appear consistent with the 1922 origin and with the constraints implied by the property’s location between the lakes.
Sources & Notes
Donald Ross Society, Directory of Golf Courses Designed by Donald J. Ross (June 2023 revision). Entry reads: “Lake Pleasant Golf Course — Lake Pleasant, NY — 9 — 1922 — PUB 9.” Also lists comparative New York entries (Schroon Lake; Thendara; Sagamore) that frame regional context.
Lake Pleasant Golf Course (club site). Course overview and note on alternate tees; recognition assertion regarding the Donald Ross Society.
Adirondack Regional Tourism Council / Speculator Chamber listings. Describe location between the lakes, seasonality, and public access; repeat Ross attribution and DRS recognition language.
speculatorchamber.com
Town of Lake Pleasant (municipal history page). Notes “1922 – Lake Pleasant Golf Course is established,” supporting the establishment date.
Experience Our Adirondacks / Adirondack Taste features (2022–2025). Provide local historical context tying the course to the Hotel Morley complex and the Hamilton County Adirondack Club; mention 1922/1923 references and the downhill opening tee. Use as secondary, tourism-oriented sources.
Adirondack Golf Trail (site feature). Adds narrative context about the Hotel Morley connection and first-tee topography; treated as secondary confirmation.
GolfClubAtlas forum thread, “Lake Pleasant GC, NY — possibly an unknown Ross” (Mar. 3, 2020). Cites (without scan) a period article stating Ross “surveyed and laid out” the nine and praised the naturalness of the site; included here as a research lead only until the primary clipping is obtained.