Ross’s engagement is fixed by two typed letters to Horace A. Crary of Warren dated March 22 and March 30, 1915, on Pinehurst Country Club stationery. In them, Ross acknowledged Crary’s request, set aside “about the end of April or beginning of May,” and specified he would “take up the golf work for you about May 1.” He outlined the process—club to furnish a boundary map, then a surveyor to stake tees and greens after his layout—and noted such work “usually occupies one day or at the most two.” These letters sit alongside a small trove of Ross field materials preserved by the club: pencil sketches of individual holes drawn on “Bridge Whist” scorecards, a hand-drawn routing plan keyed to local landmarks (Conewango Creek and the trolley/rail corridor), and a two-page agronomic memorandum written from St. Andrews, N.B., specifying grass mixtures (red fescue, creeping bent, red top, and a touch of Kentucky blue) and fertilizer recommendations for fairways and putting surfaces. Together, these documents establish planning and on-site work in spring and late summer 1915 and a first season of play during World War I; the club states 1916 as the opening year for the original nine.
Those nine holes—identified by the club as present-day 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, and 18—occupied the high bench above Conewango Creek, using modest earthwork and distinct, small greens. In the late 1960s–early 1970s the club pursued expansion to a full 18. Multiple sources credit Canadian architect C.E. “Robbie” Robinson with the new nine; a club history page cites the addition in 1971, while another club page—and several modern course directories—place the “new 9” opening in 1973, consistent with a construction-in-1971/first-full-season-by-1973 timeline. No evidence has surfaced that Ross returned after the 1915 layout to alter the course; subsequent adjustments on the Ross nine appear to be member-driven maintenance and small routing tweaks, notably at #12 when the practice facility was built, which yielded two putting surfaces for that hole.
Unique Design Characteristics
The club’s own hole descriptions and the Ross sketches align on several traits of the surviving Ross nine. The 1st is a deceptively long uphill par 4 that introduces the theme: demanding elevation-change approach into a compact green with sharp interior tilt. Ross’s pencil notes commonly size greens in the 75–90-foot (approx. 23–27 m) range and show surrounding sand pits pinching entries—patterns that match the current feel of the 1st, 10th and 18th. The 11th, a short uphill par 3, is described by the club as “multilevel,” and Ross’s green-measuring jottings (e.g., “green 90ft diameter,” “green 75 x 90”) in his worksheets support the use of prominent plateaus and perimeter fall-offs typical of his compact one-shot targets.
The downhill 9th remains a medium-length par 5 with “another treacherous green”; Ross’s field sketch for a par-5 with a flared, bunkered lay-up zone and a tight green entrance reads credibly against the present hole’s challenges. The 13th is the longest of the Ross two-shotters at 486 yards, tumbling downhill off the ridge and today praised for its October views; Ross’s routing plan shows this corridor sweeping toward the creek side of the property, which explains both the exposure and the runout. The closing pair, 17 and 18, compress play back toward the clubhouse precinct: 17 with a small, well-guarded target, 18 as a short, uphill finisher into a perched “Donald Ross Green.”
Two non-Ross features interact with his work and the landscape: Valentine Run, a tributary, guards the par-3 16th green, and #12’s “two putting surfaces” testify to later practice-facility impacts on the original dogleg. Across the course, the club emphasizes “undulating Donald Ross green complexes and narrow fairways,” and, while individual bunker lines have evolved, the playing notes for #7 (well-bunkered, difficult to putt) and #10 (short par 4 with a well-bunkered green) echo the hazard placement visible on Ross’s sketches.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s vast output, Conewango’s significance lies in the survival of primary evidence attached to a modest, rural commission. The 1915 letters, the bridge-card hole drawings, and the routing plan together provide a clear picture of how Ross approached a small-scale nine: quick field layout keyed to a boundary map, economical green sizes and sandwork, and explicit seed and fertilizer prescriptions suited to local sourcing. Few clubs of Conewango’s size and era retain this combination of documents in the public record. Locally, the course had profile: the club preserves a note that Walter Hagen held the course record in 1927—almost certainly via exhibition—reflecting the club’s early status in the region’s golf culture.
Conewango has not figured in national rankings of Ross courses, and that absence underscores its value to historians: it is a working example of Ross’s everyday practice rather than a showpiece commission, with enough fabric intact to study how his small greens, contouring and restraint function in play.
Current Condition / Integrity
Today’s 18 blends the 1916 Ross nine with Robinson’s early-1970s additions. On the Ross holes (1, 9–13, 16–18), the club still identifies the greens as original, and the character described in both the Ross papers and the club’s hole-by-hole notes—small surfaces, interior plateaus, and demanding up- or downhill approaches—remains in evidence. Routing on those holes follows Ross’s original corridors on the bench above Conewango Creek, with the prominent downhill 9th and 13th and the short, uphill 18th as the clearest continuous through-lines to his plan.
Known departures from 1916 include the #12 dogleg, which the club says “has been reworked to accommodate the practice facility,” leaving two putting surfaces; that change, while pragmatic, partially compromises the original sequence between 11–13. Bunkering has been refreshed over time; the club’s descriptions emphasize the presence of sand around #7 and #10 rather than a strict historical restoration of Ross’s pits as drawn in the 1915 sketches. The Robinson nine (holes 2–8 and 14–15) reads as a 1970s update: three par-4s over 450 yards, a longer par-5 (#15 at 558), broader fairway corridors, and more water interaction (notably at #8 and #15) than on Ross’s nine.
The course today measures roughly 6,590 yards from the back tees and plays to par 71 per the posted scorecard; some commercial listings continue to show 6,605 yards/par 72, reflecting older setups or tee/pars used outside member play. Tree lines and mowing patterns inevitably evolved since 1916, but the uphill-downhill rhythm and compact greens on the Ross holes still dictate strategy, preserving the course’s early-20th-century scale within a composite 18.
Uncertainty to flag. The date of the second-nine addition appears variously as 1971 and 1973. A club history page references 1971; a club golf-course page and several directories state 1973. It is plausible (and common) that construction began or partial play occurred in 1971 with full opening by 1973. Contemporary local newspaper clippings are cited by the club but not reproduced online; consulting the Warren Times-Mirror and Observer (Dec. 3, 1971; July 10, 1968) would resolve sequencing. The August 7 Ross agronomy letter lacks a printed year on the scan; internal context (Ross scheduling “Detroit on Aug 30”) and the 1915 spring letters strongly suggest 1915, but a dated postmark or envelope (if preserved) would confirm.
Sources & Notes
Conewango Valley Country Club, History page (club narrative; identification of Ross holes; statement that nine opened during World War I; mention of 1971 addition; linkout to primary documents).
Donald J. Ross letters to Horace A. Crary, March 22 and March 30, 1915 (typed, Pinehurst Country Club letterhead), “Correspondence” PDF hosted by CVCC. Confirms planned visit and layout schedule; outlines need for boundary map and surveyor to stake tees/greens.
Donald J. Ross, handwritten agronomy notes/letter (St. Andrews, N.B., August 7, [1915?]) with seed and fertilizer specifications; includes green dimensions and yardage calculations; “Measurements & Supply Request” PDF hosted by CVCC.
Donald J. Ross, original hole sketches (pencil on Bridge Whist cards), PDF hosted by CVCC. Establishes hole concepts, green sizes, bunker placements, and yardages used for the original nine.
Donald J. Ross, original course layout plan (hand-drawn routing keyed to Conewango Creek/trolley corridor), PDF hosted by CVCC.
Conewango Valley Country Club, Golf Course page (hole-by-hole notes; lists original Ross holes; states “new 9” opened in 1973; notes #12 two greens; Valentine Run at #16).
PostStats, Conewango Valley Country Club scorecard (Blue: 6,590 yards; par 71; hole-by-hole yardages). Used for present-day distance/par and hole data.
Foretee.com, course dossier (original nine by Ross; expansion to 18 in 1971; expansion architect C.E. “Robbie” Robinson; identifies present Ross holes). Corroborates expansion attribution and provides one side of the 1971/1973 discrepancy.