On May 22, 2024, I played the Old Course at Thousand Island Country Club. This was an opportunity to reflect on the history of golf and my personal history of playing golf for so many decades. The course is located on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River between the New York and Canada border. There are currently two 18-hole courses, and I played what is referred to as the Old course. This is an original country club created in 1894 as a nine-hole course.
I played this course 50 years ago at a teacher’s conference in Alexandria Bay. It was nice to recall playing so long ago and an opportunity to add to my New York State golf ball collection with a course in Jefferson County. The course is wide open and has good-sized greens. Some interesting layouts, water hazards, and traps provide a challenge. During a visit to Thousand Islands, one of the most beautiful vacation areas in New York State, this course is a great opportunity to include outdoor recreation. The course has three sets of tees with yardages between 5200 and 6600 yards. The greens were in excellent condition, the fairways were good, and the longer grass of the rough was appropriately challenging. The course lacks some of the amenities that newer new course clubs but its reasonable green fees and great location make an enjoyable play. This day is nice to recall the evolution of golf over all these years.
