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Dellwood Country Club

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Phil_the_Author:
I am seeking some info from anyone who may have it about the origins and first few years of the Dellwood Country Club.

This was an original design by Tillinghast on the private property of Hollywood magnate Adolf Zukor. It is located in New City, New York.

After Zukor died, a local investor bought the estate and tried to operate it as a public course called Mountain View Farms. In the late 40s or early 50s, it was leased to the group that operates till this day and named it the Dellwood Country Club.

In the late 50s, RTJ designed a second 18 & renovations to the original cost. As the owner never paid him, the work was never done with two results. The second 18 is now luxury homes and condominiums, and the original course reamains as it was when Tillinghast designed it. That makes it a rarity and very special.

Craig Disher:
Philip,
About a year ago, there was talk about the city purchasing the golf course and running it as a muni. The land is so valuable that the initiative may have fallen through because of the high cost. Do you know if the club is still for sale?

My wife's family has lived in New City for many years. I'll ask them your question.

Phil_the_Author:
Craig,

The membership is actually in the process of purchasing the property and it will remain as the Dellwood Country Club.

They are actually having a media event and "rededication" ceremony and dinner in the beginning of May. Among the dignitaries who will be there is Barbara Manny. She is one of the 3 surviving granddaughters (4 grandchildren in all alive including Dr. Philip Brown) of A.W. Tillinghast.

I had the rare and wonderful privilege of visiting her at her home and interviewing her about Tilly. She has Tilly's clubs, the ones made by Stewart at St. Andrews in the late 1890's. What is extremely fascinating is that one of them is actually THE original Jigger, the first one ever made by Stewart.

In addition, she had the rare privilege of being the grandchild that Tilly seemed to enjoy the most and she spent a good deal of time with him. He took her to his private office in the basement of the Harrington Park estate (she lived in a house on the proerty directly behind it) where he kept his prints, drawings & writings.

He also took her with him to a number of courses that he was working on, including one in the middle of Long Island! (That surprise I was saving for my Tillinghast bio). He also took her into Manhattan to the theatre as his "date" to watch the Frank Buck movies.

She is a wonderful lady with a wealth of information about Tilly that is going to surprise a lot of people when it comes out along with info from her sisters and cousins.  

Patrick_Mucci:
Philip Young,

I liked Dellwood, it had some very unique holes.

One of the few courses where you have to wait for a traffic light to go green before teeing off on one or two holes that are parallel to one another.

I didn't like some of the alterations to the golf course, but it does have a wonderful history.  I understand that Zukor's parties were light years ahead of their time.

I know some members there.   Let me know if I can help.

Craig Disher:
Philip,
The local newspaper ran an article a few days ago that said that a NJ real estate development company (Lorterdan Properties) presented a plan to the local government for building homes on land surrounding Dellwood. More to the point, the article said that approval of the plan would not affect their intent to purchase the club before the end of the year. Perhaps you have better information.

I have to suspect that if the housing development goes through and Lorterdan purchases Dellwood that the course's days are numbered. Hope not.


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