Tillinghast's Paramount (Dellwood) New City, NY

Hudson River Palisades - Paramount View

NEW City, no the "York" is not missing.  This very southern part of New York adjacent to that stretch of NY Thruway which runs East-West near the New Jersey border connecting the Tappan Zee to the main Thruway is not often on the list of places talked about regarding New York golf courses; the density is far less here than it is in the other areas of the Tri-State adjacent to the city itself. Close to but not on the west banks of the Hudson River (Basically directly across from Sleepy Hollow and Hudson National on the East Side) is where you'll find Paramount.  East-looking views to the Palisades crest-line of the nearby peaks makes up the simple new logo for the club.  Once standing on the green of the rather unusual and perhaps unique first hole,  looking back to the east, a wonderful view of the ridgeline and the magnificent basalt columns appears.  There is a lovely piece of land for the golf course split by a roadway that is truly in play and this high land comprises most of the first nine.  The higher land is fortunately encountered first and one marvels in the challenging land Old Dead Guy Architects of quality used to lay out golf courses in a time when a powered golf car was not even an option.  Tillinghast has laid a course on a steep piece of land elsewhere - most notably just a short drive down the Palisades to Alpine, but this first hole at Paramount is more vexing than the tenth at Alpine, but perhaps less accommodating, I offer that it depends on your particular skill set.  Tillinghast used less distinctly template designs but had them nonetheless and most importantly the 18th hole is a rather good and perhaps unique rendition of his "Reef" hole as featured in the Tillinghast writings. Once down from the high ground after the sixth green, the remainder of the course is laid beautifully on voluptuously rolling lands east of the centrally located clubhouse.

Last Monday we had a number of Tillinghast luminaries playing including Bob Trebus and Rick Wolffe, perhaps the two men most responsible for creating the great Tillinghast literature that we have available to us at a celebration of Paramount.  The occasion was the club's introduction to the Metropolitan Golf Writer's Association of this (last of the?) true hidden gem(s).  Originally a personal course, it was constructed on a property comprising over 800 acres.  The routing is however tight and central in the routing is the original estate main house as the clubhouse. Certainly a bit lost under the indistinct name of "Dellwood C.C." - now paying tribute to original origins the name - now Paramount pays tribute to the location as well.   Dell started as a truly personal course  for Adolph Zukor, more than 50 years head of the Paramount Studio in Hollywood, a nice nod to Mr. Zukor's legacy.  His original name was The Dells Golf and Country Club before Dellwood but now known as Paramount it shows up on the proverbial radar. It was from the start intended to rival the local private clubs created in the more traditional way for a group of members. Recently the Mandelbaum family bought Dellwood with the intention of renovating it to greatness.

Urbina holding Master Class

Jim Urbina,  best known as the on-site man for Renaissance Golf's Old MacDonald effort at Bandon Dunes has been hired to professionally restore lost Tillinghast features and sensitively add necessary changes for the modern day.  I was fortunate to have lunch with Jim on Monday  and I also want to give a nod to Phil Young, a fine author well-known in the circles for his writings on Arthur Warren Tillinghast who compiled a small history for the club on which I have relied to fact check some historical points. The work is not complete at this point and we were able to see Master Plan, work in progress and some just being completed.  The majority of the greens just need some expansion and re-capture as the contouring is at times breathtaking (save the wholly blind and highly elevated first green) and at speed provide superior challenge.  As with most golden age courses, bunkers have been removed and are being restored.

The first hole is really one of note with a daring drive across the highway followed by a vertical sixty foot elevated shot to the green.

First looking to green from fairway short of road

 Some likened the hole to a junior 15th hole at Tillinghast's Black at the Bethpage facility (I for one do not give Burbeck even co-credit - let's dispense with that now), I also found number one a bit reminiscent of the opener of the King's at Gleneagles.  If you've played either you now have a good idea to go along with these photos.

First Green from Second Tee

An enlarged green has been completed and short grass surrounds help keep delays to a minimum as there is challenge enough in the two shots required.  A little more tree removal on the right near the second tee will make the hole more playable for more players as for now the right side of the fairway does not always allow a shot to the green.  I'm not a particular proponent of "Fair", but one cannot dishearten the player too severely and certainly not at the start.

The second is just as it was on course opening, nearly 600 yards par 5 with a wicked slope downhill and to the player's right the entire way.

First landing area on #2

These are really brilliant strategic holes requiring a thoughtful placement of each and every shot on the hole.  A great member's hole, one must always look forward to the challenge of this hole every play.  Properly laying up and being familiar with the demand of a short shot down the hill to the green provides a never tiring challenge to the player.

Second landing area on #2

Tillinghast was rather good at understanding the difficulty of constructing a demanding, interesting yet fun par 5 that holds interest and one must look forward as a member to playing such a varied hole every single time.

Immediate on the card, one is offered a lovely version of Tillie's "Tiny Tim" playing 145 at most and uphill to a semi-blind (a common Paramount visual) green with more than a handful of slope to conquer.  This is not a cupcake nor a breather in any way. Golf is so much better with this sort of hole rather than four 200-250 par threes on a course.  The challenges it presents to all levels of golfers, especially while giving hope to even the weakest golfers for a possible birdie putt is more of what golf needs - especially in modern design where all too often it seems that 6-iron is the requirement on the "short hole" for the course.

The "Tiny Tim"

All the par 3's are of note with Tiny Tim 

Reef Hole

and Reef pictured -









- these being noted Tillinghast named holes with the 13th requiring 250 yards, a driver at opening create quite a set! 

An Historical note - not just #18 (Reef) is a finishing par 3 but #9 is also a one-shotter completing the  distinguished four with a short wetlands carry and a well-bunkered  devil of a green for a mid-iron shot.  Both nines finish on a par three hole and as far as I know this is unique.

Reverse canted 12th fairway

A very wide variety of par 4 holes are at Paramount - from drive pitch holes,
reverse-cant dog-leg (Not "Elbow" to the true Tillinghast student) holes playing as much as 50 yards longer than the card length to those requiring a long precise play in after a demanding tee shot.

12th green

Overall #10 comes closest to indifference as it is merely least quirky yet a fine hole.  But as with what one comes to expect from Tillinghast, one does not struggle in the least to recall any hole at Paramount.  There are heroic uphill tee shots such as the fourth,

A True Skyline

 a superior true skyline green par 4 hole at the sixth and out of bounds in play long on par 4's at Paramount just to give a sampling.

Seventh Hole with O.B. Over the green

Staking of proposed bunker

I've included just a smattering of photos as I plan to return to update.  For example where




the yellow

Completed bunker by Urbina

flagged bunker locations laid out will be completed as shown from the par 5 17th.  I hope to direct some attention to this gem and to specifically note that the Metropolitan Golf Writer's Association is and has been loyal to the Tri-State NYC region in bringing such wonderful courses to our attention so I can offer to the architectural fans out there who follow me such tid-bits.

 Consider this post merely an introduction.

Fifth hole, Classic Tillinghast "Look"

Previously we at MGWA were introduced to North Shore on Long Island as a Tillinghast course but found that it was not even Robert White (Who had been a staff Professional) as suggested by an early consulting architect but actually Seth Raynor who likely built NSCC as his first solo work. (I had a pretty good feeling by the Road Hole but left the historical detective work to the men who do it best.)  I published that course here and Steve Shaeffer eventually divined the Raynor provenience.  No such detective work is needed for Paramount, its history is particularly well-documented. The irony of that last point is rather amusing in that Tre-Wolf and Tillinghast Association records did not discover this course until recently with the announcement of  this event.

Paramount is perhaps the least well-known course of quality I have come across in quite a number of years.  Stay with redanman for more.

North Shore Redux

1 New Leaf 10 Eden
2 Sahara 11Woods
3 Road 12 Hilltop
4 Highlands 13 St. Christopher’s
5 Biarritz 14 Double Plateau
6 Punchbowl 15 Dell
7 Bandon 16 Ravine
8 Pond 17 Short
9 Redan 18 Westward Ho!

Original, unedited post Not to ruffle the club, I followed the release. Doak appears was right in the Confidential Guide to Golf Courses after all. Steve Schaffer and Mark Hissey extensively researched the provenance and the comments after noted the original post. Here's today's take and the link gives you a first impression taking the presentation as given and documenting the course without confrontation. Read in whatever order you prefer. Notedly I used "shenanigans" in each.

North Shore Country Club on Long Island in New York is a special little place; I first visited in 2009 the spring after the financial crisis unfolded. The club had been particularly hard hit and was particularly vulnerable to the forces of the crisis. There had been a significant loss of members and the club had unwittingly become a notice in the Wall Street Journal as a victim directly affected by Bernie Madoff’s shenanigans. Fortunately that part of history is history. The MWGA (Metropolitan Golf Writers Association) was invited to a spring 2009 outing to help foster a more favorable press for the struggling club. A proud notation of Tillinghast as the designer was offered and curiously when all research was completed a single confirmation of Tillinghast ever being on site was uncovered. The club originally thought that Tillie was responsible for their course. An expert on Macdonald, Banks and Raynor thought that they were the architects and even Robert White’s name figured in the discussion since he had been the golf professional in early years. Persistence and diligence in research led to confirmation that this course was indeed the first of Seth Raynor. On-site visits from Charles Blair Macdonald coincided with his working on the nearby design at Piping Rock - one of the few bearing his name as designer of record, a bit of a coup in itself.

Much of the design historical information was eventually found in the records of a German Jewish City Club – The Harmonie Club (some actually in Gothic German) helping clear and confirm the unique and enviable place in the history of American Golf Architecture that the North Shore CC holds. My own first look at the club’s architecture was the then (and now) 13th hole - a challenging par 4 with a very tilted and contoured green; in and of itself, not necessarily a defining hole architecturally but one of considerable merit. It was however the 14th hole that first engaged me and led me to consider that someone other than Tillinghast was the designer. I felt that green was a hybrid Biarritz Double Plateau – having a diagonal trench and two flattish areas within the more than 10,000 square feet of putting surface. The scale and contours were in my experience fairly far out of the realm of Tillinghast’s style. Once I reached the then (and now) third hole with its magnificent Road Hole green complex MB&R came firmly to mind. Much existing architecture was enhanced, some altered and some bold new additions have been and are continuing under the hand of Tom Doak. Mike Butler the caddiemaster was my TourGuide able to answer many varied questions and offer up for review the newest changes and additions.

Every hole is now named; new green complexes responsible for the Biarritz at #5, Punchbowl at six, an expanded and relatively softened green in the hollow now Dell at fifteen and the short seventh – again somewhat drivable at 322? given the moniker “Bandon” honoring the two courses at that most attractive of destination resorts in North America. It most recalls characteristics of #6 at Pacific Dunes (In reach but with death to a hook with a finicky green) to me, but I’ll have to ask Tom to be certain. Green re-work has gone on at 4, 11 & 12 and expansion and/or modification is planned for 8 (Pond), 9 (Redan), 10 (Eden), 13 (St. Christopher’s) and the sublime par 5 sixteenth (Ravine).

The de novo construction of holes 1 & 2 and 17 & 18 constitute the wholesale changes with each pair being rebuilt on the footprint of the other. The new uphill #1 is New Leaf, the second is a drivable Sahara at 311. Seventeen is now a lovely Short (max 125) as of yet to yield an ace. It is one of if not the most contoured green Doak has built to date. Eighteen (Westward Ho!) at 639 will eventually yield to two shots as nothing is out of reach these days and the hole is downhill; a single fairway bunker on the left can easily be cleared by the longest hitters and there is no other hazard until the green complex. It seems to me another of Doak’s apparent homage to Mackenzie’s #16 at Crystal Downs – somewhat similarly devoid of hazards to outright slugging. There as here, it is not a concept I am particularly enamored with as my readers know I am not fond of long par 5’s nor of a fiver at 1, 9, 10 or 18. The green complex is bunkered short left and long right – favoring the draw preferred by long hitting right-handers, but difficult to pull off from a downhill lie. Thoughtful, but not engaging to me.

Planned green renovations are exciting to look forward to and bunkers will be re-worked; The eighth known as Pond has yet to be touched nor is the Redan 9th. North Shore has turned the corner and is a very worthy visit. It always was but not it is getting ready for the big stage. Always a wonderful place to go, it is already notably improved and more is on the way!

Routing - Very efficient and one also would not notice the new holes were you not to be aware of changes. Fairly large elevation change from below the 11th tee to the 12th green is all uphill, but in an appropriate part of the round.

Par 3’s - The four templates of MB&R all well done. From 120 to 250, short to Biarritz. Each is an excellent version whether Doak or Raynor.

Par 4’s - A rather great diversity from drivable at 2 & 7 to a healthy mid or long iron on three.

Par 5’s - Ravine will be the most beautiful as it is one of the most beautiful holes on Long Island - and a wonderful hole.

Cohesion - Integration of new into old is outstanding although the new greens being so new are easy to pick out.

Green Complexes - All very interesting whether new or old

Bunkering Schema - Raynor and Raynor-esque go hand in hand. Relatively forgiving fairway bunkers are welcomed.

Conditioning - It was very exciting to see a pulled core full out aeration of most of the fairways. The greens were perfect.

Appropriate Vegetation - Check. Nothing silly.

Ideality - more geared to the club player but all but the most skilled amateurs and touring pros will be challenged tee to green and all will be tested there, but not beat up.

Rest of Club - NO Kummel, I assume and Single Malts were few. All keeping in line with the relatively light-drinking typicality of such a club.

Milieu - Basically a stone's throw from LaGuardia dn the Long Island Expressway (LIE aka I-495) and even within shouting distance of Manhattan. Despite all of this one senses a very peaceful, relaxed detachment from the mayhem that constitutes a trip on the Cross-Bronx Expressway connecting this part of the world with the majority of the USA. GREAT Milieu.