YAHNUNDASIS HISTORY
LINKS: PLAYER MEMO | TERMS | THE FIELD | QUALIFYING
Founded in April 1897 by 65 community leaders seeking a refined escape, Yahnundasis (“around the hill”) quickly earned its place in golf history. The club’s rolling 6,765‑yard championship course was designed in 1922 by Walter J. Travis, the esteemed three-time U.S. Amateur and 1904 British Amateur champion. Travis brought a strategic, golden-age sensibility to the land—majestically undulating greens, bold bunkering, and routing that rewards thoughtful shot-making.
Delegates, including Walter Travis, convened at Yahnundasis on August 9, 1923, to establish NYSGA and the NYS Men's Amateur Championship - with Garden City Golf Club volunteering to host the inaugural playing that fall. Although it did not host the first, Yahnundasis will now have hosted the most NYS Men's Amateur Championships - 2025 will mark the seventh time the club has hosted New York's most important amateur competition. If you look at the list of the six past champions that won at Yahnundasis, you will quickly realize that the course identifies the best amateur golfers of all-time from New York: Tommy Goodwin (1946, 1953), John Konsek (1958), William Tryon (1968), Tim Straub (1988), and John Duthie (2027).
Yahnundasis has undergone major improvements since 2020, including extensive tree removal to improve turf health and restore Travis’s original sightlines, modernization of drainage systems to maximize the health and firmness of the fairways and putting greens, expansion of greens and select fairways, and the addition of new tees and areas of native grasses'.
With its rich architectural and historical heritage, deep tournament pedigree, and significant course enhancements, Yahnundasis offers a rare blend of classic design and modern playability. It’s a venue that will challenge the state's top amateurs and reinforce its status not only as a Central New York landmark, but a cornerstone of New York golf history.
