History

Tucked away in the northern woods of the Adirondack Park in New York are a number of old hunting clubs dating back to the mid-1800s. Many of these clubs are massive in size, encompassing as many as 50,000 or more acres, while others are a few hundred acres. All share the topography and forest woodlands of the Adirondack State Park. In 1892, through the vision and forward thinking of a few state legislators, six million acres were set aside in a combined private and public partnership. Today, countless visitors come into the park to vacation, explore the unique natural environment, hunt, fish, and enjoy the beauty of the Adirondacks.

The great-great-grandfather of one of the co-founders of Heirloom Sports®, was one of the early outdoors enthusiasts. He was drawn to the “North Woods” of the Adirondacks in the early 1880s to explore the wilderness while fishing and hunting. After several years of successful expeditions into the woods, The co-founders great-great-grandfather helped form one of the early hunting clubs with a small group of friends who shared his enthusiasm. Over the next few years, the club acquired several thousand acres of woodlands that featured several ponds, a small mountain, and many trout-filled brooks. Over the next decade or so, the club took shape with the building of member cabins and a communal main lodge.

As the club grew to include new members and their guests, it was inevitable that recreational activities would also become more widespread. As a younger generation of members brought in games like ping pong, quoits, and soft ball, there was also a contingent of members who thought golf would be an excellent addition to the club. The only problem was there wasn’t enough open space to create a golf course in the middle of the woods. It was the co-founders great-grandfather who took the idea of golf and adapted the game to fit their wooded surroundings. He used handmade hockey sticks and tennis balls to create a game based on short distance holes played entirely in the rough. After much trial and error, the hockey sticks were replaced by oversized wooden headed golf clubs on wooden shafts and played with hard rubber balls. The new designs were perfect for the “in the woods” game of golf, and a tradition was born in the early 1900s. A nine hole course was set up around the camp with special emphasis placed on creating hazards and “booby traps” at every turn. The game was an instant hit with club members, who have enthusiastically played the game throughout the years, loving the challenging shots and blunders the course creates over its nine holes.

Heirloom Sports® has developed Adirondack Golf© so that anyone can enjoy the incomparable fun this game generates. We are bringing a century old game that only “members” and their guests could play, to everyone who wants to turn their backyard into an Adirondack Golf© course. The only requirement is to make the course as full of creative obstacles and hazards as you can. Once the course is set up, you’re on your way to creating and enjoying a brand new tradition!