By Ed Townsend
TENNANAH LAKE — June 22, 2007 — The back nine of the Tennanah Lake Golf & Country Club is scheduled to open for play on or about Friday, June 29.
Earlier this week, maintenance crews were seen cutting the fairways on the back nine – holes 10 through 18 – at the course, which is located on County Route 96 near Roscoe.
And although there was no one from the management staff available to talk at that time, several of the course’s maintenance crew members said the back nine would be open by the end of this month.
The front nine, holes 1-9, most likely will not be open this year because of construction on several of the greens and cart path maintenance.
In early May, area golfers were informed that the Tennanah Lake Golf Course would not be open this 2007 golf season. No specific reason for the original closure of the facility was given other than course renovations, which include the construction of new cart paths.
Maintenance crew members indicated that the full course should be open for the 2008 golf season.
Attempts to contact the general manager at the course were unsuccessful.
The closing of the Tennanah Lake Golf Course last month came as a big surprise following major construction last year which included a totally renovated clubhouse, an enlarged pro shop, an expanded dining area and grill and the addition of new outside dining decks. Work on the golf course prior to the opening of the 2006 season also included extensive improvement of the sand traps.
Tennanah Lake Golf Course is famous for its 60-mile panoramic view of the Catskill Mountains.
The land for the course was purchased in 1910 by the Wolf Brothers and was opened for tourism in 1928.
In 1952, the nine-hole golf course was redesigned by Alfred Tull and later expanded to 18 holes. Six of the original nine holes were utilized in the new course design.
One of the highlights at the course was the exhibition play by golf legend Sam Snead in 1952. Snead called the layout one of the longest and most challenging courses he had ever played.
The golf course is presently owned by Love Realty of New York and Florida and its CEOs Burton and Lucielle Handelsman, who teamed up with Manhattan-based real estate acquisitions firm Walter and Samuels and its chairman David Berley.
The course previously hosted a Men’s League on Wednesday and a Women’s League on Thursday.
A number of organizations regularly held yearly tournaments at Tennanah Lake Golf & Country Club but had to seek other locations for their events this summer.