On April 19, 1897, 65 prominent citizens gathered at Butterfield House with a shared vision: create an exceptional social and sporting institution to enrich their leisure hours and cultivate a spirit of fellowship. From that meeting emerged the Yahnundasis Golf Club, named to honor the area's rich Iroquois heritage. Their vision flourishes more than a century later.

Under our first president, Dr. Willis E. Ford, the club transformed the former Baby Hospital grounds into a nine-hole course designed by Thomas McCormick, a master from St. Andrews, Scotland hired as our first professional and greenskeeper. Operations began in earnest with a humble, unfurnished room in the Baby Hospital serving as the first clubhouse.

The club formally opened on June 5, 1897, drawing over 100 people. Resident dues began at $15, and local boys, including Angus and Brian Clarke, earned ten cents per round as caddies. The total first-year expenses came to $857.54, covering costs such as grounds maintenance, rent, refreshments, and staff salaries.

On July 3, 1897, within weeks of our opening, the club won its first trophy – the prestigious Governor’s Medal. It was the first of many triumphs in our storied legacy, which members continue to shape today.

In August 1923, Yahnundasis Golf Club made history when delegates from across New York gathered on our grounds to unanimously establish the New York State Golf Association. This watershed moment marked the official founding of the association, and our club also provided the NYSGA's first president – devoted Yahnundasis member Sherrill Sherman, whose three decades of visionary leadership helped shape competitive golf throughout the Empire State. The club's involvement underscores its longstanding commitment to promoting the game throughout New York State.

Walter J. Travis (1862–1927) holds a unique and enduring place in golf history. Born in Australia and later becoming a naturalized American citizen, Travis made his mark not only as a dominant amateur competitor but also as one of the most forward-thinking golf course architects of the early 20th century. His dual legacy – both as a world-class player and an influential designer – continues to shape American golf.

A Distinguished Playing Career
Travis's impact on competitive golf was immediate and profound. He captured the U.S. Amateur Championship three times (1900, 1901, 1903), becoming the first player to win the title consecutively. In 1904, he became the first American to win the British Amateur, a groundbreaking achievement that elevated the status of American golf internationally. Known for his meticulous preparation and strategic acumen, Travis was a pioneer in studying course layouts and opponents' tendencies. He also became famous for his unconventional putting style, often employing a center-shafted Schenectady putter, which was so effective it was later banned by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Architectural Vision and Legacy
After concluding his competitive career, Travis turned to golf course architecture, bringing the same strategic thinking to design that had defined his playing. He was deeply influenced by the classic links courses of the United Kingdom, particularly in his belief that golf should reward thoughtful play over brute strength. His designs emphasized natural terrain, strategic bunkering, and bold, contoured greens that challenged players both mentally and physically.

Among the courses that Travis either designed or redesigned are several that remain highly respected to this day:

Garden City Golf Club (New York): Though originally designed by Devereux Emmet, Travis undertook an extensive redesign in the early 1900s. His work added significant strategic depth through sophisticated bunkering and green modifications. Garden City also served as the site of two of his U.S. Amateur victories.

Ekwanok Country Club (Vermont): Co-designed with John Duncan Dunn in 1900, this course is noted for its dramatic use of mountainous terrain and remains a sterling example of early American course design.
Hollywood Golf Club (New Jersey): Designed in 1918, this course is a classic example of Travis’s architectural style, with well-placed hazards and subtle green contours.

Country Club of Scranton (Pennsylvania): The original 18-hole layout, known today as the "Old Course," was one of Travis’s final works, completed in 1927 shortly before his death.

Perhaps one of Travis's most significant yet often underappreciated contributions was his influence on George Crump during the conception of Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey. Crump, the visionary behind Pine Valley, consulted extensively with Travis during the development of the course. Although Travis was not the primary designer, his ideas regarding penal bunkering, strategic shot values, and naturalistic routing left a strong imprint on what would become one of the most revered courses in the world. Travis's encouragement of bold green complexes and his insistence on thoughtful course management were principles that Crump embraced and incorporated into Pine Valley's final form.

Walter Travis's contributions to golf transcend his championship titles and architectural achievements. He was a bridge between the old world of British golf and the emerging American scene, importing strategic and aesthetic ideas that helped define the modern American course. Today, the courses he touched and the ideas he championed continue to inform the work of golf architects and the play of discerning golfers around the world.

The League of the Iroquois: A Tradition of Competition and Camaraderie

Conceived in 1912 by Yahnundasis member Dr. A. R. Grant, the League of the Iroquois was officially established on January 13, 1913, during a gathering at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. What began as a vision for fostering competitive golf and interclub fellowship has since become a treasured tradition. The League is widely regarded as the oldest ongoing multilateral golf competition in the world, second only in longevity to the bilateral McLoughlin Cup.

The League’s founding members were Wanakah Country Club (Buffalo), Oak Hill Country Club (Rochester), Onondaga Golf Club (Syracuse), and Yahnundasis Golf Club (New Hartford). After a period of waning participation, Onondaga was eventually replaced by Bellevue Country Club of Syracuse, solidifying the four-club format that continues to this day

In its modern form, the League features 16-man teams from each club, known as “The Warriors.” Matches are contested using scratch "Nassau" match play, with each individual match worth three points: one each for the front nine, back nine, and overall 18-hole result.  

Over the course of a three-day tournament, each club plays the others once. At the tournament’s conclusion, the team with the most points won is awarded the League trophy, and a time-honored toast is shared among all participants in celebration of the champions.

In 1975, a second division was introduced to broaden participation: the “Braves.” Today, this division features an 8-man team, playing the same Nassau match play format but using handicaps, offering a competitive and inclusive complement to the Warriors’ scratch play. The Braves compete for their own trophy, adding another layer of spirited play to the event.

Since its inception, the League of the Iroquois has been about more than just golf – it has been a celebration of sportsmanship, tradition, and intercity goodwill. As the matches conclude, a grand feast is shared, laughter is exchanged, and lifelong friendships are forged and renewed. Over a century later, the League remains a cherished symbol of competitive excellence and fraternity among four of Central and Western New York’s most historic clubs.

The McLoughlin Cup: Golf’s Oldest Continuous Interclub Rivalry

In 1904, a spirited and unconventional golf event set the stage for what would become a legendary tradition between two neighboring Central New York clubs—Yahnundasis and Sadaquada. The event was a four-man, one-ball cross-country match, played between the two clubs, starting at Halleck’s Ravine. To signal the start, a balloon was released, visible to the spectators awaiting the action at Sadaquada.

Each team took a different two-mile route across the countryside, accompanied by a member of the opposing club, who served in the dual role of referee and beverage bearer. The rules were simple – and entertaining. For every good shot, the players offered a toast. For every poor shot, the referee did the honors. At one point, a Yahnundasis referee, unfamiliar with the finer points of the game, insisted that the Sadaquada players play a shot out of a creek. Despite the setback, Sadaquada emerged victorious, with a final score of 131 to 150.

The good spirits and friendly rivalry of that day left a lasting impression. Inspired by the camaraderie, John E. McLoughlin, a founding member of Yahnundasis and club president during multiple terms (1906–07, 1923–25), proposed creating an annual competition between the two clubs. The first official McLoughlin Cup match was held in 1905 and has been played every year since – uninterrupted – making it the oldest continuous interclub golf competition in the world.

That first match featured 10-man teams playing medal play format across the rugged, pastoral landscape between the clubs. Dressed in stiff collars, ties, and traditional plus fours, players navigated through head-high cornfields, grazing Holsteins, gullies, and fences, swinging their hickory-shafted clubs with both determination and joy.

The match would end with a grand celebration, featuring the ceremonial passing of the McLoughlin Cup, traditionally filled with champagne, from player to player. Each would toast – or "roast" – his rival with jokes and laughter that often carried long into the night. That spirit of light-hearted rivalry and deep-rooted friendship remains alive to this day, over 120 years later.