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Located just on the
very edge of Manchester Village, Ekwanok is immediately south of the
Gleneagles resort course at The Equinox. Aside from
proximity, the two courses share common ancestry as both were designed
by Walter Travis. Ekwanok opened in 1899. Travis, an Australian, took
the game up at the age of 35. Four years later, he won his first of two
U.S. Amateurs. He also soon became the first foreigner to win the
British Amateur. His entry into the field of course architecture proved
just as successful. His gem at the Westchester Country Club is still
tough enough to host the PGA's Westchester Classic. The Ekwanok Club was
rated very highly among national courses in the early decades of the
century. It hosted the 1914 U.S. Amateur Championship won by Francis
Quimet.
The course at the Ekwanok Club
is typical of turn-of-the-century layouts in that it appears, at first,
to be very understated. The holes were laid down over existing valley
terrain with little cutting or reshaping of the land having been done.
Over the years many modifications were made to the layout but in 1998 a
restoration job was completed by Tom Doak and Bruce Hepner. Much of the
original character and toughness was restored to the famed, old course.
Trees were also removed in numerous locations so that more of the
original openness could be brought into play. The generous greens
possess some of the typical Travis touches, such as rolloffs at the edge
of the putting surfaces and troublesome, greenside bunkers. Some holes
host a plethora of wide bunkers. |
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12 players on the VPGA Points List