By Katie Cahill
Midmorning, the scent of fresh cut grass and new paint combine in a tang of springtime at the Rip Van Winkle Golf and Country Club just off of Route 23A in Palenville. Several golfers, mostly men in the retirement bracket, dot the rolling landscape. Smitty, a two-year-old Sheltie, welcomes visitors approaching the clubhouse with a hearty bark, but quickly retreats to his post on the sunny porch. Other than Smitty’s occasional greeting, the only other noise echoing off the Catskills is the sound of hammers pounding as construction crews work to achieve the grand visions of owner James Dargan and manager John Smith.
Dargan, a Saugerties resident, has been playing golf at the club for almost 50 years. “It’s been my recreation area,” he said. “I come up with friends and play once a week.”
Just recently, Dargan and his wife, Peggy, decided to make a major investment in his hobby — he bought the club. But he doesn’t plan to keep it for any extended period of time.
“We made the investment, Peggy and I, but we have it set up so that John will manage and run the course for the next five years,” Dargan explained. “Then he will have the option to buy.”
At the conclusion of five years, Smith and his wife Sara will become the owners. The Smith family has deep roots in the club: the younger Smith purchased the property from his grandmother, Patricia, who had run the club with her husband Raymond since 1949. Smith’s own father Ray also managed the club — the senior Smith and his wife Chris will continue to oversee certain aspects of the club.
“This building needed a lot of work and we completely overhauled it,” Dargan said, gesturing around the taupe-painted pro shop.
“It needed to be updated,” Smith, a Palenville native, agreed.
In college, Smith attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan and earned a marketing degree specializing in Professional Golf Management, a program affiliated with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). Although much of the renovation efforts are going into the buildings, Smith’s true focus is on the green.
“John is working hard to make it one of the most beautiful courses in the Hudson Valley,” Dargan said. The expansive nine-hole course features a newly created pond, and updated drainage and irrigation systems.
“My big thing was getting the course into good shape,” Smith said.
The course as rich in history as it is in land. One of the pleasures to be enjoyed by members is reading a copy of The Rip Van Winkle Golf and Country Club — a Historical Recollection, written by Albert G. Naudain, a member during the early half of the 20th century. The document provides an amusing play-by-play of the evolution of the club as well as a delightful cast of characters. Martin Cantine, for whom the locally renowned Cantine Complex is named, served as president for the club in its early years
“The idea of constructing a private club and golf course on the Hinman farm property dates from the immediate post-World War I years ... Golf was part of the pursuit of a war weary people anxious to find enjoyment and entertainment,” reads one excerpt.
“The Rip Van Winkle Golf and Country Club was the epitome of the elegance and social consciousness associated with the era of great change which began about the turn of the century and ended with the early years of Franklin Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal,’” reads another. This idea is one that Dargan and Smith are looking to return to: that certain charm.
Construction and renovations on the buildings began in late December 2003 and kicked into “high gear” in January of 2004. “An awful lot’s been done in three months time,” Dargan commented. Benson Hoffer Construction, Fred Edwards Excavation, Cliff Tienken Plumbing and Richers Electric have all participated in the project.
The clubhouse is a Donald Ross design; the original sketch of the facility is hung in the pro shop. Its life as a golf course and country club began in 1926, according to Dargan’s estimates, although the building itself dates back to 1869. Smith suspects that at one point the now-merged buildings were a separate farmhouse and barn.
In addition to presenting an appealing golf course to potential members, Smith also hopes to attract those looking for a special place for parties, banquets, weddings and other events. The walls of the sizeable dining hall are painted the golden color of early morning sun, dark wood furniture contrasts nicely against the pristine white tablecloths in a way that suggests class without snobbery.
The dining hall seats 140 and will be open seven days a week from noon until 9 p.m. On this particular day, the hall is set up as though dinner guests will arrive in minutes. Smith explained that a group would be coming in later to see the facilities. The club has been the site of yearly Saugerties Athletic Association tournaments and the Annual Rip Van Winkle Clam Bake and recently played host to the 50th anniversary of the Malden-West Camp fire department banquet.
Off the dining hall is a members’ bar and lounge. The same sunny amber paint is repeated, but hardly noticeable as one’s eyes are immediately drawn to a series of wall-length plate glass windows displaying the blues and greens of the springtime Catskills. Future improvements to the club include the renovation of an exterior porch, the completion of a second entryway and the construction of a women’s locker room. At the conclusion of the project, Smith said it will be approximately a $1 million investment.
But the best part of it all?
“Wherever you walk on the course you get a view of the Catskills,” Dargan said.
The grand opening of the club is scheduled “in the not too distant future” and the date has been tentatively set for Monday, May 31. All members will be invited to discuss season events, plans for the future and “the whole big game plan” for the renovations.
Interested in teeing off ? Prices for the 2004 season range from $275 for golfers under 18 to $1,100 for a “husband and wife” membership. The Rip Van Winkle County Club is located on Route 23A in Palenville. For information call (518) 678-9779.