Fishers Island Club

Architects are often judged by their masterpieces. For Alister Mackenzie, it is Cypress Point. For Charles Blair Macdonald, National Golf Links of America. For Donald Ross, Pinehurst No. 2 or Seminole. For A.W. Tillinghast, Winged Foot. 

For Seth Raynor, it’s the Fishers Island Club.

Created by massive glacial movements during the Last Ice Age, Fishers Island was originally settled by the Pequot Indians and called “Munnawtawkit” by the tribe. In the early 1600s, Dutch explorer Adrian Block traversed the coast of the island and named it “Visher’s Island.” In the middle of the 17th century, a confusing sequence of events resulted in the island being owned by the Winthrop family of Connecticut but officially part of New York. In 1889, Edmund and Walton Ferguson purchased 90% of the island, and by 1925 the second generation of Fergusons decided to develop the eastern two-thirds of it into a private community for summer retreats, including two 18-hole golf courses. Fredrick Law Olmsted Jr. and one of the most popular golf architects of the time, Seth Raynor, were selected to design the 1,800-acre private community and golf courses, which were to be modeled after the Mountain Lake development in Lake Wales, Florida.

While the design of Fishers Island Club is rightfully credited to Raynor, he never saw the finished golf course. His sudden death in January of 1926 — six months prior to opening — left his protégé, Charles Banks, to carry out his design plans and complete the construction of the course. Raynor was at the height of his career at the time of his death, leaving several of his designs to be finished by Banks.

Today, Fishers Island is a well-preserved example of some of Raynor’s best work because of the club’s old-school tendencies and resistance to change. Extraordinary examples of MacRaynor “ideal holes” such as Redan, Alps/Punchbowl, Biarritz, Road, Double Plateau, Knoll, Long, Eden, Cape, and Short can be found dotted around the stunning coastline. The course is a step back in time, stretching to just over 6,500 yards and being maintained without a modern irrigation system. This means the course is at the mercy of the weather and can often be seen with raw, firm, and browned-out playing conditions. 

With consulting architect Gil Hanse at the reins, Fishers has progressively gotten better and better over the last 25-plus years and will continue to be recognized as one of the most spectacular golf courses in the world.

Take Note...

PBBJ. Many golf courses are known for their specialty halfway house snacks: the burger dog at the Olympic Club, Snapper Soup at Pine Valley, the Porch Burger at Sand Hills, $1 tacos at Sand Valley, etc. One of the most unlikely combos comes from Fishers Island — the Peanut Butter, Bacon, and Jelly sandwich. Be sure to grab one after the eighth hole. 

Henry L. Ferguson Museum. While a majority of the island is still private and unavailable to the public, a beautiful museum resides on the western and accessible portion of the island. Museum director Pierce Rafferty offers a wealth of knowledge regarding all things Fishers Island and has helped author histories for the two golf clubs on the island, Hay Harbor Club and Fishers. Stopping at the museum is a must for anyone curious about the fascinating history of the island itself and the golf courses. I had only 20 minutes to explore the museum and talk with Pierce, and it was well worth the effort. 

Free for all. Within the gates on the private side of Fishers Island, there are few to no road names or house numbers. To create wayfinding measures, the roads are covered in handmade painting that helps guide residents to different areas of the community. “Take a left at the purple starfish” is an example of a direction that might be given. This adds to the mystique and seclusive feel of the island.

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