Fishers Island Club

One of the first acts taken by the newly formed Fishers Island Club in April of 1925 was to formally hire Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to design the subdivision and Seth Raynor (NGLA surveyor for CB Macdonald) to lay out the associated 18-hole course.  Both had spent several days together on the 1800 acre property during the previous nine months with their respective tasks in mind. The golf course took priority and was opened just a month after completion of the final subdivision plan. The result was the classic links course which opened in 1926 after completion by Raynor’s associate, Charles Banks, following Raynor’s death that January. Featuring saltwater views from every tee and green, it is one of few, if not the only American golf course that has this characteristic. The layout features many of the classic Scottish holes along with several types developed for NGLA. New holes were “found” on the dramatic property and little major earth moving was undertaken except for portions of three adjacent holes surrounding a tidal pond that today, threatens to take back its original contours. With the exception of portions of the second green, which was lost during the hurricane of 1938, the course remains true to Raynor’s design, although a few hundred yards have been added with back tees. The dramatic straight edged bunkers and greens have been restored to their original contours, having been somewhat lost to changes in mowing practices over the decades.