A History of Dinsmore Golf Course

This blog entry was written by Tom Buggy, a graduate of Villanova University and a Hudson Valley resident since 1961. An avid golfer, Tom was always interested in the history of Dinsmore Golf Course as he played it over the years.  He started researching Hudson Valley golf courses in the 1990s when he authored a book for the centennial of the Dutchess Golf and Country Club in Poughkeepsie.  His interest led him to expand his research to include Dinsmore and write a recently published book entitled The Golf Courses of Dutchess County.  See this article for more information about his recent publication.  We thank him for contributing this essay to the blog!

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Golfers who play Dinsmore Golf Course today may come away from their experience thinking “it’s nice but no big deal.” After all, it’s only 5,759 yards long with very generous fairways, modest rough and few hazards. Longtime local players might add remarks about the significant improvement of the greens and the creation of attractive naturalized off-the-fairway areas over recent years. However, few will realize the depth of the course’s history.

The Dinsmore course of today dates to 1962 when the North Nine (Holes 1 to 9 on the scorecard) opened for play, and 1964 when the South Nine (Holes 10 to 18) replaced nine holes that were put into play on the same site 121 years ago in 1894. The original nine holes, which still existed when work on the South Nine began in the early 1960’s, have a history rooted in the beginnings of golf in the United States.

A modern view of Dinsmore Golf Course with the clubhouse in the background.