What Happened to This Old Golf Course in Pine Plains, New York?

Have you ever passed a place that you remember having a good time at but realized you hadn't been back?

This just happened to me when I was driving up the Taconic Parkway in northern Dutchess County last week.

I am not even sure what year it was but I played a great round of golf at the Carvel Country Club in Pine Plains, New York. It was a fun course to play. The group I was with that day also made it memorable but for some reason, we never went back and I hadn't realized until I drove by that it was closed.

The Carvel Country Club Golf Course is Unrecognizable

I actually do a lot of my golfing in Ulster and Orange Counties but occasionally I play a round in Dutchess. I guess it has been a while since I thought about the round I played at Carvel which is reported to have closed in 2010.

As I drove by the old course I got wondering what does it look like up there? Could you still make out the old golf course which was built by ice cream mogul Thomas Carvel? The course was designed by William Mitchell and opened in 1968.

My curiosity had to be satisfied so I turned up Ferris Lane to see what was left of a golf course I must have played right before it closed. Careful not to trespass I drove up and down the roads trying to figure out where the 18-hole course had been but honestly, it is hard to tell. Mother Nature has done a good job of taking it back.

What is Happening with the Carvel Country Club

Since my field trip, I have done some digging to figure out what is planned for the old course which you can still find a description of on foreTee.com.

What I discovered was a timeline that has been put together by the Durst Group and it is posted at HudsonValleyProject.com

The Durst Group Bought the Carvel Country Club

It starts with a history of the course dating back to the 1960s then it fast forwards to 2001 when the Durst Organization purchased the property from Mr Carvel. The course was originally comprised of multiple pieces of farmland.

As you read the timeline you can see how the plans for the property have changed through the years. At the moment I am not sure they have moved forward with the last plan which would make it a residential community founded on the principle of open space and recreation.

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