Moon Brook Country Club (Jamestown, NY)

I’m not one to believe in hyperbole but I took note when golf architect Ray Hearn called Moon Brook’s greens some of the best in the world. He was specifically speaking about the eleven original Willie Park Jr putting surfaces. They’re optical illusions and are very difficult to read. You swear they break one way until the putt goes the opposite direction. It’s a masterful design full of obvious and subtle nuances. 

Moon Brook was designed in 1918. The course underwent drastic changes when several holes were lost to the I-86 expansion however it did retain nine original Willie Park holes and eleven greens. (2,3,4,5,8,9,10,15,16,17,18) While the greens rightfully get most of the attention, it’s the ability to work your tee shots either against the slope or with it that will determine your chances to shoot a good score. Have a strategy, hit your lines and you’ll be in play all day. Sounds easy but should you miss your line the ball will scoot into the rough or trees. 

(The 379/366 yard par four second has a diagonal valley where the player lays back or drives to the fairway on the bottom. The green has a central spine in the rear that causes havoc should you have to putt over it.) 

(The 158/145 yard par three fourth is just short enough where a short iron can spin off the front of the green. Note the huge tree in the back. It’s branches extend horizontally twenty to thirty feet. The iconic tree is Moon Brook’s logo.)

(The 532/516 yard par five sixth plays downhill and is reachable with two good shots. For most, this will be the view for their third shot. Note how the front right bunker pushes into the green, sloping everything to the back left.) 

Getting back to the optical illusion greens Hearn referenced, I think it begins at the tee box. I personally couldn’t tell the fairways were as sloped as much as they were, so when the greens were set against them, it flattened them out. A couple times, the green looked like it was pitched forward, but the fairway was falling so fast that the front to back slope was hidden. This type of architecture isn’t seen too often in today’s game. Modern earth moving equipment leaves little guess work to what is demanded for each shot. 

(The 418/396 yard par four seventh is one of the toughest tee shots on the course. Trees line both sides so accuracy is ultra important. The approach is over a shallow valley to a green perched above it. The rear left can be used as a backboard to bring the ball towards front pin positions.) 

(The 445/429 yard par four ninth has a right to left sloped fairway. Even in the picture, it’s hard to see it. Todays pin is where the ball typically ends up. This green slopes to the back left corner. A par is a good score.)

When I was younger, the big four were Jamestown’s Moon Brook, Warren’s Conewango, Olean’s Bartlett, and Bradford’s Pennhills Club. They were all elite private courses and there was no chance of playing them without a member. Fast forward to 2022, and the only one that still retains its private status is Moon Brook. (The other ones are more or less semi private that take outside play) Much of this is attributed to Jamestown’s viability on Lake Chautauqua. The golf course has always been viewed as one of western New York’s best. It hosts plenty of state and regional tournaments. (Jeff Sluman won the 1978 New York State Amateur here) 

(The 219/183 yard par three thirteenth is devilishly difficult. Besides being heavily bunkered, the green has a high section back right, and slopes hard to the front left. The proper play is short but for those who take it on, being long is a definite no-no. A par will win the hole more times than not.) 

(The 162/149 yard par three seventeenth has a saucer like green with the high side on the left and rear portions. While these slopes can be used to bring the ball back to the middle, any shot that stays up there will leave a treacherous putt downhill.) 

Ray Hearn was selected to develop a long range master plan. He’ll be trying to restore some of the original green edges which should capture additional pin positions. The angle of attack from the fairways will be restored too. I hope this means removing many of the trees. The course is on an elevated piece of property and I believe the views can be expanded from multiple locations. This would make Moon Brook even more inspiring. I give it a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play). 

(The 452/440 yard par four eighteenth is a fierce finisher. A draw up the right will take the slope and gain some additional yards…
…the approach will be a long to mid iron. The green slopes from high right to low left so one can work the ball back to middle with a draw. Being above the hole is certainly a three putt and it can even slide off the green if one is not careful. Par is a good score.) 

[we played the course from the #2 tees at 6493 yards. I had a great foursome playing with Ryan, who I met at Cable Hollow, Jason, a solid single digit handicap, and Branson, a young gun who went full out on every swing. Like usual, I was the short hitter in the group, but I kept it in play and was able to shoot a respectable score. Three times I was completely fooled by the break and the ball went opposite of what I thought.]

[ they played a tournament that I never seen before but I thought was really cool. They call it the Steeplechase. It’s only nine holes. The twelve best players start on the first hole, and the highest score gets eliminated. The first two holes have two players eliminated so on the third tee, there’s eight players for the remaining seven holes. Ties are decided by a chip off. Members follow and cheer their favorite player on (or bet on who is not going to make it) It’s a very prestigious club event. ]