{"id":622520,"date":"2026-05-04T07:49:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T07:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/622520\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T07:49:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T07:49:27","slug":"author-tom-coyne-revitalizes-historic-new-york-golf-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/622520\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Tom Coyne Revitalizes Historic New York Golf Course"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author and editor Tom Coyne launched a preservation effort for the historic Sullivan County Golf Club<\/a> in Liberty, New York, on May 3, 2026. The project aims to save a 101-year-old landmark facing closure after decades of declining tourism in the Catskill Mountains<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Coyne, a veteran golf writer who has played at prestigious venues like Augusta National and St. Andrews, shifted his focus from elite clubhouses to the maintenance of the nine-hole rural course. The facility had fallen into disrepair with failing equipment and significant mold issues according to CBS News.<\/p>\n

“It’s not a bad perk of the job, Lee, I’m not gonna lie to you!” said Tom Coyne, Editor of The Golfer’s Journal.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Cameron<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Coyne emphasized the importance of maintaining a wide range of golf experiences beyond exclusive private clubs.<\/p>\n

“There’s all sorts of different places in golf,” Coyne said. “There needs to be all sorts of different places in golf.”<\/p>\n

The Sullivan County Golf Club opened in 1925 and gained historical significance in 1931 when a pilot used the eighth fairway for a transatlantic flight. Local resident Dan Yaun, whose family has deep roots at the club, noted that maintenance had recently relied heavily on local volunteers as profits vanished.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Stewart<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“It was going downhill a little bit,” said Dan Yaun, local member. “Basically I think we were maintaining it ourselves.”<\/p>\n

Shaun Smith, the course’s sole remaining greenskeeper, initiated the rescue by contacting Coyne. Smith sought to prevent the 170-acre property from being permanently closed and sold for non-golf purposes.<\/p>\n

“It’s always been the local course on the edge of town; it’s kind of always been for everybody,” said Shaun Smith, Greenskeeper.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Secret<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Coyne observed that the facility offered a unique, unpretentious atmosphere devoid of modern luxuries like valets or strict dress codes.<\/p>\n

“We couldn’t be less stuffy,” Coyne said. “We are not fussy. You don’t have to get dressed up. You just show up, bring your dog, and go play golf.”<\/p>\n

The collaboration led to Coyne managing the course for one year alongside Smith with the intent to purchase if the turnaround succeeded.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Trump<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“I’ve been consuming golf my whole life,” Coyne said. “But what if I got on the side of actually providing golf? That would be different.”<\/p>\n

The two men discovered a shared bond through their mutual recovery and passion for the sport’s history.<\/p>\n

“I recognized a kindred sort of golf sicko like myself. So, we bonded on that level. There was also connection there in that Shaun’s sober and I’m sober. I think people who’ve gone down that path and know what that experience is like, there’s a connection there and an understanding with someone that is pretty meaningful,” Coyne said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Scottie<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Smith indicated that their shared backgrounds allowed them to establish a working relationship rapidly.<\/p>\n

“It really became something that we forged kind of a trust around quicker than maybe two strangers would have otherwise,” Smith said. “I guess he probably feels I trust him a lot, too.”<\/p>\n

Architect Colton Craig assisted in redesigning holes to highlight the topography while adding a putting course and driving range. Coyne sought to preserve the local identity of the venue while attracting outside visitors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Cameron<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“This has to remain a rural Catskills Sullivan County golf course,” Coyne said. “And it has to feel like that. That’s gotta be the identity. It has to feel like you’ve gone somewhere else.”<\/p>\n

The project eventually attracted celebrity partners, including Bill Murray and Jason Kelce, which prompted a surge in membership applications from across the country.<\/p>\n

“You’re not sure who came in on a first-class flight and who’s the local schoolteacher,” Coyne said. “Everyone’s just there for the love of golf and the love of camaraderie.”<\/p>\n

Coyne concluded that the influx of remote members provides the financial support necessary to keep the course accessible for the local community.<\/p>\n

“For folks that have joined just for the sake of joining, they’re enabling people to play golf who wouldn’t have a golf course otherwise,” Coyne said. “I think that that’s a beautiful thing about the golf community. You know, it’s not just about my golf, it’s about our golf.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Author and editor Tom Coyne launched a preservation effort for the historic Sullivan County Golf Club in Liberty,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":622521,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99,269791,269792,269790],"class_list":["post-622520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-sullivan-county-golf-club","tag-the-golfer","tag-tom-coyne"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}