Mountain Lake Country Club

From his humble beginnings in golf course design – he was hired to perform a boundary survey of the site for Charles Blair Macdonald’s National Golf Links of America on Long Island – Seth Raynor’s ascension into the hierarchy of golf design was as quick and sure as any in history. The restoration that took place in the summer of 2002 of the Raynor layout at Mountain Lake used vintage aerial and ground photos to guide the work. The early photos showed many of the Raynor classic greens, as well as a golf course that originally was more profusely and randomly bunkered. These bunkers, in concert with the greens, gave the original golf course much of its playing interest, drama and shot values. While modern architects are often criticized for repeating themselves, Seth Raynor laid out his courses according to a predictable formula. His collection of uniquely high quality courses proves that in the hands of a design genius like Raynor, repetition can be a truly beautiful thing. And with its restoration complete, Mountain Lake has regained its proper setting in the collection of landmark Seth Raynor golf courses.