Sullivan County Golf Club Celebrates Centennial Following Redesign by SCC Design

After a dramatic rescue and inspired redesign, the historic Sullivan County Golf Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The beloved nine-hole course, nestled in the scenic mountains of upstate New York, has been revitalized by a new ownership group and the SCC Design team, transforming it into a destination for traveling golfers and the local community.

The story began with a simple, direct message on social media from the club’s superintendent, Shaun Smith, to golf writer and designer Tom Coyne, asking for help to save the course. Moved by the plea, Coyne assembled an ownership team that includes notable figures like Bill Murray, Jason Kelce, Mike Madden, and local hospitality entrepreneur Sims Foster and Chris Monello.

The redesign, led by Colton Craig and Tom Coyne of SCC Design, in collaboration with Shaun Smith, has completely rerouted the course. The new layout takes full advantage of the dramatic, rolling terrain and ever-flowing creek, creating a more engaging journey. Staying true to the SCC Design philosophy of creating walkable courses, the team made significant improvements to the walkable flow. Embracing a “folk style” of golf architecture, the updated course features smaller, subtle greens, tactical bunkering, playful grassy ridges, and hollows that blend seamlessly with the natural landscape.

Related: Steve Smyers & Craig & Coyne Golf Design Merge

A grassy wall now stands as a gateway, separating the clubhouse, the 9th green, and the 1st tee from the rest of the course. Shaun Smith detailed, “The golfer begins their journey by ‘leaving home’ as they hit their first shot over the wall,” Smith explains. “They then ‘return home’ on their final approach, hitting over the wall for a semi-blind shot to the 9th green, completing the journey.”

Among the new additions is a driving range and a unique putting course that wraps 360 degrees around a small grove of trees, and ties seamlessly to the 1^st tee and 9^th green.

The project holds a special significance for the design team. “All projects are special, but this one will always be particularly special because our business partner, Tom Coyne, became a client,” said Craig.

The centennial celebration was marked by a moment of pure magic when Colton Craig returned to the course for the first time since the redesign and made a hole-in-one on the 6^th hole while playing with Bill Murray. “It rolled, hit the pin, which shuddered, and she fell in,” Murray wrote of the shot.

This project has also inspired Tom Coyne’s next book, A Course Called Home, which is set to be released in 2026. “I have always written about the consumption of golf,” Coyne said. “Now this book will be about the operations and ownership of golf.”