There are over 20 private country clubs on our “Gold Coast” with some ranked among the finest in the nation.
This is the world of Sabrina, The Great Gatsby and Wall Street wealth. The more well-known clubs on the north shore include Piping Rock Club, Meadow Brook Club, The Creek Club, Glen Oaks Club, Deepdale Golf Club, Sands Point Golf Club, The Tam O’Shanter Club, Cold Spring Country Club, Engineers Country Club, Plandome Country Club, North Hempstead, North Hills and North Shore Country Club, Fresh Meadow Country Club, Glen Head Country Club and The Muttontown Club.
Every motorist on Long Island is familiar with the sight of those pristine tree lined fairways hidden behind a chain link fence.
Although country clubs hold a controversial position in American culture, they are an established social institution because they serve numerous functions, which we will explore in this series.
They symbolize the attaining of the American Dream and the embodiment of power, success, social grace, beauty and community.
The sports most often associated with country club life include golf, tennis, squash, equestrian sport, swimming, boating, billiards and bowling.
To understand the social function of the country club one must understand the history of these clubs.
Their beginnings are found in the 19th century city. With the growth of the merchant and professional class in the cities there grew a need for this new elite class to have a place to meet and relax.
This gave birth to what was called city clubs and they still exist today.
These informal dining clubs for men allowed them to share literature, exchange news and views, enjoy each other’s company at dinner. These clubs were modeled after British men’s clubs and the first in America were the Somerset Club in Boston founded in 1829, Philadelphia Club founded in 1834 and the Union Club of New York founded in 1836.
These clubs required the men to have some wealth, be of respectable standing in society and usually from eminent families.
Denial at the Union Club meant you were blackballed from any other club since the New York Times had a special daily section which announced who had been dismissed from a prominent club.
Dress code helped to create a social atmosphere at the city club that instilled decorum and most of the members already had been trained in proper dress and behavior from their nannies, their parents and in their boarding schools.
Towards the end of the 19th century these elites desired to escape the stifling heat and odor of city life and began to establish summer homes along the north shore of Long Island and along the Jersey shore.
This group enjoyed various sports which required space. It was not long before they began to purchase land, build golf courses and adopt the rules of etiquette that was first established in the city club.
One major difference between the city club and the country club was that the country clubs were more open to the entire family.
Initially the clubhouses were old farmhouses that were converted into a space to include a dining hall, a fire place and simple locker rooms.
Architects were eventually hired to upgrade the buildings and the general rule is to have the clubhouse on a hill that overlooks the golf course and to include a veranda to allow members to sit outside and enjoy lunch as they look out on to the landscaped vista.
To have breakfast on the porch of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton and to look out on the course below you is one of the great sights in golf.
I have been a part of country clubs from a very young age and I have many impressions of this lifestyle.
The breeding that all children need can only come from parents, school or the country club.
Without this what you wind up with are young teens that roam our suburbs like a pack of wolves looking for trouble.
The country club is the Garden of Eden with all its beauty and grace but it can easily expel you should you misbehave in any way.
In this way it serves as a crucible where one must learn codes of dress, language and manners. And just like Adam and Eve you will be cast out should you commit any social infraction.
As an example I remember one day when I was about 14 years old I was walking down the first fairway at Hempstead Golf and Country Club, which is where we played.
It was about 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning and as I walked along the perfectly manicured fairway I looked over to the 18th fairway and noticed a man finishing up his round and was wearing an undershirt instead of a golf shirt.
I turned to my father, pointed to the man and said “”Who is that strange man over there?”
He looked over to the guy then said “Oh that’s the boxer Rocky Marciano. He was the heavy weight champion. Don’t mind him he’s just a guest anyway.”
It appears to me that I had already learned the proper dress code even though no one told me directly.
This is just one of the many valuable social functions of the country club.
Clubs are often criticized for being elitist but to me they are one of the last institutions that uphold and teach etiquette and social protocol.
And in the end manners and social grace are the essential ingredients in a civilized culture.
Over the next few weeks I will feature the individual clubs on the North Shore and describe their history, beauty and uniqueness.
