Author and editor Tom Coyne launched a preservation effort for the historic Sullivan County Golf Club 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.
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.
“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.
Coyne emphasized the importance of maintaining a wide range of golf experiences beyond exclusive private clubs.
“There’s all sorts of different places in golf,” Coyne said. “There needs to be all sorts of different places in golf.”
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.
“It was going downhill a little bit,” said Dan Yaun, local member. “Basically I think we were maintaining it ourselves.”
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.
“It’s always been the local course on the edge of town; it’s kind of always been for everybody,” said Shaun Smith, Greenskeeper.
Coyne observed that the facility offered a unique, unpretentious atmosphere devoid of modern luxuries like valets or strict dress codes.
“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.”
The collaboration led to Coyne managing the course for one year alongside Smith with the intent to purchase if the turnaround succeeded.
“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.”
The two men discovered a shared bond through their mutual recovery and passion for the sport’s history.
“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.
Smith indicated that their shared backgrounds allowed them to establish a working relationship rapidly.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
The project eventually attracted celebrity partners, including Bill Murray and Jason Kelce, which prompted a surge in membership applications from across the country.
“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.”
Coyne concluded that the influx of remote members provides the financial support necessary to keep the course accessible for the local community.
“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.”