Among the many sound principles that Jones follows is keeping the sand relatively flat, and then simply adjusting the depth of the front edge proportionately to the distance of the shot. The closer to the green, the deeper the bunker. As interestingly shaped as the fairway traps are, there’s a fair chance of advancing a bunkered ball down the fairway rather than having to play out to the side.The four holes that occupy nearly half of that additional 184-acre parcel Jones asked for are far and away the strongest at Huntsville.

The par-four 11th alone takes up 19 acres. Initially, the hole measured 419 yards straightaway, but the drive and approach would each have had to carry over wetlands. An old, gnarled white pine stood to the right of the original landing area, and leading part of the way to it was the ruins of an old stone wall. During the design process it became obvious that these should play more of a role in the hole. The decision was made to create a second fairway for an alternative path—longer, but less risky—edging in from the right side and eliminating the double forced carry. The result is a true option hole of stunning texture and scale.

This stretch of holes is enormous in scale. The par-four 13th, for instance, plays down a roller-coaster fairway that opens up long views of farmland to the east. Up toward the green on this hole is a natural spring well surrounded by an ancient stone wall. You get the distinct impression playing Huntsville that the land and the golf course have been here a very long time.

The 502-yard, par-five 14th hole is a brilliant example of risk/reward. Few holes that Jones has ever built offer more exacting options for players. The bold line off the tee leaves a long second shot to an elevated green fronted by bunkers. The smarter play is well to the left, with the second shot across a ravine to a dogleg fairway that leaves but a short pitch in. In every round there comes a point where you simply must play a good stroke. At Huntsville, that moment comes at the 14th fairway.

At the 15th tee, a bit of sadness sets in as you realize you’re approaching the end of the round. This lengthy par-3 offers enough room for a low-running shot, while those who opt to fly the ball in must avoid an overhanging tree to the right and a greenside bunker to the left. The 16th appears modest for a par-4, unless you drive it left into wetlands. Seventeen, a drop shot par-3 into a green that feeds the ball from right to left, looks lovely but can play deadly. At the 18th tee, fasten your seatbelts for the ride up the fairway to this 456-yard par-4.

Behind the final green extends Huntsville’s modernist clubhouse, a single-story, 15,000-square-foot, steel-frame building with glass walls set onto a base of Vermont slate and Pennsylvania bluestone. The effect is to open up the interior to the outside. This was building architect Peter Bohlin’s first golf clubhouse— although he did go on to design Bill Gates’ $45 million home in Washington State. Among many of the things that consultant Jim McLoughlin did on behalf of Hunstville was to accompany Bohlin on a tour of prominent clubhouses in Westchester County to see what works and doesn’t work in a golf setting.

McLoughlin also conducted the national searches that led to the hirings of golf director Tim Foran, club manager Kandy Krampitz and course superintendent Scott Schukraft. In fact, Schukraft was brought on board six weeks before the first tree was cut down and was involved in everything from permitting and quality control of construction to testing five different sand samples. “It saves money and time in the long run,” says Schukraft, “knowing where the drainage lines are, ensuring that cart paths are properly placed, and seeing that irrigation controls are accessible.”

Besides keeping Hunstville in impeccable shape, Schukraft has been responsible for the club’s participation in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, a joint undertaking of the USGA and Audubon International. The program is designed to encourage golf course wildlife habitats. All that big bluestem, redtop and indiangrass not only looks great; it also provides food and cover. That’s also why golfers at Huntsville will spot so many bluebird boxes on the grounds. Last year alone, 28 bluebirds were born there, according to horticulturist Karen Balchunas.

Two years after opening, Huntsville is now a thriving golf club with a nearly full membership of 300. “I knew we’d make a go of it in town,” says Maslow. “What’s surprised me is the extent of interest from afar. We’re even drawing corporate memberships from New Jersey and New York.”

As a serious golf club, Huntsville draws people who love the game and who understand its refinements. When founding member (and golf chairman) Richard Caputo created the areas only caddie program, he was helping Huntsville develop its reputation as a place where the classical game flourishes.