Birdie on One: 75 at The Patterson Club
1st hole, drive to the left side of the fairway, pitching wedge in at ~115 into the wind, straight uphill. 9-foot putt. Birdie on the first hole of a new course. Bodes well.
The Patterson Club sits in Patterson, New York — an hour north of Manhattan, carved from the Hudson Valley terrain by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Jones built his reputation on making golf courses that demanded every club in the bag. Long carries over water, runway tees that point you at the intended line, greens that accept only well-struck approaches. Patterson is one of his private-club designs from the mid-20th century — less photographed than his public showpieces like Spyglass or Peachtree, but built with the same philosophy: reward the bold shot, punish the tentative one, and never let the player get comfortable.
RTJ Sr.'s signature is the "heroic" school of golf architecture — every hole presents a decision where the safe play costs you a stroke and the aggressive play risks two. Patterson's fairways are framed but not suffocated. The greens are elevated, often with false fronts that repel anything short. The bunkering is strategic, not decorative — placed exactly where a well-struck but poorly-aimed shot will find trouble.
The front nine — 37 (+2, par 35)
"Par on the par 5 number 2. Excellent drive set up a 3-wood to just off the right side of the green. Left just a little too much for the birdie attempt and walked away with an easy par."
RTJ Sr. par-5s are built to be reachable in two — if you hit two perfect shots. The second at Patterson gives you that look, but the green complex makes you earn the eagle putt. Just off the right side is a good place to be. Walking away with par is never a disappointment.
"Huge drive on number 7 — the number 1 handicap hole — left me with another PW in. Hit an amazing shot to 10 feet and made the putt."
Jones's hardest holes typically combine length with a demanding approach. The fact that a huge drive left only a pitching wedge means the hole plays long but fair — the RTJ Sr. ideal. You hit the shot you're supposed to hit, you get rewarded. Two birdies through seven, including the hardest hole on the property.
The back nine — 38
"Back 9 birdie came on 16, the short par 4. Hit into the bunker and didn't make the carry — hit the uphill bunker shot with a closed face like Bryson did in the Pinehurst US Open. Hit it to 1 foot and tapped in."
RTJ Sr. loved a short par-4 that could be driven — or could ruin you if you missed. The 16th at Patterson is that kind of hole: tempting from the tee, punishing from the sand, but a good bunker player can still make a number. The uphill bunker shot with a closed face is a creative play on a course built for creative players.
"Almost birdied the 18th — missed a 2-foot birdie putt because everyone was already walking off the green to the bar."
The course
Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed over 400 courses in his career. He renovated or consulted on another 100-plus. His philosophy was that every hole should be "a hard par but an easy bogey" — demanding enough to test the best players but fair enough that the average player could get around. Patterson embodies that. The par-5s are reachable. The par-4s require two committed shots. The greens are quick without being unfair.
Jones was known for lengthening courses for major championships — he added yardage to Augusta National, Oakland Hills, and Baltusrol. But his original designs, like Patterson, are more balanced. They stretch the good player without breaking the average one. They ask for every shot in the bag. Driver, 3-wood, long iron, wedge, bunker play, short putt. You use them all.
The scorecard
75. 3.0 GHIN differential. 37 on the front (par 35), 38 on the back. Three birdies. First round at Patterson. First time seeing an RTJ Sr. original from the blues.
The birdie on one set the tone. The birdie on seven reinforced it. The birdie on 16 showed creativity. The missed 2-footer on 18 — that's golf.
3 birdies toward 100
The 2026 counter moves. Three more birdies: a pitching wedge to 9 feet on the opening hole, a pitching wedge to 10 feet on the hardest hole, and a closed-face bunker shot to a foot. Three different ways to score. All of them count.