In 1963 the Catskill Mountains was THE place to be for families of influence in New York City. Grand resorts like the Concord, Kutsher’s, Nevele and Grossinger’s covered the mountain landscape as an escape from the sweltering summer heat of the city. The golf and social scene was robust and even the inspiration for the fictional Kellerman’s in the movie Dirty Dancing. Most importantly, Joe Finger along with pros Jimmy Demaret and Jackie Burke Jr had just created The Monster. This beast of a course stretched 7,650 yards and was heralded as one of the greatest in the country.
Sadly, the good times would not last and the area rapidly fell out of favor in the 1970’s. In an era of air conditioning and affordable airfares, other destinations rose to prominence and decades of steady decline would see many of the area golf courses shut their doors. The Monster did not survive.