News

Four of the NYSGA’s most historic clubs are forever connected. Not just through the combined 32 state championships they’ve hosted, not through the millions of rounds they’ve hosted. By something much older.  

Bellevue, Oak Hill, Wanakah and Yahnundasis compete annually in the “League of the Iroquois." It is believed to be the oldest ongoing annual multilateral golf league in the world. The competition, which was started in 1913, was even played during the world wars, something many leagues across the country can’t say.

Each year, the four clubs reunite for a competition that was meant to promote business and good relations between four of Upstate New York’s major cities located across the historic Erie Canal corridor.

The idea was created after Yahnundasis member and talented player, Dr. Arthur Grant, broke his arm in the spring of 1912 while working on his automobile. Once he realized he wouldn’t be able to play golf that summer, he decided to go out and organize a new league for the following season to form an alliance of upstate New York clubs and foster competition among their top players.

The Real “League of the Iroquois”

Before the 20th century, the League of the Iroquois only referred to the confederacy uniting the Five Iroquois Nations: the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Together, the groups were known for their diplomacy and ability to work well with each other. It is believed the groups formally came together as early as the 1450s under a chief named Hiawatha. These nations had been warring with each other ever since they settled in upper New York State.

Their societal bond was so complex that they were compared to one great family instead of individual tribes. The formal agreement between the nations is said to be a blueprint for the United States Constitution. The League expanded its influence through militarism and avoiding war. Each nation was allotted a certain number of representatives ranging from five to fifteen, who were known as “Sachems”. They met as a parliament at the capitol, centrally located near Syracuse in Pompey. A vote was never effective until there was a perfect agreement. Three of the five nations, Mohawks, Onondagas and Senecas, were the senior members of the league, while the Oneidas and Cayugas were considered junior members. Although they played a subordinate part, they still had equal rights in voting.  In the 18th century, the Tuscaroras joined as the sixth nation.

Colonization ultimately led to a civil war over whether to support the British or the Americans. The league remains today, more commonly known as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy or Six Nations.

The History of the Competition

In the winter of 1913, delegates from Yahnundasis Golf Club in Utica, Onondaga Golf and Country Club in Syracuse (eventually replaced in the league by Bellevue in 1924 after “losing so many top players in World War I, it withdrew”), and Wanakah Country Club in Buffalo, met with Oak Hill Country Club representatives in Rochester. They decided to create the competition as golf had been growing in popularity. Onondaga notes that Mohawk Golf Club, in Schenectady, was approached about joining the league but ultimately never participated.

The idea itself was conceived at Yahnundasis. Appropriate since the Mohawks were the first to propose the confederacy, and since the club was part of the land of the Mohawks. Additionally, Yahnundasis already participated in a local interclub competition, the McLoughlin Cup, with nearby Sadaquada Golf Club. The two clubs, separated by two miles, have played in a similar contest ever since 1904.

The name of the league came when Oak Hill president John Kavanaugh pointed out that the cities of each of the clubs corresponded to the land occupied by the original League of the Iroquois  (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica). At the East end of the League, Yahnundasis, and the West end, Wanakah, lie two totem poles that commemorate the competition. These structures serve as a strong “welcome” and one of the first things you notice when arriving at these historic properties.

The league was created in hopes of bringing the respective cities together promoting friendship and good will. It would take place annually on the last Friday and Saturday of June with a meeting on the third Thursday of May to set the terms of play. The venue rotates annually between the four clubs following the order of the sun, east to west. 

During the competition, the four club presidents would be named “Sachem,” with the president of the host site being named "Chief Sachem.” The first day of competition is individual medal play in both gross and net. The final two days consist of round-robin matches, where each team deploys seven junior golfers and five seniors (45+). On the morning of day one the participants dawn traditional headdresses to commemorate the remarkable history of the nations whose land the clubs stand on. The Chief Sachem also wears a bonnet as part of the pageantry during his speech. Some renditions have featured members of the nations in attendance for the ceremony. The League’s flag and another with the national emblem is raised and the competition begins.

Sherrill Sherman of Yahnundasis, the NYSGA’s first president, was a decorated member and key contributor. He was selected as the initial league’s Chief Wampum Keeper, meaning the secretary and treasurer. Ron Brownell, who is recognized on the League’s “Honor Roll” served as NYSGA President from 1963-64. 

Bill Stark of Bellevue, was Chief Sachem in 1942, 1946, 1962 for the League. He served as NYSGA President in 1940. Wanakah member Jack Ahern built a strong legacy with both the NYSGA and League of Iroquois histories. He was also the Chief Wampum Keeper for many years after the initial lead organizer, Marc Comstock, passed away.

Arthur “Ducky” Yates, who captured the NYS Men’s Amateur at home in 1927, had a couple standout performances in the League as well for Oak Hill. Harry Harmon served as captain of the Oak Hill team for The League while also serving as NYSGA President in 1945. Gerald Stahl, a longtime NYSGA and USGA committee member, acted as Chief Sachem in 1991. 

Past NYSGA Executive Director Pat Keenan (1995-2003), and current leader Bill Moore, both were frequent participants in the gatherings throughout the 21st century. Over the decades, an abundance of upstate NY’s top amateur competitors have risen from League of the Iroquois roots. There is no doubt that annual gatherings at The League helped to shape the strong ties and relationships that guided the state golf association’s leadership.

The League is now also commonly known as the “League of 1913.” 

The Competition Itself

The competition rules have shifted throughout the tournament’s history. Currently teams are made of 16 players, known as “Warriors,” who play 18-hole scratch Nassau match-play with each match worth three points. The clubs play against each other once and whichever team has the highest point total at the end of the event is crowned champion.

In 1975, the league added another division tailored for the less competitive golfers called the “Braves.” Though the same Nassau match-play format is used, the Braves division features teams of eight and is based on handicaps to promote broader participation. A separate trophy is awarded to the winner. All in all, over 180 competitors participate over three days and complete 84 single matches in total.

Bellevue’s Joe Stevens was perhaps the longest tenured player, competing in the annual event for over 56 years and all the way into his 80s, missing just one year in a span from 1935-1991. He is believed to be the all-time leading scorer with 220 match points.

At the conclusion of the competitions, a meal is shared by all the players, prizes are awarded, and the flag is lowered. The league reunites old friends and it prides itself on brotherhood. It is also a way for players to learn about the history of the original League of the Iroquois.

It was an annual powwow that garnered statewide interest throughout the early decades of meetings, with prominent writers like NYSGA Hall of Famer Grantland Rice spectating the one-of-a-kind competition. 

Oak Hill's Dr. John R. Willaims was the head of the committee to manage the landscaping and development of his club. He was responsible for the planting and naming of the tens of thousands of iconic oak trees that cover the property. In a letter to the USGA from 1958 he wrote, "The League of the Iroquois survives because its officers and leaders are real gentlemen.”

In the 1940s the club dedicated a plaque and grove of oak trees that surrounds the East Course’s 11th tee, honoring how the grounds once served as a gathering place for the Senecas centuries ago to camp, fish and hunt along famed “Allen’s Creek”. It represents a tribute to the natives alongside the totem poles marking the eastern and western borders of the League.

In 2012, the League celebrated a significant milestone, marking 100 years of competition and camaraderie amongst the clubs. The commemoration included an opening ceremony at Wanakah, with military flyovers, and bagpipers marching alongside color guards from the Seneca Nation, representing the cross-section of cultures that reside in upstate New York now.

Anyone who has played in The League will tell you it's not mainly about the competition, but the camaraderie. The original League of the Iroquois was formed four centuries ago in the name of friendship and conviviality. The golfers are true to that founding spirit.

The League is proud of its adopted ancestry and believes all Americans should know about its remarkable predecessor. It seems almost incredible that a few hundred Native Americans would design such a remarkable “Peace Plan” for a strong, working society for nearly 300 years. This is the Haudenosaunee, the League of Six Nations who endured through equally turbulent times. This new League, now 100 years old, is proud to honor the original League of the Iroquois and emulate their democratic process throughout Upstate New York.

On the wall of each of the four clubs is a memorial to the Iroquois: “We would emulate their constancy, their eloquence and their fortitude.”

To quote a publication from a past League gathering, “So as long as the water sweeps down from the North and the mighty Niagara flows to the sea, the League of the Iroquois will meet each year for friendly competition, great feasts and to promote the goodwill of the four great cities of Upstate New York, the land of the Haudenosaunee.”

Participating Clubs