SOUTHAMPTON, NY – Rees Jones stormed around Three Ponds Farm as if he built the country, which is appropriate, because he did.
Jones, 84, lost very little momentum as he navigated around the parcel of farmland off Scuttle Hill Road in Waterville, NY on a perfect morning last October. He was behind the wheel of a high-speed cart with a twinkle in his eye, going back and forth from tee to green to tee as he jumped only forward enough to capture the perfect vantage point of each swing from the three golfers crossing the property behind him. Golfers were mostly hackers. Their shots were neither reliable nor particularly impressive. And yet Jones seemed completely enthralledlike a chef watching a diner enjoying his favorite dish.
“Well…” he said, his expectation of the answer betrayed by the smile creeping across his face. “What do you think?”
Jones looked neither forward nor backward with any caution. He wasn’t worried that he might be in the way of other players at Three Ponds Farm, mostly because it’s about as believable as seeing the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus. What happens here belongs to the golfers, the golfer, the architect, the maintenance staff and Ivan Kaufman, whose home sits in the middle of the property. Nobody else.
Even by the fine standards of the east end of Long Island, Three Ponds Farm – also known as K-Club — is an extremely private golf course. Unlike the rest of the big east end golf clubs, Three Ponds Farm is not private in the sense that it holds a membership; it is private in the sense that it withdraws from the presence of others. Playing is done exclusively by invitation of Kaufman. There is no beginner or club companion to look after your roof time or your shoes. If you’re thirsty, fix yourself a cocktail in the makeshift “halfway house” (a sunroom next to a lovely garden). Many days, the full extent of human interaction occurs between players and their caddies.
Three Ponds Farm didn’t always belong to Kaufman. He bought the property for $35 million in 2019 in its current form, turning from a Long Island real estate scion to a golf course owner. In a way, Jones was part of the purchase—he summers on a property in Bridgehampton and is also the designer behind Three Ponds’ sister course, the Atlantic, a “normal” private club just across the street (and supplies K-Club with its boxes). Jones was hired by the property’s original owner, Edward Gordon, who bought the land (no golf course or luxury mansion) for $1 million.
The original design featured just a handful of holes built around five greens, which was the most reliable golf to fit within the 58-acre property. But Kaufman bought the property with the hopes of expanding it to the full 18. He has added tee boxes and pin positions and added several flag clubs to each of the greens.
Today, the course zigzags around the property like the evidence board for a high-profile crime, looping back and forth and back again until every green is examined from every angle … and every one of the property’s many tee boxes is used. The course maintenance team, led by former Bethpage Black superintendent Ryan Loudenslager, works tirelessly to keep the course’s many nooks and crannies in pristine condition.
At least part of Three Ponds’ appeal to the golf world is its location. The property sits on perhaps the densest 20-mile golf circuit anywhere in the world—a land lush with wealthy vacationers and golden-sand beaches and golf clubs so private and old, their charters tell the history of the sport in America. This week’s US Open at Shinnecock is a celebration of that history and a reminder that the golf course has inspired a generation of copycats from the east.
But much more appeal is experience. Only at Three Ponds can you know what it’s like to literally lose yourself in a round of golf. Only at Three Ponds can you understand what it’s like to enjoy golf as an expression of solitude. And only at Three Ponds can you complete 18 holes of golf under the watchful eye of the golf course architect and walk out to hear the following question:
“So how many more times would you like to go around?”
“>
