| The Twin Hills property is rich in history, widely recognized for an award-winning Holstein dairy operation, wonderful peaches, plums, and cherries, and years ago, flour mills and ice harvesting. Hole #15 tees off over a mill pond once filled by a large dam south of the pond that held back Salmon Creek. The water then flowed north through a sluiceway that exited at Hole #9's tee area. The remnants of the mill, millrace, and gates are still visible here. The last mill burned down in 1923. In the winters, ice was harvested from the pond and sledded to ice houses that lined Hinkleyville Road. A photo of this operation is on display at the clubhouse. At one time, there was a flume that pitched from the #14 green area to the ice houses. Warren and Russel, as boys, would ride these blocks of ice from top to bottom. It must have been a blast!
The woods (spruce) on holes #11 and #12 were planted in 1962, long before the golf course was even a dream. They were thinned quite a bit in 2009 to help grow better grass and give Twin Hills a little bit different look.
Pete Craig, designer of many of Rochester's great golf courses hunted here in the 60's when part of the farm was a registered Game Farm, raising pheasants. Pete told Warren and Russel that they had a wonderful piece of property for a golf course if they ever tired of farming. An idea was hatched.
In March of 1969, the orchards were bulldozed out and clearing started for Twin Hills Golf Course, named for the twins. Two crews worked much of 1969 and the spring of 1970 to make the dream come true. Pete's crew built tees and greens and installed irrigation pipe, and the Hill families finished fairways and roughs, planted trees, and completed drainage work. The course opened July 20, 1970, to great reviews.
The course is wonderfully park-like and has bountiful populations of bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, gold finches, and orioles. Turkey, deer, geese, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, and two coyote families roam the property. A beaver family has moved into the creek area this year. It is a beautiful sanctuary for them all.
| |