Apawamis is also the home base of a nationally recognized junior squash program and hosts the world renowned Briggs Cup tournament.

[3][4] The Apawamis Club was originally founded on June 25, 1890 as a social organization by a group of 40 gentlemen from Rye and the surrounding towns.

The current Apawamis clubhouse was completed in 1908, and built of stone, replacing a previous wooden structure consumed by fire in February 1907.

After two or so years of popular use of the course, the officers of the club were faced with a challenge – the cost of renewing their lease was deemed too high and demand to play the sport showed no signs of ebbing.

The new 18-hole "Golf Course "for Millionaires" created for members like American politician and journalist Whitelaw Reid and Standard Oil industrialist Henry Flagler was laid out by Tom Bendelow.

It was also decided that a new clubhouse based on the structure at the Atlantic City Country Club would be erected after the golf course was finished.

[20][21][22] Bendelow, who has been called the "Dean of American Golf",[23] had recently designed New York City's public course at Van Cortlandt Park and had been hired as the superintendent of the site.

[24][15] Later in August 1899, newspapers shared "glowing accounts" about the design's "undulating nature" and told readers that ""Tom" Bendelow is now busily engaged putting on the finishing touches to it.

"[25] The natural contours of the well-tended pasture land spoke to Bendelow's aesthetic philosophy and also helped expedite installation of the greens and holes.

[14] The course was instantly acclaimed as championship caliber and compared favorably for being "as nearly as long as old St. Andrews and longer than Hoylake, Sandwich, and Muirfield.

[12][14] At least six of Bendelow's courses have since been recognized by the United States Department of the Interior and added to the National Register of Historic Places.

[30] Ballou had the opportunity to show off his handiwork the following year to Harry Vardon on November 6, 1900, in a best ball exhibition match with Davis.

In 1910, he was given a rare honorary membership at Apawamis in recognition that he was "instrumental in bringing the club links up to their ... excellent condition.

William "Willie" Davis was one of Apawamis' earliest resident pros and also left his design imprint on the course.

At Apawamis, Davis also found support as he worked to establish a championship tournament specifically for golf professionals at clubs on the East Coast.

Apawamis member Maturin Ballou supported the concept believing "the competition as proposed would be a good thing in every way.

When Davis died in Rye at the untimely age of 39, he was credited as being the oldest resident golf professional in the United States and the first to have come to America to make a living as a golfer.

[42][43] Chisolm, a British golfer from a course near old Rye, England was hired in April 1902 by Apawamis to take Davis' role for one season before being replaced by Willie Anderson.

Herbert Strong, an English golfer, made changes to the Apawamis golf course, which included adding bunkers, between 1906 and 1911 in preparation for the 1911 U.S.

On February 28, 1901, Apawamis officially joined the USGA with Golf Chairman Maturin Ballou acting as delegate.

The field was laden with a number of fine players, such as Francis Ouimet and Walter Travis, but they could not keep pace with Hilton and Herreshoff.

[72] More than 115 years later, Apawamis squash instructors regularly train nationally ranked male and female students.

[78] It has attracted #1 world ranked Professional Squash Association players like Nicol David, Amanda Sobhy[79] and Natalie Grainger.

The #1 Men's Double Champions in the world Damien Mudge and Manek Mathur have also played regularly at Apawamis.

On July 14, 1934 Apawamis inaugurated a Beach Club on Milton Point, at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Van Wagenen Place, which survived through the 1960s.

Though he was successful in winning his matches against the club's pro Willie Davis, Vardon had the misfortune of being robbed on one of those visits while out on the course.

On January 6, 1945, after being married at the First Presbyterian Church in Rye, New York, future U.S. President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara held their wedding reception at the Club.