Tuxedo Park, NY
Set in the storied enclave of Tuxedo Park, New York,
The Tuxedo Club is a distinctive social institution that, since 1886, has provided its members, their families and their guests with recreation and refuge in the close environs of New York City. The Club’s rich history, spectacular grounds, varied sporting venues and multiple clubhouses offer year-round enjoyment for all ages.
In a drenching rain one afternoon in September 1885, two men stood on the rear platform of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad's Buffalo Express as it chugged noisily through the quiet woods beside the Ramapo River. As the train rattled past the thirtyfive milepost from Jersey City and began to grumble at the steeper grade, one of the two leaned far out and waved ahead to the conductor. "All right," he shouted, "signal to stop-now!" With a squeal of brakes, the train slowed down, and the two men jumped off. An instant later, the train had picked up speed and vanished between the hills.
The two men were tobacco heir Pierre Lorillard IV and his friend Bruce Price, a young architect. Turning up their collars, for they had neglected to bring raincoats, they clambered up the embankment above the tracks and trudged off through the mud. Before them rose a wild, heavily wooded hillside. Only a tiny brick schoolhouse and an orchard showed that mankind had ever been there. By the time the two men had reached an open wagon awaiting them on a dirt road, which straggled past this little building, they were soaked to the skin.
An hour later, after three miles of boulders and thickets through which the wagon barely squeezed, they reached the top of the winding ascent and halted on a ridge overlooking a lake. This would have been at the top of what is now Tower Hill Road. At the north end were some cleared fields and a hut. Pointing there, Mr. Lorillard said: "That is a good site for the clubhouse. Don't you think so? And we can have a row of cottages between there and here." And with that, Pierre Lorillard IV had envisioned Tuxedo practically as it stands today.
s Later… the spot.
ed in a small city of shanties h names as "Fifth Avenue," hall was called "Delmonico's," rk City restaurant at that time. ools then available, the men ng thirty miles of graded dirt wage system (the first complete se and police station, twentyhe village stables, a new dam, an atchery. The clubhouse itself with wide porches. It was style of the day, with spacious s for entertainment as well as te large and round in shape, most famous rooms. e opening celebration.
1886
s sped up from New York City. our and a half, but the exuberant to the alarm of the passengers, the way the rickety old coaches k. Despite their fears, they and were met by coaches and b colors of yellow and green.
xedo Club has welcomed over 150 e Club. The Club is stronger and The increase in members has vements of Club buildings and on in Club life. Two new padel lf course, a boathouse, a swimming tennis court, a rackets court, ash courts, a Main Clubhouse, house make Tuxedo one of the
A Google search of Tuxedo will reveal more than sixteen million references. The short-tailed dinner jacket as we know it today was first introduced to America by a member of The Tuxedo Club. There are differing reports of how this event occurred, but the account by Mr. Grenville Kane, founding member of The Tuxedo Club as told to J. Earle Stevens in 1929, appears to be the most authentic. In the summer of 1886, Tuxedo Club member James Brown Potter and his lovely wife, Cora, while on a visit to England, were invited by the Prince of Wales to join him at Sandringham, his country estate, for the weekend. Prior to going, Mr. Potter asked the Prince what he should wear for dinner. The Prince replied that he had adopted a short jacket in the place of a tailcoat for dinner in the country and that if Mr. Potter went to his tailor in London, he could get a similar jacket made. Mr. Potter did as the Prince suggested. When he returned to America, Mr. Potter's friends at The Tuxedo Club were not only impressed by the account of his visit to Sandringham but also found the jacket Mr. Potter brought back more appropriate than tails for informal dinners, and so they had it copied by their own tailors. It then became the custom for members of the Club to wear this attire to informal dinners in Tuxedo Park. One evening, a group of members wore their new dinner jackets to a bachelor dinner at Delmonico's. Their jackets attracted the attention of other diners who, upon enquiry were told "oh, that is what they wear for dinner up at Tuxedo." And so, from that day forth, the name Tuxedo was forever associated with this style of formal wear.
One of the first ten USGA Golf Clubs
Home of the country's first Interclub Golf Match in 1894
Home of the country's first Quad Match (still played today)
2022 Site of the Metropolitan Golf Mid-Amateur
2022 Rees Jones golf course renovation featured in top golf and Club publications
World & US Champion Professional Staff (Court Tennis)
2024 Site of The Ladies’ US Open (Court Tennis)
2022 & 2020 Site of The US Open (Court Tennis)
Gold Racquets: the longest running annual Court Tennis Tournament in the United States
Architecturally celebrated Tennis House designed in 1889 by Warren & Wetmore (the firm would go on to design Grand Central Station in New York)
WATCH THE CLUB’S 2023 ‘FIELD OF DRIVING DREAMS’ VIDEO
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Multi-Campus, 120+-acre facility including three architecturally celebrated clubhouses
Main Clubhouse (designed by John Russell Pope), Golf Clubhouse (designed by Hart Howerton), Tennis House (designed by Warren & Wetmore)
The only Club in the world to offer a combination of seven distinct racquet sports including:
Two Padel Courts, one Court Tennis Court - one of only 11 in The United States, one Rackets Court - one of only nine in The United States, two Regulation Squash Courts, four Har-Tru Tennis Courts, one Pickleball Court and four Platform Tennis Courts
Newly-renovated (2022), award-winning 18-hole Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed golf course, covered and non-covered ranges, practice areas including a newly added short game practice facility
Tuxedo Lake offering 25 slips, sailing, fishing, rowing, kayaks, canoes and pontoon boats
Ice skating, bocce court, overnight hotel rooms, youth programs, clinics & camps, member apartments
Rich social programming including wine-tastings, holiday celebrations, ‘Smokehouse at the Boathouse’, costume parties and more
Check out our staff in the most recent issue of Club Director Magazine
General Manager (CCM, CCE) with over 30+ years of Club experience, and a national Committee Member for both CMAA and NCA
Assistant General Manager (CCM)
Five CMAA members
Dedicated Human Resources Professional (Certified SHRM-CP) with a certificate from Cornell University in Diversity and Inclusion
World Champion Professional Racquets Staff
Golf and Racquets Professionals with 12+ year tenure at the Club
Director of Agronomy 10+ year tenure at the Club, and GCSAA member (both national & local chapters)
Controller is a Certificated Hospitality Accountant Executive with MBA and 9+ year tenure at the Club
International H2Bs + J-1s
Club commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
New staff training & corresponding member satisfaction surveys created (2024)
Largest number of members and privilege holders in recent Club history
Initiation fee increase for all levels of membership in 2023
Fiscal Year 2024 resignation rate of less than 2%
Recent improvements of $1MM including two Padel courts
13 Member-run committees
65 Committee volunteers
Largest attendance at Club events including over 650 members & guests at the 2024 4th of July fireworks
Updated rules and governance model pertaining to Senior members (GM/COO < Committee and Board)
Annual Board Orientations
Board commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Board commitment to evolving the next generation of Club leaders
Governed by five Executive Officers, a Board of Governors and 13 member-run committees
Long Range Planning Committee focused on prudent spending on capital projects including the addition of two Padel courts (2024)
Low member to debt ratio 1:$3,166
From FY 2022 to FY 2024 the Club operating revenues grew 28%
CHECK OUT OUR MOST RECENT ISSUE OF 1886 MAGAZINE
nal) program grew from 28 in 2018 membership pipeline, and resulted use members in the past two years 022-2024)
the country to offer Padel (2024)
ce Court (2023)
ations including the introduction of + times per year), new digital Golf
ool Booklet, Boathouse Booklet and Events Booklet
ebsite and Mobile App (2023)
Member Programming:
ews, Weekly Poolside Bingo, Water
ay Night Padel Mixers and more
d social media policy (2022)
d H2B Program
d training of seasonal staff
ng (homes, apartments, and dorms)
T infrastructure and cyber security measures
Thank you for your consideration