Drumlins Country Club has been home to bowling lanes, skiing hills, two outdoor skating rinks, two scenic 18-hole golf courses and innumerable banquets and weddings over its 100 years. As the venerable club prepares to launch its centennial celebration, its staff, members and visitors will have dozens of opportunities to look back, raise a glass to 100 years of history and celebrate many more years to come.

“We are looking forward to a full year of celebrating Drumlins,” says interim director Joseph Sidoni. “This place means so much to so many people, and we want to do right by the club. One hundred years is extremely special.”

The club will host a signature centennial event every month throughout 2026. Highlights include the launch of a centennial menu in April, a summer block party in August, an “Ice Age and Ice Cream” family movie night on the putting green and golf and tennis tournaments.

The year will be capped with a 1920s-themed New Year’s Eve gala in the Drumlins ballroom (period-appropriate dress encouraged).

On Saturday, Feb. 7, students and the general public are invited to the club’s Centennial Winter Festival, beginning at 2 p.m. Snowshoeing will be available outside, and a complimentary cup of hot cocoa and a s’mores bar will be waiting inside to warm everyone up. The first 50 guests will receive a commemorative Drumlins 100 mug.

“Every aspect of the club—the Bistro, the grounds team, the pro shop, the pool—will play a part in the celebration this year,” says banquets and events manager Laura Massa. “We wanted to make sure we were offering something for everyone.”

A Club Rooted in Community

The club was originally established in 1926 after Roderick S. Burlingame Sr. purchased the 260-acre Nottingham Farm. Burlingame made his mark on Syracuse, developing one of the nation’s first indoor skiing arenas on South Salina Steet in 1912. He also built out what would come to be known as the Sedgwick neighborhood on the city’s north side.

In the spring of 1928, Drumlins opened its clubhouse (a barn from the farm) and grand ballroom (the hayloft). The original barn, converted in 1928 by Burlingame, is still in use at the club today where Bistro 1926 is now.

Syracuse University purchased the property in April 1969 for $2 million. Under the University’s ownership, Drumlins grew to include two 18-hole golf courses (one public, one private), a swimming pool, a driving range, a tennis center featuring multiple indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a restaurant and a banquet center.

The private course has played host to several major events, including men’s and women’s New York State Amateur Championships, the inaugural women’s Mid – Amateur Championship in 2009 and an event on the LPGA Symetra Tour (now known as the Epson Tour) from 2009-2014.

But the property has always maintained an openness rare among area country clubs. University students are invited to play golf and tennis for free. The school’s Division 1 women’s tennis team hosts their home matches at the tennis facility. ‘Cuse Scoops and Bistro 1926 bring in guests from across Central New York.

So it is appropriate that the Drumlins team is inviting the community to celebrate 100 years alongside its members.

“We hope to see old faces and new faces this year,” Sidoni says. “Maybe your parents were members and remember skating on the ice rink, maybe you attended a member-guest tournament here one year…whatever your connection to Syracuse University, to Drumlins, to this community, we hope you’ll come out and celebrate 100 years with us.”