What was the Apple Tree Gang in early American golf history?

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Tiger Woods follows through on his golf swing after teeing off, standing in tall grass with spectators watching in the background at St Andrews Golf Links. — golf American golfer Tiger Woods competing at the British Open (Open Championship) at St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2005.

The "Apple Tree Gang" refers to the five founding members of the St. Andrew’s Golf Club in Yonkers, New York, established in 1888.1

After the club moved to a course located in an apple orchard in the spring of 1888, the members famously hung their coats and a jug of Scotch whisky in a convenient apple tree while they played. This habit led to the group becoming known as the "Apple Tree Gang."1