Let's keep this going! I foresee of full GCA takeover of the July 11th state days. Paging John Blain: Hiawatha is 1.5 hours from Hamilton down Route 12. Make it happen!
For those GCAers who are not familiar with Hiawatha: The course is maybe 15 years old and is a Brian Silva/Mark Mungeam design. The course is in Apalachin, NY in the bottom of New York State. The front nine players along the Susquehanna River and is relatively flat. The back nine plays closer to Route 17, but it possesses great rolling topography. Silva/Mungeam designed several strategic par-fours. My favorites include 2, 4, 8, 10, 15, and 16. 16 is a wild long par four with a double-fairway off the tee and a phenomenal green site. The last two holes play along dug-out lake and are very controversial. I, for one, am a big fan of the par five 18th. It is a very fun short par-five and is a nice change of piece from the standard monotonous long par four. Of course, I also realize there are many others that disagree with me on this hole.
Links at Hiawatha Landing is usually ranked in the top 10 publics in New York State. It was 4th this year, although it clearly does not belong ahead of Leatherstocking (the gem of upstate NY) and Bethpage Red. Nevertheless, Hiawatha has some very solid architecture and plenty of fun for any golfer.