Saranac Inn MPT (Montesano Photo Tour) Holes 1-18 Posted

[John Kavanaugh]

If your fellow Buffalo Golfer Dave Finn is in Hawaii, why are you torturing us with the never ending crap fest?  Please end this in one last quick run.  I beg of you, end this!!!

[Ronald Montesano]

From the eighth tee, we get a bit of the elevation change we've missed since the 3rd or 4th hole. The extra space is up the right side, with a longish sand hazard up the left. The green is enclosed on each side by wraparound bunkers we've come to know. The green is tilted, so there is some vertical movement along it. A nice, two-shot hole after the 5th and 6th lulled us to sleep.

Hole Eight: Par Four_303_260

Entire hole from sky



From the tee



Farther up tee, fairway view



The look from fairway left



From fairway right, closer to green



From greenside right



From greenside left

[Ronald Montesano]

Nine is today a great half-par hole. A 260-yard drive in the fairway (only a 250, really, as the hole traipses downhill) leaves anyone within reach of the billiard table. There is no trouble in the fairway, at least in the form of hazards. There is forbidden land to the right and an infantry line (that straight, I pledge) of pines to the left, separating this fairway from the next. At the end of the line is a green that invokes one image: water slide. One of those three-level ones that drops you down, then flat, then down again, then flat again. If it weren't so far from the clubhouse and inn, it would be a great place to settle bets. I like nine. I like the entire back ten at Saranac.

Hole Nine: Par Four_485_476_341

Entire hole from sky



From the tee



Farther up tee, fairway view



Run-up to green



Billiard Table, head on



Billiard Table, left cushion

[Ronald Montesano]

As I review the images of ten, with its play over a slight valley, past a crest, into another depression, then over a second crest, into a second valley, finally rising to a green on a third crest, I try to recall if those same crests and valleys permeated its predecessor, the ninth. I believe they didn't, making this parallel hole completely different in nature.

Both nine and ten are three-shotters from another era. With today's achievements, they are 4.5 holes, ideal little notions. In my world, the sentinel pines that separate the ninth and tenth fairways would receive their marching orders to Christmast town, and the entire area would be cut to fairway height with some added bunkering.

As I went through my files, I realized that hole ten was victimized by the summer hard drive crash, so apologies for crummy images from the fairway.

Hole Ten: Par Five_471_462_401

Entire hole from sky



From the tee



Zoomed in, for a sense of the undulation



From right side of fairway



Approaching the putt



Wide right shot, shows where cut line marginalizes bunkering in rough

[Ronald Montesano]

Eleven is the third of parallel holes. It plays downhill next to ten, then uphill to an elevated green. There is a bunker low-right of the green, but nothing beyond the topography of the fair green (oh, and the trees) from tee to green to disrupt an approach shot. The hole dips slightly before a crest in the drive zone, then drops decidedly and rises up to the putting surface.

Hole Eleven: Par Four_407_402_324

Entire hole from sky



From the tee



From the left, toward the green



From the right, toward the green



Approaching the putt




Twelve moves away at an angle from the previous stack of holes, beginning a new stack of parallel holes from 12-14. It is the most exciting par four on the course, as it moves up and right across an elevated ridge, to a fariway-level green on a plateau, well above the fairway.

Hole Twelve: Par Four_418_407_315

Entire hole from sky



From the tee, a great bender



Zoomed in, for a sense of the grade



Looking down grade



Above the ridge, green level

[Ronald Montesano]

Thirteenis an exhilarating, up-and-over par four hole. The back tee is across the road (red arrow below) Most drives will crest the zenith, leaving a downhill approach to a putting surface ringed by Ipanema. This is the type of fun hole that should come earlier in the round, to keep the momentum going. After the uphill 12th, the dynamic 13th makes this a terrific, two-hole stretch.

Hole Thirteen: Par Four_328_246

Entire hole from sky



From the tee, it's blind!



Into the slope, nearly identical to the rise on the previous hole



Crested butte, now we descend to the putting zone



From the right side of the putting surface




Fourteen could be called a hybrid drop-shot/downhill par three. It has nearly an identical green to the preceding hole, with the elevated green over a necklace of sand. It's not downhill enough to take 2-3 clubs off the yardage, so it's not a true drops-shot hole in that regard. Its green is interesting, with the undulations we've come to expect on the back nine..

Hole Fourteen: Par Three_150_136_130

Entire hole from sky



From the tee, certainly downhill, framed by pines



Zoomed in, a better look at the green vicinity

[Ronald Montesano]

Fifteen is reminiscent of number twelve. It slings around a danger zone on the right, down then up, to a green hidden beyond the dog leg. As with 12, so many pine trees grow at the corner of the dogleg that the green and fairway up the right serve as no temptation. In this case, all they serve to do is push a tee ball to the left where, surprise, random plantings and rough await. It is this "needle in a pine stack"
approach to course maintenance that has removed the openness of the property, known by golfers until the mid-1990s. If the trees down the right were taken down ONLY enough to expose a view to the green (as with 12), the hole would regain a character intended by its architect.

At this juncture, we return to the ditch that we initially encountered behind two green and between three tee and green. It sits menacingly behind the 15th putting surface, necessitating the saving collar of sand that wraps from side around rear to other side. Three consecutive holes of complete, sandy wraparound might have been a bit much, so having an open front for a runner is appreciated. Be accurate on your approach, whether you play it as your 2nd, 3rd or 4th.

Hole Fifteen: Par Four_360_353_315

Entire hole from sky



From the tee, played best with a , controlled, left-to-right slider



Up the slope from the bottom, toward Everest



This narrow view brings the flag and front edge of green into perspective



From the right front of the putting surface, where the wraparound collar comes into view




Sixteen is a long par three, over a pond, to a green sited on a rise. What separates this hole from others of its length and appearance is the location of the green-near bunkers. They do not abut the putting ledge; instead, they sit farther below, with a tier of rough (indicated by green arrows below) between them and the putting green. If your tee ball is wide enough to find them, you'll have a 30-feet bunker recovery to play, rather than a 15-feet one.

I suspect that this green has diminished in size over the years, to a point where it does not have enough area to hold the requisite approach shot. It's a shame, as a green a la the 11th at Shinnecock Hills would serve this hole well, albeit one of depth and width appropriate to the length of the hole.

An alternative would be to extend the green toward the tee, allowing less club to be played to reach the front portion. It would allow for a greater number of chips and putts, although the option of playing short to the wide fairway exists, followed by a pitch shot to the green.

Hole sixteen: Par Three_196_190

Entire hole from sky



From the tee, over pond to elevated green



Here you see the bunker then tier of rough then green ascent

[Ronald Montesano]

Seventeen is a great example of an early-dogleg hole, as is eighteen. The bend comes quite early and may be the result of man's intervention: the rough line is cut severely in on the right and two pine trees immediately off the tee force play to the left. I don't think that the twin towers are safety trees, as the road is protected by another line of pines. Someone at some point decided to force the golfer's hand by growing the right rough farther left and planting two pines. As a result, the hole is not what it was meant to be.

Now that I've vented, the final 75% of the hole is fantastic. A hogs-back fairway places a premium on an accurate drive. A fairway crease about 65 yards shy of the green will allow for some ground fun, while the putting surface bunkering is interesting, both aesthetically and strategically. A terrific penultimate hole, in spite of its reworkable shortcomings.

Hole Seventeen: Par Four_425_418_328

Entire hole from sky



Tee view



Fairway view 1



At the edge of the fairway crease



Putting surface




Eighteen qualifies as a heroic finisher. It soars out to a fairway ridge, then soars downward into a fairway valley, then rises once more to a green on a shelf. If you can hit the ball far enough from the tee, you can catch the downhill and gain a good forty yards of run-out. The bunkering on the hole is subtle, as the architect allowed the topography to carom balls this way and that.

Hole Eighteen: Par Five_538_527_401

Entire hole from sky



From the tee



From the fairway ridge



From the left fairway bunker



From the fairway valley



Behind the green

[Frank M]

Not sure if it's just me or your photos that make it look better than it is, but talk about getting progressively better as you go along.

I love the Adirondack region and would be perfectly content spending my days in a nice cabin and playing here everyday. Though the conditions need to be a tad better I'd say.

[Ronald Montesano]

Frank,

The course had precisely what hit the Hamilton area last winter/spring, albeit without the loss of greens. I ran a school tournament at Copetown Woods and Flamborough Hills last April and they told me horror stories of the loss of greens in the area. Then, Ian Andrew backed it up with his tales of more work than he'd ever had, simply replacing and redoing greens. Saranac Inn's conditioning was the least of my worries, as Ed Homsey (of GCA) has assured me that it is otherwise in very good shape. I remember telling the pro that the conditions were out of their control and the least of my concern.

The course picks up steam around the 7th hole, as every hole from that point on has at least one meritorious feature. If they could cut down the timber and sell it at a profit, then use the proceeds to add some interesting fairway bunkering to holes two, four, five and six, the course would hold your attention until you reached the salad holes.

[Sean_A]

Ronald

Thanks.  I agree with your assessment.  Aesthetically, the course is a mess.  Although, there is some good land movement and interesting green sites/complexes.  To me, the course looks like its needs some serious work to be a keeper.  That said, if its cheap and cheerful there are no real worries so long as the course stays afloat.

Thanks again for your effort.

Ciao 

[Ronald Montesano]

You are welcome, Sean.

Saranac Inn is similar in some respects to the courses you uncover for us. It has bones, as they say. What it lacks (or has in abundance) is a resort that courses in the Isles rarely seek: trees. To my knowledge, no course in the Isles seeks to improve its stature by growing timber. Why we do it in the USA is beyond me, as everything about it is destructive to the aesthetics and conditioning of the courses.

The course will always have play, so long as it is maintained decently. I hope that have a mild winter, as I really enjoyed my time there, once I figured out how to navigate the holes.

[Frank M]

Ronald you should let me know when you plan to visit these places in the Northeast.

I could meet you for a few rounds without issue.

[Kevin Lynch]

Not sure if it's just me or your photos that make it look better than it is, but talk about getting progressively better as you go along.

I love the Adirondack region and would be perfectly content spending my days in a nice cabin and playing here everyday. Though the conditions need to be a tad better I'd say.

I agree with this sentiment.  The routing and interest of the holes definitely picked up from hole #7 on, and I really enjoyed the bones of every hole from 11-18. 

Unfortunately, the quality of the holes (and topography) during that stretch is what led to me being even more annoyed with the ridiculous level of tree planting.  The twin towers on 17 tee were my breaking point, with the clusterf$ck of pines left of the DZ on 18 in the "insult to injury" category.

Overall, I see so much potential in this design.  It may never be an overly challenging course to the highly skilled player, but for the average player, could provide plenty of interest.  If they cleared out the excess plantings, this would be a fun course to visit again with the hickories.

[Carl Nichols]

Oh, right, Caz. I love Caz. Thought it was some other guy. All right, now I've played 1.5 Dunns.

Carl, what underwhelmed you? Was it the conditioning? The more I think about those holes on the back nine, the more I realize how terrific that stretch is.

Ron--
I think your tour makes my major points:  the first stretch is completely underwhelming; I'm not sure I've played a course with as many dead-straight [and parallel] holes; there are way too many trees; and the conditioning is generally a mess.  The reason I called it underwhelming is because the course has historically been highly regarded; I didn't see it.  I would much prefer to play the lower course at the Lake Placid Club, which I think was also designed by Dunn.

[Ronald Montesano]

If your fellow Buffalo Golfer Dave Finn is in Hawaii, why are you torturing us with the never ending crap fest?  Please end this in one last quick run.  I beg of you, end this!!!

Alonso, where is your Sancho?

[Ronald Montesano]

Ron--
I think your tour makes my major points:  the first stretch is completely underwhelming; I'm not sure I've played a course with as many dead-straight [and parallel] holes; there are way too many trees; and the conditioning is generally a mess.  The reason I called it underwhelming is because the course has historically been highly regarded; I didn't see it.  I would much prefer to play the lower course at the Lake Placid Club, which I think was also designed by Dunn.

Carl, was LPC ever private? If a course was designed for private play, rather than public, perhaps a bit more attention was paid.

I suspect that one of our architects on GCA could improve those consecutive parallel holes with a bit of creative bunkering. It wouldn't take much.

[Ed Homsey]

Ron--Lake Placid Club was never private.  Someone, earlier complained about the parallel holes at Saranac Inn.  I'd say, do a count of the parallel holes at LPC lower course.  It is a course that is laid out on land that is basically lacking in interest.  Goes out, and comes back.  Best thing going for it is the lack of trees.  In that regard, it has it all over Saranac Inn, from what I can tell from your pictures.  I'm not sure that either of the courses demonstrates a great deal of ingenuity, on the part of Dunn, in the use of the land.  But, he had less to work with at Lake Placid Club's lower course.  My favorite memory of the LPC lower course was coming home on the 14th or 15th hole, turning around and looking back at the tee, and seeing the whole Canadian ski jumping team on our tail, walking along with those god-awful long ski-jumping skis over their shoulders.  Most memorable part of the round.  In those days, my preferred courses in the Lake Placid area were Saranac Inn or Whiteface.

Have not been back to Saranac Inn in over 20 years, so can't speak to it's conditioning.  Your pictures of the course, as it exists today, do not make we want to return there.  I'll leave my great memories of the place---before the trees--untarnished.

[Carl Nichols]

Ron--Lake Placid Club was never private.  Someone, earlier complained about the parallel holes at Saranac Inn.  I'd say, do a count of the parallel holes at LPC lower course.  It is a course that is laid out on land that is basically lacking in interest.  Goes out, and comes back.  Best thing going for it is the lack of trees.  In that regard, it has it all over Saranac Inn, from what I can tell from your pictures.  I'm not sure that either of the courses demonstrates a great deal of ingenuity, on the part of Dunn, in the use of the land.  But, he had less to work with at Lake Placid Club's lower course.  My favorite memory of the LPC lower course was coming home on the 14th or 15th hole, turning around and looking back at the tee, and seeing the whole Canadian ski jumping team on our tail, walking along with those god-awful long ski-jumping skis over their shoulders.  Most memorable part of the round.  In those days, my preferred courses in the Lake Placid area were Saranac Inn or Whiteface.

Have not been back to Saranac Inn in over 20 years, so can't speak to it's conditioning.  Your pictures of the course, as it exists today, do not make we want to return there.  I'll leave my great memories of the place---before the trees--untarnished.

I was the one who mentioned parallel holes at Saranac, but it was an aside to their also being dead-straight.  I don't feel the same way about LPC:  the parallel holes all have something--slight doglegs, somewhat unique greensites, cross bunkers, even ponds--that make them feel less repetitive to me.  And perhaps most significant, the holes aren't lined/separated with straight rows of pine trees, as at Saranac.