Golf in the Adirondacks

[Sean_A]

Cheers Jon, lovely pix.  I really like the in your face earth works and some of the bunkering looks highly unusual.  The course reminds me of Walton Heath with shallow bunkers!  Any idea why Lake Placid isn't better known? 

Ciao

[Dan Boerger]

Ed - Interesting that you (like I) are not enamored with the first two holes of the Yahnundasis. They were redone in the early 60's for highway expansion.


Great pics! (If taken today, however, there might be some snow.)

[Matt Frey, PGA]

Thank you all again for the input...this thread has gotten much more attention than I expected and I'm very grateful. I plan on booking our lodging this week and can then start planning the rounds of golf.

Jon C.: Your photos look great, and those from Lake Placid intrigue me. I'm not sure what the draw is for me exactly, but I've always wanted to play that course!

[Carl Nichols]

I'll reply with some more thoughts later today--my family has had a house in Upper Jay, NY, for more than 25 years, and I've played almost all of the public courses people have talked about here.  I'm jumping in because the Lower/Links course is by far my favorite course in the High Peaks region, and is a very good deal; I think the max green fee is $50, with a $35 twilight rate and something like $25 replay. 

[Jon Cavalier]

Cheers Jon, lovely pix.  I really like the in your face earth works and some of the bunkering looks highly inusual.  The course reminds me of Walton Heath with shallow bunkers!  Any idea why Lake Placid isn't better known? 

Ciao

Thanks, Sean. Glad you liked the photos.


I'm not sure why Lake Placid isn't better known. My best guess is that it suffers a bit from its location -- the Lake Placid area is not a golf destination at all -- and perhaps those who would seek out "high end" public golf options want what they consider to be flawless conditions. Hard for me to say.


I would never have played there myself had I not been in the area for something else, but I'm glad that I did, as I am quite fond of the course.


Jon Cavalier

[Richard Hetzel]

There is absolutely NOTHING around the area of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. It is a fairly remote area. A lot of road cyclists around there, it's a beautiful area for lake sports and cycling. You can toss in a little golf too if you like. The remote feel of the area is why you would go there. I lived not far from there as kid, and I still go back every 2-3 years for vacation as well.

[Doug Wright]

Has anyone played Ticonderoga CC (Seymour Dunn 1925)?

[Phil Lipper]

Has anyone played Top of the World Golf at Lake George? I have heard some good things about it.

[Richard Hetzel]

Has anyone played Top of the World Golf at Lake George? I have heard some good things about it.

Yes, and I have pics of all 18 holes.

[Richard Hetzel]

Has anyone played Ticonderoga CC (Seymour Dunn 1925)?

Yes, I have played it.

[Richard Hetzel]

As soon as I find a bit of time I will post pics of Top of the World and Ticonderoga CC.

[Richard Hetzel]

Top of the World GC near Lake George, NY. First picture shows the epic view of Lake George beyond number 10.

[Richard Hetzel]

Saranac GC, 9 holes near Saranac lake, NY. Formerly known as Ray Brook GC. Good bones, no money to take care of it. Fun 9 hole course. At some point it was supposed to 18 holes with another 9 located across the street, but it never materialized. Could be a pretty cool golf course. A lot of major drainage issues on a few holes (but it was raining for weeks when I played). Course is shoe horned by a main road and railroad tracks. I would like to play it when actually dry.

[Richard Hetzel]

Ticonderoga GC. Fun course near Ticonderoga, NY. Where the course sits was a big battle where Roger's Rangers were defeated by the French and Native Americans. (if you care about History). Fun course, but nothing that will awe you. I would say it is a pretty simplistic routing on some moving land.

[Jim_Kennedy]

I'd add Emmet's McGregor Links to the list of the Adirondack foothills courses ( CC of Troy, Saratoga Spa, Glens Falls CC) that you are considering. Haven't been there in a couple seasons (vg cond then), but Mark Chalfant made it up last summer and had a favorable impression of what the new owners and superintendent are doing with it.

From their website:

http://mcgregorlinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Golf_Illustrated_-_Macgregor_Links.pdf
http://mcgregorlinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/McGregor-Links-Summary-1921.pdf

[Tom_Doak]

How about this itinerary:


Ekwanok
Taconic
Sagamore
Glens Falls
Troy
Leatherstocking
Yahnundasis
Teugega


You could add in Rutland, Seven Oaks, Mohawk and Onondaga.


Be hard pressed to find a better deeper run of quality architecture done by the old dead guys!

I did most of that for The Confidential Guide a few years ago.  Having already been to Ekwanok and Taconic, I started at Longmeadow instead, and squeezed in Onondaga before heading further west for Monroe, Oak Hill, the Park Club, the CC of Buffalo, and Mayfield to round it off in Ohio!


And I was kicking myself when I was through for missing Ed Homsey's home course on my way to Buffalo!  I didn't realize where it was until I'd driven an hour past it.

[Mark McKeever]

If I told my wife we were taking a vacation and I was going to go play golf the whole time, you would read about me on CNN!  All kidding aside, enjoy!


MM

[RDecker]

Glens Falls is a must!

[Ed Homsey]

Tom---The door is always open for you at Stafford CC.  Would be a pleasure to show you around.

Ed

[Matt Frey, PGA]

So here are a few brief thoughts on my time on a few of the Adirondack golf courses last week. A couple of the facilities I was hoping to see had member events, so I will have to plan a trip back up...maybe in the fall. I had more time to play golf, but figured I would keep my marriage intact and spend some time with my lovely bride on our first vacation in years! 

I visited my old stomping grounds on Monday and played all 36 holes at Malone Golf Club, the East and the West Courses. The East Course's first nine holes were originally laid out by Willard Wilkinson and was later expanded to 18 holes by Albert Murray (most of these 18 holes are spread throughout the East and West Courses today). When the West Course was built by Robert Trent Jones Sr., he borrowed a few holes from the original course and built some new holes for both "new" courses. I much prefer the East Course, but the West Course is good too...especially the original holes (Nos. 1, 9, 10, 17, 18).  I was also able to see some of the tree work that has been done on the East's par-3 11th and 14th holes, which are now much more open and healthy (in my opinion, the course could get rid of many more trees, considering there were many less trees on the property when the courses were built). Some select photos of the East Course are below.

Malone - East - No. 1



Malone - East - No. 2



Malone - East - No. 4 (Punchbowl-type green)



Malone - East - No. 6



Malone - East - No. 14



Malone - East - No. 16 (another Punchbowl!)



On Tuesday, I played all 45 holes at Lake Placid Club: the Links Course, Mountain Course and Pristine Nine Course. I was very impressed with the Links Course (and it's not just because I played very well...a round of 70). The Links Course was laid out by Seymour Dunn, who was the longtime pro there, and was restored by Graham Cooke. I found the course to be very fun and it presented challenges for all types of players. It's definitely an "old-school" design and I loved every minute of it. The Adirondacks and North Country have received much more rain than normal this season, so the course wasn't playing as firm and fast as I suspect it does a lot of the time, but it was in great shape, as were all the other courses I played last week.

The Mountain Course has some very good holes, some as good as on the Links in my opinion, but there are also some holes I wasn't crazy about personally (just felt as though they were squeezed in), but it's definitely fun and great for the average player as the yardage doesn't get silly.

The Pristine Nine Course is a short par-29 course, but it is wonderfully fun and is a great course for beginners or for a group of friends to have a quick nine with a beer or two.

Some select photos of the Links Course are below.

Lake Placid - Links - No. 1



Lake Placid - Links - No. 1



Lake Placid - Links - No. 3



Lake Placid - Links - No. 11



Lake Placid - Links - No. 18



The course I was most excited to see was the Ausable Club and it was a very cool experience. The club is only open a few months per year and offers many different outdoor activities, including golf. The course was built in 1888, but I haven't been able to find any information on who may have laid it out (first pro perhaps)? If anyone has any information on this, it would be greatly appreciated. Ausable is a very walkable golf course and offers some great views of the Adirondack's High Peaks Wilderness Area around St. Huberts, New York. The main building / lodge is beautiful and the golf shop is petite, simple and delightful. The design itself offers a few "Alps" type approaches and some tricky greens. It was a blast to play. Select photos are below.

Ausable - No. 1



Ausable - No. 3



Ausable - No. 3



Ausable - No. 4



Ausable - No. 6



Ausable - No. 7



Ausable  - No. 8



Ausable - No. 9



Ausable - Golf Shop



Ausbale Club



Note: My wife is much more of an active person than I am (although I do walk and carry as much as I can while on the course), so she hiked while I played golf. I also don't do well with heights, but I did make it to the top of Whiteface, albeit hunched over with white knuckles. Even though I was terrified, the view from the top is pretty spectacular.

[Mike Sweeney]

Matt,


As a hard core skier, hiker, and golfer, the Adirondacks are a Black Hole in my resume. Fantastic post.


Thanks

[Carl Nichols]

Awesome pics, thanks. My mom lives close to Whiteface, and I'm heading up there Thursday--hope to get the same weather you did.


As for the courses, there are probably only 4 courses in the world I've played more rounds on than Lake Placid Club Links; I love the place. 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Matt,


Great thread.


No one has mentioned the Nick Stoner Muni in Caroga Lake (1929)  Has anyone played there?


http://www.carogalake.com/caroga-lake-history.html


http://www.carogalake.com/golf.html

[Dan Delaney 🐮]

Solid thread. 


Not much mention of Ross' Sagamore.  I'm staying at the old grand hotel next week and would have time to walk the course, if not play, if the Clubhouse thinks it's worth the time.  There's little available on the website, and what is sadly looks like an ODG in need of a chainsaw party.

[Will Lozier]

Solid thread. 


Not much mention of Ross' Sagamore.  I'm staying at the old grand hotel next week and would have time to walk the course, if not play, if the Clubhouse thinks it's worth the time.  There's little available on the website, and what is sadly looks like an ODG in need of a chainsaw party.

Dan,


The Sagamore is definitely worth a round. I can't speak to how much is left of Ross' work but I would guess, other than tree growth and encroachment over time, it is fairly original in terms of bunker placement (style?) and greens' contours (size?). I played it almost 20 years ago and the biggest disappointment for me was how green and even soggy it was kept - I don't remember it being a super wet spring. I'd love another crack at it under firm and fast conditions. I say go for it and report back to us!


Cheers