This summer's trip had a goal of knocking thirteen courses off Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list including four on the current list, published in the September, 2016 issue. I would also be meeting my cousin Bud Livingston, a resident of Trenton, NJ for two of the courses I'd be playing in New Jersey.
I headed east on Interstate 90 with a visit to my hometown of Wickliffe, OH where I played Pine Ridge Country Club, the second course I ever played and one at which I caddied as a youngster. Pine Ridge has notoriety as the course where Arnold Palmer played in the early 1950's when he was stationed at the Great Lakes US Coast Guard in Cleveland. It is no longer a private golf course and is owned by the Cleveland Metroparks System.
I headed east on Interstate 90 with a visit to my hometown of Wickliffe, OH where I played Pine Ridge Country Club, the second course I ever played and one at which I caddied as a youngster. Pine Ridge has notoriety as the course where Arnold Palmer played in the early 1950's when he was stationed at the Great Lakes US Coast Guard in Cleveland. It is no longer a private golf course and is owned by the Cleveland Metroparks System.
Pine Ridge Country Club Par 3 14th Hole
I left Pine Ridge and traveled three and a half hours east where I spent the night just south of Rochester, NY. In the morning, I traveled a little less than two hours to Verona, NY where I would play three of the courses at Turning Stone Resort.
Turning Stone Resort
Turning Stone Resort is a casino in upstate New York owned and managed by the Oneida Nation with five championship courses, three of which have been ranked as a Top 100 course by Golf Digest and/or Golf Magazine.
I had a 10:00 tee time at the Shenandoah Course, ranked anywhere from 59th to 64th on Golf Magazine's list from 2006 to 2014. The Shenandoah Course, a Rick Smith design, originally opened in 2000 and had recently reopened after a year-long redesign that resulted in seven new holes. The course is an Audubon International certified course that includes wooded parkland holes and open pastures that provide a links feel. The Shenandoah Course hosted the 2006 PGA National Club Professional Championship.
There are five sets of tees ranging in length from 4813 yards to 7013 yards. The slope from the back tees is 140. I found the course to be extremely playable from the middle tees and in no way "tricked up."
I had a 10:00 tee time at the Shenandoah Course, ranked anywhere from 59th to 64th on Golf Magazine's list from 2006 to 2014. The Shenandoah Course, a Rick Smith design, originally opened in 2000 and had recently reopened after a year-long redesign that resulted in seven new holes. The course is an Audubon International certified course that includes wooded parkland holes and open pastures that provide a links feel. The Shenandoah Course hosted the 2006 PGA National Club Professional Championship.
There are five sets of tees ranging in length from 4813 yards to 7013 yards. The slope from the back tees is 140. I found the course to be extremely playable from the middle tees and in no way "tricked up."
I had a second tee time Sunday afternoon at the Atunyote course, a Tom Fazio design and the longest of the courses at Turning Stone. The Atunyote Course is ranked 68th on Golf Magazine's 2016 "Top 100 You Can Play" list and 52nd on the 2015 Golf Digest "Top 100 Greatest Public Courses" list. Atunyote is the Oneida word for eagle. It opened in 2004 and was home to the Turning Stone Resort Championship from 2007 to 2010 and also the BC Open. Past champions include Tiger Woods, Camillo Villegas, Matt Kuchar, Steve Flesch and Dustin Johnson.
The Atunyote Course is a several mile drive from the main resort. I played on an extremely warm day and did not see more than two other groups on the course. Like Shenandoah, it has five sets of tees that range from 5120 yards to 7315 yards from the back tees. The slope from the back tees is 143. Atunyote is another course that is straighforward; you can see exactly what is required from each tee.
The Atunyote Course is a several mile drive from the main resort. I played on an extremely warm day and did not see more than two other groups on the course. Like Shenandoah, it has five sets of tees that range from 5120 yards to 7315 yards from the back tees. The slope from the back tees is 143. Atunyote is another course that is straighforward; you can see exactly what is required from each tee.
I was on the Drive & Dine Package where I had one round of golf with a room at The Low Rise Hotel at Turning Stone. I paid a discounted rate to play the other two courses. My room was quite nice and in close proximity to the dining selections.
It was raining Monday morning when I arrived for my round at the Kaluhyat Course. I had the first tee time at the course which plays out of the same clubhouse as the Shenandoah Course. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the Kaluhyat Course is ranked 82nd on the 2015 Golf Digest "Top 100 Greatest Public Courses" list. It opened in 2003. Kaluhyat is the Oneida word for "the other side of the sky."
I found the course to be the toughest of the three I played. The five sets of tees range in length from 5293 yards to 7105 yards and has a slope of 150 from the back tees. There are greater elevation changes at the course than the others I played along with six lakes. It is even a more difficult course for a first time player.
It rained on and off throughout my round and was still raining when I set out on a two and a half hour drive further east to Bolton Landing, NY where I would play the Sagamore Golf Club.
It was raining Monday morning when I arrived for my round at the Kaluhyat Course. I had the first tee time at the course which plays out of the same clubhouse as the Shenandoah Course. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the Kaluhyat Course is ranked 82nd on the 2015 Golf Digest "Top 100 Greatest Public Courses" list. It opened in 2003. Kaluhyat is the Oneida word for "the other side of the sky."
I found the course to be the toughest of the three I played. The five sets of tees range in length from 5293 yards to 7105 yards and has a slope of 150 from the back tees. There are greater elevation changes at the course than the others I played along with six lakes. It is even a more difficult course for a first time player.
It rained on and off throughout my round and was still raining when I set out on a two and a half hour drive further east to Bolton Landing, NY where I would play the Sagamore Golf Club.
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