Insider Tips for Golfers

Spectacular Catskill Mountain views and rolling terrain make Delaware County a top destination for golfers. Here you’ll find many premier golf facilities with pristine courses, perfect for novices and experts alike. Grab your clubs and make a tradition out of it: that annual weekend you get away from it all to focus on the perfect putt on the most amazing greens in a leisurely, non-competitive atmosphere. After the game, a cool drink at the clubhouse enjoying a breathtaking mountain view completes a relaxing day.

Delhi golfer Karen Graves has spent 20 years in the game and has played on nearly all of the county’s fairways. She favors The College Golf Course at Delhi (85 Scotch Mountain Road, 607.746.4653, golfcourse.delhi.edu), a premier 18-hole public golf course which has a dual certification as a USGA Member Course and Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Course.

In addition to having lush fairways in wonderful condition with well-manicured greens, the scenery, she says, cannot be beat. Unlike many other courses, there is a driving range, a putting green and a practice sand trap.

As a frequent player at the course, she has some insider tips. The busiest time at the course is weekday mornings, so if planning a round during that time, it’s a good idea to call ahead for a reservation.

Hole 6, par 4, has an elevated tee which helps a drive to sail, but hole 3 is by far the most challenging on the course. The par 5 hole, she explains, is a “dog-leg right” with an uphill second shot which is hit onto an elevated sloping green that can be quick. “You really need to hit your shot close to the pin on that green,” she says with an experienced respect.

She considers herself to be an average golfer and the best score she’s had on the course is 80, 8 over par. A meal at the course-side restaurant, which offers patio seating, is an enjoyable way to end a round of golf.

Other favorites:

Shepard Hills Golf Club (562 Shepard Hill Rd, Roxbury, 607.326.7121, shepardhills.com) is a 9-hole, 72 par course that provides a bit of challenge with a large tree growing in the middle of the fairway on one hole and a pond positioned in front of the green on another. This is a “fun” course to play on, Graves says, and a cart is required. Clubs are available for rent at the club’s pro shop.

Stamford Golf Club (Taylor Road, Stamford, 607.652.7398, stamfordgolfclub.com) is 18-hole, 73 par course, located in northern Delaware County which gives rise to a higher elevation in landscape that provides a diverse course with breathtaking views. The 18th hole is the trickiest, Graves reveals, because the surface of the green is not visible on the uphill shot. Outdoor covered seating overlooking the 18th hole allows spectators a bird’s eye view of players finishing the course.

For all golf courses in the area, click here.

Featured photo: Delhi College Golf Course by Lisa Wisely