Expanded Travel: Fall Road Trips
As fall approaches, there are numerous destinations within easy driving distance of the Met Area for golf and more. (Pictured above: The Sagamore)
Read the full article in the August/September issue of The Met Golfer.
The Sagamore
Standing in the early morning on the first tee at The Sagamore Golf Course in the southern foothills of the Adirondacks, you’ll understand why Donald Ross broke his own rule never to design a starting hole facing east. Teeing off into the rising sun can be a blinding experience, but Ross was so taken by the view of tall pines framing Lake George straight ahead that he made an exception. Built in 1928, this grand old course is a beauty with gentle hills, rolling fairways, and many peeks at the lake.
Five minutes away, on the southern end of its own 70-acre private island, The Sagamore Resort has been welcoming visitors for more than 100 years. With its terraced verandas, gardens, stunning waterside pool, lakeside Pavilion, and The Morgan, a two-decker replica of a turn-of-the-century excursion boat, The Sagamore evokes the Great Gatsby era when men played golf in plus-fours and women wore long flowing skirts.
No matter the weather, there’s always plenty to do: swimming, boating, fishing, kayaking, croquet, tennis, racquetball, hiking, golf, pickleball, tennis, spa, the “Rec,” indoor playground and more.
Plus you have additional choices to make: Stay in the Historic Hotel, lakeside lodges, or on-site cottages; and choose from seven diverse places to eat.
The Sagamore is not just a resort; it’s a destination.
Crumpin-Fox Club
Named after Crump & Fox Soda Company that flourished in the mid-19th century, Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston, Massachusetts is a course where golfers who know how to control their draws and fades can have a blast. Others less skilled at shaping their shots might find it closer to “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”
In the late 1970’s when Roger Rulewich, then head architect for Robert Trent Jones, Sr., designed the first nine (he would return 10 years later to build the second nine), the densely forested land he had to work with created a perfect canvas for carving holes that were isolated from each other. Thick stands of pines, birch, maples, and other hardwoods define the routing while reflecting fall hues across ponds and ribbons of water; late afternoon shadows spread out over fairways and creep across greens.
The rumpled countryside of Crumpin-Fox is a collection of multi-tiered greens, doglegs, rock outcroppings, wetlands, and water hazards. Bunkers guard greens and pinch approaches.
The newer front nine tests your target skills right from the opening hole, a sharp dogleg right. When you reach the 8th hole, you are hitting all along water until at last you cross it with your pitch over the pond to the green. The older back nine can be especially daunting having benefited from the aging-in process as well as the tweaking Rulewich accomplished when he returned in 1988.
The Inn at Crumpin-Fox is popular with golfing groups; Zeke’s Bar and Grill invites you to munch on Clubhouse Nachos or other casual fare from the deck overlooking the course. Or in town the hearty meals at the Farm Table at Kringle Candle never disappoints. For a history fix visit the Deerfield Inn nearby and dine in Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern.
By Katharine Dyson