North Country Links

A round of golf at the Sagamore's prestigious course.

Story and photos by Josh Schermerhorn

Woven in the mountains surrounding beautiful Lake George, N.Y. is the Sagamore Golf Course, one of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the North Country. Located a short drive from nearby Bolton Landing, the nearly 80-year-old professional-style course greets you with a fashionable clubhouse and attendants ready to set your cart up for the round. Though greens fees can vary depending on if you are a public member or private guest at the Sagamore Hotel and Resort, an 18-hole round will cost anywhere from $70-130.        

Once my group was ready to start, it was off to the first tee. One glance from the starting gate gave me two separate thoughts: the beauty and the beast. The narrow fairway’s earliest reaches are stretched many yards out and downward, rising again to the green.  Combined with well-placed bunkers around the green, the first hole’s overall appearance led me to believe this course will be a battle the entire way. 

However, the course layout was not what caught my eye. Behind the first green is a view any golfer dreams of on the first tee. After teeing my ball up, a glimpse of Lake George in the background distracted me from the task at hand. 

Throughout my usual warm-up swings and stretches, my thoughts were not on the technicalities of hitting a good first shot or the approaches I wanted to take, but of the beautiful backdrop of numerous mountains encasing the lake. With a funnel of trees on either side of the fairway, you can’t help but to appreciate the magnificent vista.

As the round progressed, the course proved to provide all of the challenges as well as playable options that an intermediate golfer can expect on a good course. The par-three third hole represents many of the courses challenges. From the middle, or average distance tees, all of the short holes force an accurate, mid-iron tee shot. Though forgiving on a stray hit on about half the space around the green, the other half could leave you a tough second shot from the rough or a deep bunker, making a par a chore.

Medium-range and long holes, or par-fours and fives, give you an opportunity to shoot a good score, but also a chance to have yourself playing catch-up for lost shots. Simple holes like the par-four 4th and 10th offer good birdie opportunities for straight and smart tee shots, while ones like the par-four 13th requires two solid, consecutive ball-strikes to give yourself a chance for par. Many holes present well-placed dog-legs, making your club selection a key part to your game. 

For instance, when I teed up on the par-four 5th, one of my playing partners advised me that the driver should stay in the bag. Though the temptation would be to rip it with the big club on most courses in the North Country, holes like this prove that such a decision could cost you valuable strokes. I decided to listen to the wiser man and hit the three-wood successfully down the fairway. When I rounded the crest in the middle of play, I noticed that a good hit from the driver may have landed me in a strategically placed pond that meandered through three holes. 

The course’s gems are at the end of each hole. When hitting into any of the greens at the Sagamore Golf Course, care and consideration should be taken. Most greens are at a different elevation than your incoming shot, making loft and distance judgment crucial. A line-drive into most of the surfaces will send your ball scurrying over the back for a pitch shot if you’re fortunate. Once on the greens, your read must be accurate. A failure to judge both the speed and break on any putt over three feet can leave you bogeying a hole you fully intended to birdie. 

After a round full of decisions and careful play, I did not hesitate to put the course near the top of my list  Being a frequent golfer, I enjoyed every aspect of it. Aside from all the aforementioned attributes, even things like the great food on the turn brought the entire golfing experience to a higher level. Between the great challenges and even greater views, as well as its pristine conditions from the fairways to tee boxes to greens, I have no problem giving the Sagamore Golf Course a solid five stars in the North Country’s wide selection of places to play.

What's your favorite course in the North Country?