Adirondack Mountains Golfing

The Adirondack Mountain range in northeastern New York shares something in common with a country on the other side of the Atlantic—Scotland. No, it isn’t bagpipe music. You won’t run into many Adirondack Mountain guides wearing kilts, either. The common element connecting the Adirondacks with Scotland is golf.

More specifically, they are both vacation destinations for serious golf enthusiasts. Scotland gets a little more attention for its golfing tours and vacations. St. Andrews, after all, is widely recognized as the home of the game. The Adirondacks, however, offer an amazing array of opportunities for those who’d like to experience hitting the links before a backdrop of amazing natural beauty.

The Adirondacks are widely known for their forty-six tallest peaks. The forty-six peaks are a mountain climber’s dream. Here’s something that very few outside of golf’s inner circle probably realize, though: There are more golf courses in the Adirondacks than there all tall peaks! You’d have to close down a significant percentage of the golfing opportunities in the mountains to reduce the number to forty-six. There are over twenty golf courses in little Warren County and the Lake George are alone!

It seems like there’s another great golf course around every bend in the roads that wind their way through the Adirondack Park. When you visit the area, it’s easy to see why. Outside of winter, the climate is surprisingly mild and well-suited for golf. The area is lush with greenery making virtually every course in the area a complete stunner in terms of aesthetic appeal. Imagine teeing off while looking over a mountain lake with rocky shores surrounded by the massive green forest of the Adirondack Park! The overall resort environment and relaxed nature of the region just seems natural for golf. Some of the courses may be small and lesser-known, but even they have their special charms and unique features. Others, however, are well-recognized for being some of the best overall golf courses in the world. When Golf Digest published its “Fifty Best Places to Play” article in 2004, two Adirondack courses made the cut. The Malone Gold Club and the Saranac Inn Golf Club both received spectacular four-and-a-half star ratings from the prestigious publication. Golfing the Adirondacks is a great idea for any duffer. The courses are strong, the area is beautiful and it’s easy to enhance your trip with other great recreational activities. You can easily mix a little hunting, fishing, mountain climbing or even bird-watching into your vacation routine. This is one golf trip that works for any family, too. With so many things to do in the Adirondacks, everyone will be thrilled to make the trip.

Scotland and northeastern New York may not have a lot in common, but both offer a great opportunity for avid golfers. The Adirondacks may not be the “home of golf” and the game may not stretch back for centuries, but you can still have an amazing golf-centered vacation there without being subjected to bagpipe music or a hot plate of haggis.