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Syracuse, New York
Where does one go for bargain golf? I think I've found a place.
In the summer of 2008 I visited Syracuse, New York for a brief family vacation and during that stay we got to play nine holes at a course called Arrowhead Golf Course, a 27 hole facility in East Syracuse. For just over $40 three of us played, and that included cart.
When I was approached to set up a golf weekend for May of this year the first location I investigated was Syracuse. I started by contacting the Syracuse District Golf Association and asked them what courses they recommended. While I awaited their reply I did a search for hotels in the area. I didn't want just your standard hotel but something a little bit special to make every inch of the trip memorable. One advantage I had was working with 12 golfers so requesting six rooms gave me much better leverage for negotiating a good price.
 Baldwinsville, a village on the east side of Syracuse, provides a beautiful canal-side setting for the Red Mill Inn. The Inn used to be flour mill and dates back to the early 1800s. It stayed in operation until 2002 before the mill was moved to a new location. In 2005, a decision was made to convert the mill into what is currently a 32-room inn and conference center. Each of the spacious rooms at the Red Mill Inn features an aged support column or two that adds flavor and keeps the historic feel of the old mill even though the building and decor have been modernized. I had found our place of stay.
An email reply from the Syracuse District Golf Association gave me a nice starting list for obtaining tee times.
Water, water everywhere. The Links at Erie Village hosted our first round and features no less than 16 holes with water identified in play on the scorecard. And who would have thought that I could cross a fairway from the first tee and lose a ball in the water? Make that 17 holes with water in play. The Links at Erie Village is a great track to learn the importance of ball position and maybe to keep the big stick in the bag.
Lafayette Hills was the site of our second day and the "Hills" portion of the course name is very appropriate. The 18-hole championship course is designed by A.W. Tillinghast and Seymour Dunn and sits atop one of the highest points in Onondaga County. Lafayette Hills Golf & Country Club enjoys spectacular views and some severe hills. Quite a contrast from our first round at Erie Village. The back nine will especially challenge everyone's game with a few blind tee shots and a monstrous elevated tee on hole #14.
The Camillus Country Club also has dramatic elevation changes. Add in some extra tough contours to the greens and you're got even more of a problem. And it's not often I get play a 490 yard par 4 from the middle tee blocks and be able to reach the green in two as is the classic 9th hole at Camillus.
Our last round was played at Radisson Greens. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., Radisson Greens is listed as having the 7th highest slope rating in the state of New York. Its tight fairways and numerous bunkers can quickly add strokes to any score. A couple of beautiful par 3s over water provide only temporarily relief from the next tight tee shot.
For four days of quality golf we paid $125 and each game included cart. How's that for a bargain?
Other courses of recommended play were; Green Lakes Golf Course, Turning Stone and Timber Banks.
Green Lakes Golf Course is one of Robert Trent Jones first designs. The Green Lakes golf course opened in 1935 and is located in the Green Lakes State Park. This course is a bit hard to locate information on but I hear it's a beauty.
The Turning Stone Resort and Casino is a much higher end facility and features five championship golf courses. The Turning Stone Resort Championship takes place this year in late September and features some of the top names on the PGA Tour. Last years winner, Dustin Johnson, birdied the final two holes on Sunday to capture a one shot victory over Robert Allenby.
At the time of this writing, Timber Banks, a Jack Nicklaus designed course, had just opened nine holes. This course will undoubtedly become a must play for a future trip.
  During our stay in Syracuse we were told not to miss out on a stop at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for some ribs. We tried to make our way through the doors on day #2 but we were told the wait was at least an hour. Apparently this wait occurs on every night of the week. A recommendation from a waiting nearby group suggested we try the Limp Lizard Lounge. Our 12 made the journey and we were delighted with the ribs at our second stop.
Around the corner from the Red Mill Inn was the Lock 24 Seafood & Deli. A spacious wooden outdoor deck wraps around two sides of the building was filled with diners. The setting was perfect for our first evening meal.
For a night of fine dining the we tried the Mohegan Manor. Again, just a block away from the Red Mill Inn and a great way to close out our special four days of golf.
| 79 The Links at Erie Village - East Syracuse, NY | | Greens: |  8/10 | Golf and cart for $25. Who can beat that?
The water is what makes this course. I counted 15 holes with water on the scorecard. And to make things worse, I went in the water on hole #1 crossing the fairway of #18.
We ran a mini-tournament where the goal is to stay out of water. All 12 golfers hit water this day.
The greens were in great condition!
After 9 holes you can pick up a hot dog or burger. The burgers I saw were almost raw and the lady staffing the booth was a bit rude.
Lots of fish to be seen in the various ponds. One staff member (?) was out in an electric cart fishing at various locations with much success.
Good sized clubhouse with a large patio upstairs and nice outdoor bar. The restaurant appears clean and decent size.
A few picturesque holes where water accentuates the green. | | Fairways: | 8/10 | | Tees: | 8/10 | | Course Design: | 8/10 | | Value for $$$: | 10/10 | | Difficulty: | 8/10 | | Scenery: | 7/10 | | Staff: | 7/10 | | Clubhouse: | 8/10 | | Other Intangibles: | 7/10 |
| 82 Lafayette Hills Golf & Country Club - Syracuse, NY | | Greens: | 8/10 | Sitting atop one of the highest points in Onondaga Country, Lafayette Hills must be one of the first clubs to open each spring and drainage should never be an issue. To compliment the beautiful scenery of the surrounding hills and valleys, the clubhouse won't take a backseat to any other around. My only complaint is the location of the Pro Shop which is down a floor and on the opposite side of the parking lot.
While the front nine is a relatively easy walk I would never risk not having a cart for the back. The up and down track of the back nine produces a few blind tee shots. You'll really enjoy teeing off at the par 4-14th as the elevation change to the fairway is something to behold.
Greens are well-groomed and contours are not nearly as severe as one would think.
Lafayette Hills plays a lot tougher then its rating.
The golf course is an 18-hole championship track with co-designed by A.W. Tillinghast and Seymour Dunn.
Be careful playing the 16th as you'll want to avoid anything to the right as the end of the driving range allows stray balls to enter the fairway.
some very challenging holes and a highly recommended course to play. | | Fairways: | 8/10 | | Tees: | 8/10 | | Course Design: | 8/10 | | Value for $$$: | 9/10 | | Difficulty: | 9/10 | | Scenery: | 9/10 | | Staff: | 8/10 | | Clubhouse: | 8/10 | | Other Intangibles: | 7/10 |
| 79 Camillus Country Club - Camillus, NY | | Greens: | 8/10 | Because of the hilliness of the course, some of the greens at Camillus make putting an adventure. The 16th hole produced some high scores as the pin location caused a lot of problems. And, since the green is elevated you really don't know where to aim for on your approach. Home knowledge is definitely an advantage.
The 9th hole is one of the longest par 4s you will ever play. At 490 from the whites, it's almost all downhill. One of the reasons I evaluated the fairways as a 7 was because the grass was left long and the ball did not roll very far. Especially when you needed it on the 9th. My 2nd shot was a steep downhill lie which made reaching the green in two almost impossible. As well, the 9th hole is the one lone hole on the course with water.
Many of the fairways are open and wandering left or right isn't an issue. The only holes where this is a concern is the holes adjacent to the fence line surround the course property.
Camillus is not an overly long course but it is a challenge.
A golf cart is a must! | | Fairways: | 7/10 | | Tees: | 8/10 | | Course Design: | 7/10 | | Value for $$$: | 9/10 | | Difficulty: | 9/10 | | Scenery: | 7/10 | | Staff: | 9/10 | | Clubhouse: | 8/10 | | Other Intangibles: | 7/10 |
| 81 Radisson Greens Golf Club - Baldwinsville, NY | | Greens: | 8/10 | Radisson Greens is rated one of the top 10 toughest courses to play in New York state. One of the main reasons is the tight tree-lined fairways and numerous bunkers. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., Radisson Greens sports a variety of picturesque par 3s that are enjoyable to look at and play.
With the number of bunkers on the course it's very tough to keep them in shape. Some much needed work was required on them at the time we played.
Yardages can be difficult to determine for a first timer. A few doglegs require accuracy and correct distance.
The course is flat so it's an easy walk.
Playing from the tips is only for the low handicapper. At just over 7,000 yards, Radisson Greens will give the best of golfers a challenge. | | Fairways: | 8/10 | | Tees: | 8/10 | | Course Design: | 8/10 | | Value for $$$: | 9/10 | | Difficulty: | 9/10 | | Scenery: | 7/10 | | Staff: | 8/10 | | Clubhouse: | 8/10 | | Other Intangibles: | 8/10 |
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