“Imperfect golfers welcome. You’ll be in good company.”
Saranac Lake is a relaxing club that doesn’t take itself seriously. It has decent greens but the rest of it is in rough shape. When camaraderie and a good walk is your main goal, conditioning is of secondary importance. Don’t take that as a knock on the design, Alex Findlay put together a good one.
(The 457 yard par five first hole has a terrific green complex. It’s pushed up with bunkers cut into the base on the sides. It demands absolute precision to hold with a long shot. I love the width and openness.)
The Adirondacks is dotted by a series of old courses designed by some of the earliest pioneers in the game. As the railroads made their way up here and the wealthy followed to escape the city. Saranac Lake was designed in 1919 long after several clubs had been established. Alex Findlay himself did the Mountain course and the Pristine 9 for Lake Placid Club nine years earlier. This particular project was supposed to be eighteen holes, nine on the south side of Rt 86 and nine on the north side. The north holes never came to be.
(The 284/169 yard seventh plays as a short par four or mid length par three. It is my understanding that this section floods or doesn’t drain well so the front tee is used in these situations.)
It was a bit of luck that I actually stopped by. I wasn’t aware the course was a few miles from my hotel and that Rt 86 was the main road into Lake Placid. Any intention I had to play was thwarted by a high school tournament in progress, but it did allow me to walk several holes and watch them play. The tee for the sixth is basically in the car park. It’s a fantastic par three across a valley to a fortress green (opening photo). Curiosity piqued, attention grabbed! The first hole looked just as good. I was impressed by the width and the lack of trees everywhere. The par five eighth is a smidge over 400 yards but plays uphill to a rounded, sloping fairway with the green at the crest. For these young boys, it was just a mid iron second shot, but controlling that hanging lie from hooking OB caused a wild assortment of swings. The ninth was anticlimactic. A bland straightaway hole with a sloped green to negotiate.
(The front pin is probably the toughest location on this sloped green. Almost all the putts were coming from above the hole. It’s a 338 yard par four.)
Saranac Lake is a footnote to a few historical markers. Scott North was the first golf professional in 1921. Craig Wood worked for a short time here too. Wood is best known for winning the 1941 Masters and 1941 U.S. Open. He was also the first player to lose every major in a playoff (joined later by Greg Norman). Hike Tyrell became the second golf professional in 1926 and stayed for 58 years before retiring in 1984. He worked with Ben Hogan at Saranac Lake in the summer of 1939. Yes this isn’t my normal write up but a nine hole course like this with all the history and interesting architecture deserves recognition. I give Saranac Lake a 3 (average)(worth driving 15-30 minutes to play).
(This is my fifth Alex Findlay course. His style is very much in tune with how I view architecture. He takes natural features and produces good golf shots. It’s simple but entertaining. He did a lot of work in the Philadelphia area during the time Philadelphia School of Design was emerging. They are direct opposite of each other. One distinctly focuses in on developing strong players while the other promotes the game getting stronger.)
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