Chautauqua Golf Club-Lakes Course (Chautauqua, NY)

Thirty miles north of Conewango Valley is another Donald Ross design, the Lakes course at Chautauqua Golf Club. 

(The 338 yard eighteenth is a feel good ending hole where birdie is a very realistic score.) 

Chautauqua GC was designed in 1921. The lake and mountains make this the perfect summer getaway, and with the Chautauqua Institute across the street, there's plenty of activities for a summer vacation. 

(#1 402 yard par 4)

The course is routed over a steady slope that goes down to the lake. There's some tumble to the terrain in spots, but overall, it's just a steady pitch. Most Ross courses have greens atop ridges n knolls, but Chautauqua's greens are typically extensions of the fairways. That's one reason why the few greens that are elevated stand out so much. 

(The fifth plays uphill over the entrance road. It's a 466 yard par five, so it is reachable, but it's all carry over a steep valley.) 

The greens are very fast so the player must take heed on how he approaches them. Bunkers that look out of play suddenly come to life when the ball is running across the ground. Ross varied the green sizes, and several of them are exceptionally small. 

(The par five tenth plays downhill to a tiny green. A plaque on the tee celebrates Sarazens double eagle made during one of the many matches played at Chatauqua.)

The eleventh is my favorite hole on the course. It has one of the few greens perched up above the fairway.

(Even from this view behind the green, one can see the slope of putting surface on eleven...

(..,the side view however shows just how difficult the mid iron approach can be. Note the hardpan in the pic. I can remember when this was a subtle hazard golfers had to incorporate into their decision. I wish more courses would refrain from overwatering.) 

(The camera is not crooked! There really is that much slope in the green! The 184 yard twelfth requires a high cut, otherwise the ball could roll off the green, or into the bunker guarding the left.) 

Chautauqua doesn't grab your attention like most Ross courses, but the nuance and subtlety make breaking one's handicap a challenging task. Overall, I feel the course, and the club in particular, does exactly what it's suppose to do in this setting, and that's provide a place to play the game that accommodates all skill levels. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 min).