Culbertson Hills Golf Resort (Edinboro, PA)

If you want to understand how time effects a golf course, a trip to Culbertson Hills would be a good field trip. Built in 1931 atop a hill, the course offered beautiful views of Edinboro Lake, and it’s Tom Bendelow design had championship length with every fairway and green closely guarded by an array of sand traps. 

(The 421/361 yard par four seventh requires a long accurate drive to set up this unforgiving approach over the water.) 

Fast forward to 2020 and the area is so chocked full of trees that one could easily not realize a lake exists on the other side of the road. Every bunker is grassed in, and 6800 yards is no longer considered championship. 

(The 431/419 yard par four second plays uphill to a circular green. Trees line both sides of the fairway. This is the longest par four from the white tees.)

Today’s Culbertson Hills relies on length and accuracy to challenge golfers. Each hole is heavily treelined and secluded from the others. Long accurate drives are the key to scoring well. The greens are various lengths and sizes with little slopes to tuck a pin. Wayward drives will have little chance to recover. 

(The 224/201 yard par three third is uphill to a green fronted by terrain that falls away to the right. It plays very long and the proper miss is short left. Missing right will find the trees and lead to a bogey or worse.) 

The heart and soul of Culbertson is unquestionably the par threes. Two of them are very long and will wear out your three wood. The shortest one is cleverly designed. Even par on these four holes will gain strokes on the competition. 

(The 216/201 yard par three thirteenth is over a shallow valley to a mounded green. A roll in the middle of the putting surface is the defining feature. Three putting is a legitimate concern regardless of where one is. Three is a terrific score.) 

(The 165/154 yard sixteenth is the shortest par three on the course. The green is angled against a grass bunker with a small tier in the rear. Overall, it’s a good chance for a two, but be cautious when they employ the back pin position.) 

I feel at one point in time this was a hell of golf course. When Bendelow was with American Park Builders of Chicago, he was designing some of the best courses in the country. Culbertson Hills was viewed favorably in that light. It’s a continuous eighteen holes and meanders out into the countryside until it turns around at the thirteenth and heads back to the clubhouse. It’s a fun romp and is the right mix of difficulty. A couple lowland water hazards guard the 7,8,9 greens. The 581 yard par five ninth in particular is a very fine hole. 

(This view of the grass bunkers illustrates the mounding that defines the hazards. They once held sand but nowadays the mounds themselves add variety by interfering with the stance and lie.) 

Northwestern Pennsylvania is littered with hidden gems. The lumber, oil, and steel industries were booming at the turn of the 1900s, and the old architects built a lot of cool stuff in these hills. Some of my favorites include Conewango, Wanango, Erie Golf Club, and Pennhills Club. I wouldn’t put Culbertson in that group, but it’s just a notch below. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

Leatherstocking Golf Course (Cooperstown, NY)

It’s hard to uncouple Leatherstocking from Cooperstown. Together, they make for an unique and amazing experience. 

Devereux Emmet designed the first nine holes at Leatherstocking in 1909. (1-7 16, 18) It was expanded to eighteen holes in 1919. (8-15, 17)  It’s a terrific routing. Golfers play up the hill, back down to the clubhouse, over to the sixth which shows off the shoreline and final three holes, then climbs the hill again. The golfer makes his way to the road and crosses it to play four holes occupying wild terrain. It’s back crossing the road again before  galloping towards the grand finale on the shore of Otsego Lake.

(The 340 yard par four opening hole may have modest length but the green demands only the best. With the left side higher than the right, the player will have to shape his ball to find the correct tier. The fronting bunkers look scary enough but be forewarned the rear and left are bunkered too. Par is good start.) 

(The 203 yard three third is one of my favorite holes. Like a true old fashion course, the green is set against a stone wall. The cross bunkering defends short where a well placed shot can access the green. With a subtle plateau in the rear, several challenging pin positions make this a well earned par.) 

(The 513 yard par five fourth plays downhill alongside the road. It is reachable in two shots but many hazards including OB right try to dissuade players from being aggressive. Note the false front and the swale short. It’s possible to spin the ball off the green and down the slope. For players bailing left, several pot bunkers make for a difficult up n down.) 

(The sixth hole teases the golfer with great views of Otsego Lake and the eighteenth hole. It’s a breathtaking moment, and considering one hasn’t even played a third of the holes, articulates the great routing Leatherstocking has.) 

(The 404 yard par four seventh plays uphill to a fortress green. The fairway short left is the proper line as a miss to the right will leave a nearly impossible up n down. The grass bunker short right is 25 feet(!) below the green. It should be noted that the longest par fours (2, 7, 10) all play uphill.) 

While Emmet is credited with the expansion, evidence points to course superintendent Len Rayner doing the work. Several articles point to this, and Rayner is also credited with building the island tee for the eighteenth hole. For architecture buffs, this is an interesting read. It’s not uncommon for superintendents to also be architects. Emil Loeffler would be a great example. Rayner, it should be pointed out, has several designs in upstate New York to his credit too. 

(This is the view before you cross the road to play 9-12.) 

(The 560 yard par five eleventh plays on terrain that slopes hard from right to left to a green perfectly placed at the far end of the hillside. A nice firm draw will take the slope and work it’s way toward the green. For many, a mid to long iron will be the club for their third shot.) 

(The 137 yard par three twelfth is played from atop the ledges down to a green ringed by bunkers. Look at the view!!  I feel as if the town is part of the course. It has an old world charm that is hard to describe. To me it’s every bit as stunning as the view by the water...
...looking back at the tee. Note that the green slopes front to back. Coming up short in the sand means the bunker shot is likely to get away. It’s a cunning little hole.) 

While the history of Leatherstocking maybe a bit complicated, there’s no denying the quality of the architecture. In fact, it is recognized as being one of the best sub 6500 courses in the United States. (6416)  As stated previously, it has a fantastic routing, but it also has old fashion features that make it a pleasure to play. There’s a stone wall boundary line, crossbunkers, false fronts, and even a punchbowl green. Last but not least, there’s the island tee! After you see it on six, it’ll cross your mind as you’re playing other holes. 

(The fun begins on eighteen at the bridge. There’s a game the locals play. They bowl a golf ball down the wood and whoever’s ball goes the furthest wins!....

...the tee post at the back of the island...
...the island tee was built atop junk automobiles and cinder blocks. The fairway is boomerang shaped and the player has to decide how much he is going to cut from the tee. Any type of tug or overzealous draw will find the bottom of the lake...
...the green is reachable after a good drive but it’s another carry over Otsego Lake. There’s plenty of room to flank the hole on the right. It’s a pronounced two tier green with a back to front pitch. The grand Otesaga Hotel backdrops to the right. Truly one of the great finishing holes in the United States!) 

I had a fantastic time at Leatherstocking. It’s a great course and it benefits a lot being in Cooperstown. For me personally, baseball was my first love and to be where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located made the visit extra special. Everything about Cooperstown is baseball, and it is a super cool place! Leatherstocking stands on its own just fine (#4 in New York by Golfweek) but toss in “the most perfect little town in America”, and it becomes even more of a destination.  I give Leatherstocking an 8 (excellent)(worth a weekend visit).

(The 375 yard par four eighth has a devilish bunker guarding the front right. One must take extra care not to find it. The author did just that and holed out a 6 iron for an eagle two!) 

(Who knew an apology could be worth so much ?  :)

Rutland Country Club (Rutland, VT)

Rutland is considered by golf aficionados as the best public course in the Green Mountain State. Its architectural pedigree dates back to 1927 when Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek added nine holes and remodeled the existing nine. It’s a great example of their work and exudes classic New England charm.

Your imagination is captured as soon as you arrive to the course.The second hole comes back to the clubhouse and a large outcropping separates it from the third. This natural feature is just yards away and stares at you as you make your way to the first tee. 

(The huge rock outcropping on the left separates the second and third holes, and more importantly, hides most of the green of the 170 yard par three third...

...viewed from the right, one sees how high the rocks are. The green slides off the outcropping from high back left to low front right. Hitting the putting surface is the first challenge. Two putting is the second. It’s an excellent hole!)

(The 481 yard par five fourth plays down and up to this perched green. It’s just on the cusp of being reachable in two if you can carry it to the putting surface. Most will layup over the brow of the hill and take their chances with a short iron.) 

Rutland is blessed with a terrific piece of property which allowed Stiles and Van Kleek to design a wide variety of holes. It’s elevation deviates throughout, defended by unique and unusual hazards including East Creek which flows through the middle. Three bridges transverse the bucolic stream, adding to Rutland’s serene environment, and the golfer is asked twice to drive over the fast moving water. 

(The 223 yard par three fifth plays uphill to a green that rarely is hit in regulation. This is the first time East Creek makes an appearance although it is just a spectator as we tee off above it. A huge granite rock backdrops the green.) 

(By now one should be realizing they have stumbled onto a gem of course! The uphill 361 yard par four sixth demands a strong tee shot over East Creek. It is a gorgeous view!...

...and this view looking back at five green and six tee box is just as awesome!) 

(The 372 yard par four eighth doglegs right and plays to this green shelved next to the rocks. The deep bunker left pinches the approach shot to this narrow target.) 

Stiles and Van Kleek formed a partnership in 1924. Most of their work is found in the New England area. They had a knack for finding natural high areas to place their greens. If Rutland is an example, they also had a knack for producing a great routing. The way it hopscotches down to the creek and then back up before meandering over to the upland is classic. 

(The 204 yard par three twelfth starts the stretch of upland holes. Look how beautiful the green is pushed up into the hillside with a deep bunker cut into the base on the left.) 

(The uphill 539 yard thirteenth is the second of the two par fives at Rutland. The green is angled with deep bunkers cut into the front slope. Par is a good score.) 

(The 407 yard par four fourteenth is the climax of routing. The view is spectacular from the tee, and the fairway crawls up the hill with rock outcroppings poking through the earth. The green sits atop a ledge with a fall off on the right. Hitting two good shots and walking away with four is satisfying.)

It’s a shame Rutland isn’t better known. The national golf publications have hitched their wagons to the modern designs at the ski resorts and a look at their state rankings confirms this. A more accurate list in my opinion is found at www.top100golfcourses.com.

Statistically, Rutland is not a long course. It’s 6,223 yards par 70. However, the uphill holes are much longer than their listed numbers, and sometimes it takes two or even three extra clubs to reach the green. There’s only two par fives but several short par fours for the birdie opportunities. The par threes are excellent. I believe the golfer will hit every shot possible here. 

(The view from seventeen tee overlooking sixteen green shows the natural beauty Rutland possesses. On several of the upland holes, these expansive panoramas are afforded to the golfer.)

Vermont is a beautiful state, and whether one is enjoying Lake Champlain, or the Green Mountains, or even the Adirondacks in New York, a trip over to the city of Rutland to play here is advisable. I give Rutland an 8 (excellent)(worth a weekend visit). It enjoys all the qualities one seeks in New England golf and is a true hidden gem. 

[We payed $60 to walk the day we played here. I believe it was $82 to ride. Either way, it’s an absolute bargain.]