Sleepy Hollow’s many amenities include 1 that’s right on target

There are places in golf so alluring, so compelling, that it’s possible to forget the course itself, at least for a while — even if it’s, say, the 77th-ranked course in the world, like Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Westchester County, NY

One such place is the Sleepy Club, a former Vanderbilt mansion that offers stunning views of the Hudson River. Another is in the woods behind the club: the Skeet and Trap Shooting Lodge.

The Lodge’s rustic log cabin exterior looks straight out of the center shed, and the same goes for its wood-paneled interior. Decorated with trophy mounts, plaques, vintage books and the like, it makes you feel right at home on the prairie. A roaring fire warms the hands and the soup and the club’s signature chili warm the bellies. It is a perfect place for cold weather socializing and the venue for celebrations ranging from birthdays to special club events.

Golf may make you want to pick up a gun, but safer to keep it off the course, off-season. The lodge is the perfect place to get away from the fire. From October each year until the end of March, members are encouraged to come out and scratch their itchy trigger finger under the watchful eye and tutelage of a handful of Sleepy old hands, with both skeet and trap shooting ranges on offer. (Fun fact: Of the three main clay shooting disciplines, only sporting clays is missing from Sleepy Hollow, which is often described as “shotgun golf” since you move to different shooting locations set on natural terrain.) No matter how well you manage to hit your targets, a good time will be had by all.

But then that’s true everywhere on the property, in the club’s incredible range of activities – athletic, culinary, even equestrian. There are two tennis courts, four platform tennis courts, four tennis courts, 10 clay tennis courts, an adult pool and a children’s pool, a sparkling fitness center, an outdoor pizza grill, and an indoor and outdoor riding arena. It’s almost enough to make you forget about that spectacular golf course … and the short nine-hole course, too, great for practice and for younger or less advanced players.

Oh, and inside the club – which also surely ranks among the best in the world – members and their guests can stay overnight in one of 18 beautifully appointed and unique rooms or suites.

Suffice it to say, if you ever get an invite to Sleepy Hollow, pull the trigger.