Rip Van Winkle Country Club in Palenville, NY
Kevin Cunningham
There is no direct, mathematical way to identify your favorite course of the year. This is an easier task for the “best” or “best value” courses. A “favorite” course is best chosen through a gut feeling and factors off the course and green speed.
For me, the honor goes to Rip Van Winkle Country Club in Palenville, NY, but I probably wouldn’t have even heard of that course without a sudden life change.
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In late July, my wife and I moved a hundred miles north from our longtime home in Brooklyn, NY, to a small town in the Catskills, a move that hadn’t been on our radar when we were married just a few weeks earlier.
Soon after settling in, I was delighted to discover that the region is full of inexpensive, well-maintained par-3 and 9-hole courses, and many of them were just a short drive from my home. So I took advantage of the long late summer days and regularly played rounds for an hour before or after work.
While much of my time was spent in Alapaha Golf Center’s executive courseit was when I made the slightly longer trip to Rip Van Winkle that I discovered my favorite course of the year.
The Rip is a full-length, nine-hole course open to the public and dating back to 1919. To my shock, I discovered that it was styled at the time by none other than course architecture legend Donald Ross, most notably the author of many historic songs such as EG recent top presenters Pinehurst No. 2 and Oak Hill.
While The Rip may not be in the major championship conditions found at Pinehurst and Oak Hill, it is still very well maintained, with smooth, surprisingly fast greens, a relaxed atmosphere and a fast pace of play.
Kevin Cunningham
One of The Rip’s best features, however, is one found on nearly every course in the area: mountain views on every hole.
Oh and the cost per round? Only $18. Good luck finding your way into a Donald Ross course for less than that.
Honorable Mention: If I could pick a second favorite, this would go Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn. My parents were club members when I was growing up, and that’s where I learned to play and love the game. Not that it was easy: the club, which was founded in 1895, features a course designed by another legend of American design, AW Tillinghast, and has hosted several USGA championships. I also worked on the green team one summer.
