Review: Kingsbury National Golf Club (Part 1)

We continue our trip through eastern upstate New York at Kingsbury National Golf Club, located in Hudson Falls, an hour north of Albany. This was definitely not my first choice as far as the day's golf was concerned. My brother had to work for a few hours on Sunday, so we were limited in terms of distance and time. I had my eyes set on a course in Saratoga Springs, but my brother insisted on this course. He thought it looked interesting, and at the very least, it was less tree-lined than anything I had in mind.

As for course background, there isn't a whole lot of info out there. It's a golf course that opened in the early 90s, and was bought and renamed a few years ago. Other than that, I went into the round having pretty much no idea what to expect beyond what Google Maps could tell me. So the question is: Do I let my brother pick golf courses from this point forward?

The first hole is a reachable par 5 at 500 yards. There is a decision to be made right away: How much of the pond do you challenge? You could skirt around it entirely, but then you could only use an iron before you ran out of fairway. The more water you carry, the narrower the hole gets. Of course, there's another option if you're a big hitter, as carrying the water completely is definitely within the realm of possibility. Doing that would leave only a mid or short iron to the green. If you do lay up, a small valley cutting across the fairway has to be dealt with, and a bunker front right means that you're best off getting as close to the O.B. line as you dare. That opens up the long, narrow double green. Yes, double green, as the first shares a green with the eighth hole. Definitely an unusual occurrence, but not the first time I've come across a double green.

The first hole presents a challenge right away.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The first and eighth holes share a green. Definitely not something you see every day.

The second hole is a mid-length par 3 at 190 yards, playing slightly downhill to a medium-sized green guarded by three bunkers. Not the most exciting or interesting hole in the world.

The second hole.

The third hole is a fairly long par 4, playing just under 430 yards. The tee shot is completely blind, and there's no indication of where the fairway is. So you have to guess. The hole bends from left to right, and the fairway slopes from right to left, so hitting a fade off the tee is definitely a benefit. Just don't go too far right, as trees encroach quite a lot. The green is not large and is protected by a single bunker to the right.

The third hole. Picture of blind tee shot not included (for once).

The third green.

The fourth hole is a fairly short par 3, playing 165 over a ravine to a shallow green with a significant back to front slope. Missing long will result in either a delicate chip shot off a downhill lie to a green that slopes away or a lost golf ball. Missing left is okay as long as you don't land on the wrong side of the mound. Plus there's the bunker short right. Plenty to think about on this hole.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a dead straight par 5 playing 520 yards. The tee shot is hit onto a fairway at the top of a small plateau that falls away on three sides. Clearly the golfer will be drawn left, as the hole is open on that side, but doing so and going too far left will mean tree trouble on the second shot. The hole isn't terribly long and is reachable in two if you hit a good drive. If you do lay up though, you'll want to be at least a hundred yards out, as two fairway bunkers pinch into the fairway past that point. There's a noticeable tier on the back-right section of the green, so if the hole is back there, second and third shots become much tougher.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a long par 4, and it plays parallel to the previous hole. The hole is actually bunkerless, and the pond in front of the tee really isn't an issue. So while it's 440 yards, it's not a very difficult hole. Not exactly a birdie opportunity, but you'd have to work hard to get a really high score.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a mid-length par 4 with yet another blind tee shot. It's straight, just like the previous two holes (almost like they all play parallel to each other), but you'll definitely want to favor the left side on the drive. And you'll probably want to hit a draw as well, as the left side of the fairway slopes from left to right. If you're on the correct side, the green is deep and pretty open, though there are some bunkers left. If you're on the right side, you're presented with a shallower target perched behind a pond.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a short, almost drivable par 4, playing 330 yards slightly uphill. There is a fairway, but it's kind of shoved off to the right next to some trees, and is so narrow it's almost irrelevant. There's no trouble if you hit straight at the green, so why not do that? The second shot could be a full wedge or a little pitch, but either way, you have play over a bunker to the double green. Two more bunkers guard the hole left and right. It's not an easy pitch, but this is still a good birdie opportunity.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

This is not the easiest chip shot in the world.

The ninth hole is a 415 yard par 4, and a fairly tough way to finish the front nine. The hole doglegs left, with a pond at the end of the fairway doing a great job of discouraging the driver. Now, you can certainly cut off a bit of the dogleg, but the hole isn't tremendously long, and a 3 wood should still leave you with a short or mid iron. The pond may look threatening on the second shot, but it stops well short of the green. It's not an easy approach, as there's a native area long, but it isn't as tough as it looks.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green. The pond is a lot further from the green than it looks.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, come back next week to see the back nine.