Review: Copake Country Club (Part 1)

I do a fair amount of research while planning out these golf vacations. Sure, there are often obvious choices, golf courses that are popular for one reason or another. But often the popular choice is the expensive choice. Sure, those popular golf courses may be in immaculate condition and provide excellent amenities, but I'm in it for the golf, and for me, wall-to-wall green is no match for quirk and strategy. The lesser-known courses, the ones off the beaten path, those are usually the ones worth playing. They're usually cheaper and often far more interesting.

The seventh green, overlooking Copake Lake.

That brings us nicely to Copake Country Club, a course so far off the beaten path that no one's entirely sure who built it. Even after original plans were found in the mid 2000s allowing for a full restoration of the golf course, the architects responsible for the restoration were only about 90% certain that Copake was designed by Devereux Emmet. We'll just go ahead and give Mr. Emmet that 10% and say that he's responsible.

Astute readers of my golf course reviews will note that, despite his relative obscurity, this is not the first Devereux Emmet course I've played. And there are some definite similarities between Copake and Keney Park -- both languished in the standard malaise many Golden Age courses suffer from, and both have been refreshed in the modern era. However, while Keney Park was renovated into something resembling a Macdonald/Raynor course, Copake was restored back to its original form. The result is quite possibly the most difficult (but in a fun way) 6,200 yard golf course I've ever played.

The first hole kicks things off in a fairly mild fashion. It's a 370 yard par 4, and you'd better get a good look at the hole while you're on the tee, because you probably won't be able to see the green from the fairway, not unless you're a very long hitter. And in that case, you'll have to be cautious of the cross bunker eating into the fairway. But overall, it's a pretty open drive, and a pretty open green. There are bunkers on each side of the green, but the gap between them is pretty big, so there's plenty of room to run up the second shot. Copake's greens are extremely firm and fast, so you'll probably be playing run-up shots on a regular occasion.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is the one and only par 4 over 400 yards at Copake, weighing in at 440 yards, and is absolutely the toughest hole on the course. It starts off simply enough, the fairway is wide open, but the second shot is where things get complicated. First off, the mid iron approach is completely blind. The second obstacle: a pair of bunkers about 20 yards short of the green. On most courses, run-up bunkers like this would be only for show, but not here. As I said, the course runs fast, and to make matters even harder, the green slopes dramatically from front to back. This is something that occurs multiple times at Copake, but this one is by far the most pronounced. That all means that the ideal second shot is one that just clears those run-up bunkers and then tumbles down onto the green. And remember, you're trying to do all that blind. The only criticism I have is that this is a lot to do on the second hole, especially since Copake has no driving range. It doesn't make the hole any less good, but making par becomes that much more difficult when you've barely warmed up. At least there's no hazards or any place to lose a golf ball. No, if you make a quadruple bogey here, it's absolutely your own fault. Maybe you should acquire a short game at some point. Definitely speaking hypothetically here. Definitely didn't make an 8 here because I needed to chip four times.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green slopes significantly from front to back.

The second green from the ninth tee.

The third hole is the second longest par 4 on the course, measuring just under 400 yards. Of course, this hole actually plays much shorter than that, considering just how dramatically downhill it is. If you can, being on the left side of the fairway is preferable, as the greenside bunker is quite nasty. The green is slightly elevated and features a lot of slope from left to right. Okay, so approaches from the left aren't easy either, but it's better than having to hit over the bunker.

The third hole.

That bunker is not a great place to be.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first par 5 Copake has to offer, but it's not exactly a backbreaker. At most, it's 480 yards, but practically it plays a lot shorter than that, since the dogleg right can be cut quite easily. The fairway is routed through a little valley, so all tee shots will funnel toward the center. If you're going for the green in two (and you probably will be if you can hit your driver any sort of distance), the second shot is up the hill to a semiblind green that slopes significantly from left to right. Missing left means an incredibly delicate chip to a green that runs away. There are no bunkers, and the hole is really short, but the hole does not give away birdies.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green has a pretty severe slope from left to right.

If there's a hole at Copake that can compete with the second for the title of toughest hole on the course, it's this one. The fifth is a 230 yard par 3 that plays over basically level ground to a horizon green that is also slightly domed and slopes from front to back. There are two small bunkers front left and front right just to make things that much trickier, but honestly, the hole doesn't need them. The slightly elevated green and the contours provide plenty of defense. Much like the second, this is an example of a difficult hole not needing hazards to make things tough.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the first of three sub-300 yard par 4s at Copake. If you were curious why the course is so short, that's as good a reason as any. One hole of that length is unusual enough, but three? Anyway, while the hole is definitely drivable, simply smashing away with a driver is a poor choice at best. The green is small and shrugs shots away that are short or right. Any sort of wayward drive will probably find a bunker, or require a pitch shot hit over a bunker to a narrow green. The best play is probably a long iron to the left side of the fairway. This gives you a fairly open look, and more importantly, it gives you a deeper target.

The sixth green.

Not a great place to approach the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is also a sub-300 yard par 4, but this one features a blind tee shot and absolutely no bunkers. Easy hole then, right? Hit it anyway, pitch it on, hopefully one putt, walk off with a birdie. But I imagine this hole gives up fewer birdies than you might think. Remember, the greens are firm, and the right side is slightly elevated. Shot from over there are tricky, and shots from the left are hit to a green that subtly falls away. Not to mention the view on the green can be quite distracting, as all scenic overlooks can be. Copake Lake looks very good.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

There's quite a view on the seventh green.

The eighth hole is the last leg of the sub-300 yard hole stretch, measuring 150 up the hill to a semiblind green. A single bunker protects the right side, and the green itself is slightly domed and once again, is lower at the back than at the front. The shortest hole at Copake isn't difficult, but it isn't a walk in the park either.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is easily the longest hole at Copake at 530 yards, the only hole tipping over the half-century mark. Of course, it doesn't play that long. In fact, as long as your tee shot gets close to the top of the plateau, you can easily go for the green in two with as little as a long iron. Once you reach a certain point, the hole drops steadily, and any decent running shot will motor on down the hill, eventually reaching the green. That's how I got to the green in two with a 4 iron despite hitting a driver that went, at best, 270 yards. Just watch out for a bunker to the right of the green. Not a huge obstacle, but it's something to think about.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green. Golf balls will run a long way down the hill.

That's it for now, go here to see the back nine..