Review: Lake Placid Club - Links (Part 1)

Golf is probably not the first sport that comes to mind when someone mentions Lake Placid. This is where the Miracle on Ice happened, after all. And even if you didn't immediately think of hockey, Lake Placid is much more associated with other winter sports, like skiing or ice skating. But it's not winter all the time in the northern reaches of upstate New York, and Lake Placid is home to a fair number of golf courses. Happily, the best course in the area -- the Links at the Lake Placid Club -- is available to the public.

Lake Placid has the sort of view that makes you want to play golf.

Despite the prestigious-sounding name, the 45 holes at the Lake Placid Club are owned by Crowne Plaza, making them resort courses. While I'm sure the Mountain course and the Pristine Nine have their own qualities, the Links course is generally considered the best of the bunch. Designed in 1909 by Seymour Dunn, the course plays over surprisingly flat land, considering the mountainous locale. But there are views aplenty at Lake Placid to make for that, and all things considered, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd strayed across the border into Canada. On a day when even Albany was pushing 90, Lake Placid was sitting at a humidity-free 80. Seriously, didn't break a sweat the entire round.

Now, before we start, let me clarify: Obviously the Links course is not a real links. The ocean is a couple hundred miles away, and the place is surrounded by dense boreal forest and mountains. But as we'll see, the course does pull off the name better than some other places do.

The first hole wastes no time, getting the round started in vigorous fashion. From the back tees, it's 466 yards, which makes it the longest par 4. (We did not play the back tees. It's almost 7,100 yards, too much for us.) While there's plenty of room to miss both left and right, there is an obvious obstacle in the form of a valley cutting across the fairway right where a good drive would end up. So right away you have a tough choice: lay up and leave yourself a very long second with a view of the hole, or drive into the valley and have a blind second of a reasonable length. The small green is guarded on each side by bunkers. As I hope you'll see over the course of the review, the bunkering at the Links is unique and very old school, and is definitely a strength of the course. Anyway, the bunker right is long, thin, and deep, making recovery from that side more difficult than from the left. This is a tough start, but not unreasonably so.

There's a lot to see when you step onto the first hole.

I chose to lay up with my tee shot.

The first green.

The second hole is the longest par 3 at the Links, playing 230 yards, and features a vaguely Redan-like green. Two bunkers snake around the back edge of the green, all of which encourages the golfer to hit a draw into the green. While it's not a tremendously difficult hole, it is tough having to hit a long iron so early in the round.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is the shortest of the four par 5s at the Links, but at 550 yards, it's not exactly a walk in the park. The drive is deceptive, as there's more room to the right then what you can see. It's a pretty wide fairway, and a drive aimed at the left edge of the tree line should suit you just fine. From there, any lay-up will have to contend with a pair of small fairway bunkers, so either leave it short, leaving a full wedge, or go past them. The green, much like many at Lake Placid, is very low profile and not built up in any way. It is very easy to run long shots up onto the green, especially considering the lack of hazards in the front.

The third hole, with a drive over a picturesque alpine pond.

A decent position to be in after the drive.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a slightly downhill par 3 playing just under 200 yards. Once again, a draw is going to be the preferred shot shape on this hole. Two thin bunkers surround the green on three sides, and are not easy to escape from. The green itself is pretty small, and while not excessively sloped, there's a fair amount of break to contend with.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a 580 yard par 5 playing pretty much dead straight with O.B. right the whole way. Unlike the third, which is wider than it looks, the fifth is exactly as narrow as it appears. You're better off missing left than right, as there's a little more wiggle room, but still, the drive requires a lot of accuracy. There's a bunker over the hill on the left side that also requires some consideration. The second shot raises a choice: Do you get as close to the green as possible, which brings a pair of long, thin bunkers that flank the last 100 or so yards of the hole into play, or do you lay up short of them? The third shot, if you're in the fairway, is pretty straightforward, as the bunkers don't come very close to the green. In my opinion, it's probably better to leave a longer approach and bank on getting a wedge close.

Much like the third, the fifth also features a drive over a small pond.

You really get a good idea of the Links course's low profile here.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green from behind.

The sixth hole is the first par 4 we've seen in a while. And it's not an easy one. Measuring a slightly downhill 460 yards, the tee shot on the sixth is a fairly easy proposition. Just don't go too far right, and you'll be fine. The second shot presents a sterner test, as the sixth hole possesses the toughest green complex at the Links. To the left of the green is a pair of bunkers. Right and long, a steep drop-off. The green itself is not dramatically sloped, but there's plenty there when you take a second look, rising and falling and rising again. Even if you hit the green in regulation, a par can be tough to come by.

The sixth hole.

The slope to the right of the sixth green is dramatic.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole plays parallel to the sixth, is slightly longer, and is slightly uphill. This course has some very tough par 4s. The drive is once again fairly wide open, unless you're a particularly long hitter. Around 275 yards from the tee, a long, thin bunker starts eating into the fairway, narrowing it considerably. Obviously you could lay up with a 3 wood, but then you'd have a 200 yard approach, and that doesn't sound fun. The green is guarded on three sides by sand, but you can bounce an approach on if you're a long way back.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh hole

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is the third parallel par 4 in row, playing slightly downhill, just like the sixth. Fortunately, this one is almost 50 yards shorter than the last two holes. The fairway starts out pretty wide, but it does narrow as you get closer to the green. Fortunately the hole is short enough that using a 3 wood off the tee won't leave you with a long iron. The green is not large and is exceedingly well bunkered. An aerial approach is definitely needed here.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

From behind the eighth green.

The ninth hole is the shortest hole at the Links, playing 165 yards. Once again, bunkers completely surround the green, which features a noticeable back to front tilt. It's a shallow target, but it is a wide one. So long as your distance is correct and you aim for the middle of the green, there's definitely some room to miss. The bunkers aren't great to be in, but there are worse places to be.

The ninth hole.

That's it for now, we'll check out the back nine next week.