Review: The Edison Club (Part 1)

I'm knocking out the Devereux Emmet golf course early this year. Eventually the streak of reviewing Emmet courses will end, but it won't be 2022. Just don't expect anything on the same level as Leatherstocking though, or Copake. The Edison Club, located just outside Albany, was originally designed by Devereux Emmet, but I seriously doubt that the course as it is today bears much resemblance to that original design. A lot of years have gone by and people have changed things around. 

I'm never one to turn down playing a golf course I've never seen before, and since my brother works here, getting out here for a round was a no-brainer. Fair warning, this isn't going to be my best or most exciting review. Edison is a perfectly fine golf course, but it's not the most interesting one. It would have almost been better if it had been bad; at least then I'd have something to write about. But I took the pictures, so I'm going to document this course no matter what. Anyway, now that I've pulled you in with that incredible vote of confidence, let's take a look at Edison.

The first hole really does set the stage for the next 26 holes (oh yeah, Edison has 27 holes and you're going to see them all). It's a mid-length par 4 that plays gently uphill. The fairway isn't blind from the tee but the landing area is. A drive to the outside of the gentle dogleg is preferable, as the green is angled from right to left and the lone greenside bunker protects the left side. The green has plenty of subtle elevation and break to it. Not boring, but not anything to write home about either.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 360 yards and doglegs right. The tee shot is complicated greatly by three bunkers scattered throughout the landing area. There's not a lot of room between them, so you either need to lay up short, leaving a long approach for a fairly short par 4, or hit a big fade with the driver around the trees to clear them. The second shot is to a shallow green protected by three small bunkers. This is not an easy hole, despite its modest length.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a short par 4, only 340 yards, and it plays a bit downhill. Much like the previous hole, this one doglegs significantly off to the right, but in this case you really can't use driver. Trees protect the inside corner of the dogleg and can't be carried. That means hitting a wood or long iron out to the corner, leaving a wedge in. The green is sloped significantly from back to front, with a noticeable tier in the middle; there are three bunkers protecting the front of the green.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a short par 5 that plays basically dead straight along a road to the right. The fairway slopes slightly from right to left, but there's not a huge amount of trouble on the tee. If you hit a poor drive and need to lay up well back, there is a pond about 100-150 yards from the green. A good drive means you can go for the green in two. It won't be an easy task though, since the green is guarded by three bunkers, with two right and one front left.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a fairly simple 165 yard par 3. The bunker in front of the green is actually 20 yards in front, despite all appearances, so you don't have to worry about that one too much. The bunkers left and right of the green are more of a concern.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a fairly long par 4 at 430 yards and plays uphill to a mostly blind fairway. While there are no fairway bunkers, there are trees on both sides that you don't want to be in. Hit a good drive and you'll have a short to mid iron into a semiblind green. This hole has a fairly tough green; it slopes from back to front and is also domed in the middle. 

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 185 yards and has a fairly small green sloped significantly from back to front. There are two bunkers left and right. Not much else to say about this hole.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

I do, however, have some things to say about the eighth hole. It's 550 yards, making it the second longest hole at Edison, and negotiates rolling terrain. There aren't very many flat lies here, and while there's a ton of room to work with on the drive, you'll definitely want to favor the right side. That's because there's a big giant tree about 150 yards from the green in the corner of the dogleg; if you're too far left you won't be able to get your second very close to the green. It's best to stay down the right side on the second shot as well, as there's a pond and small stream left protecting the last 100 yards of the hole. The green is small and there's water left, though at least there aren't any bunkers. This is not an easy par 5; par is a good score.

The eighth hole. Maybe it's just me, but that narrow little fairway looks kind of silly with so much extra space on each side.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a mid-length par 4 that goes downhill slightly at first, then turns left and heads up the hill. The drive needs to be threaded between a pair of fairway bunkers and some big trees. You can use driver, but it's probably not necessary. The second shot is pretty uphill, and the green is protected by a single bunker front left.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at Edison's second nine.