Review: Sagamore Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Sagamore, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a long par 4 playing downhill. There aren't any fairway bunkers, but if you use a driver you'll likely end up on a steep downslope. If you want a flat lie, you'll need to lay back with a 3 wood. Of course, that also means you'll have a pretty long second shot. The green is backed up against the forest and is sloped severely from back to front. 

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is the shortest hole at Sagamore, playing 175 yards. The green is not a large target; while it's medium sized there's trouble all around. The three bunkers protecting the front half of the green are not great places to be, with the one right being quite deep. There's a big dropoff behind the green as well, which is also not someplace you want to be. The green has the gentle rolls on the edges that many Donald Ross greens have. 

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 4 that I'm not overly fond of. Obviously, Sagamore is routed through dense forest, but up until this point the playing corridors have been decently wide. Maybe not generous, but enough. This hole, wedged between forest left and wetland (also with forest) right, is too narrow for my taste. Thirty yards, maybe a little more. With the penalty for missing being so severe, this hole really becomes an exercise in not missing the fairway. And that's not much fun. After a probably conservative tee shot, the second will be a short or mid iron up the hill to a green protected by bunkers left and right.

The twelfth hole.

 

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a long par 4 at nearly 450 yards, and it plays even longer than that, thanks to the narrow fairway and the pond that splits the hole in two about 275 yards from the tee. That means using a 3 wood or long iron off of the tee. The hole is bunkerless, but the fairway is very undulating so there are few flat lies. Plus you'll be using a mid iron at least to go at the green, so bunkers really aren't necessary. The green is slightly elevated and is also fairly undulating. This is probably the toughest hole at Sagamore. Long, narrow, and punishing if you stray off of the fairway.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 220 yards, making it quite a long par 3, but that distance is mitigated somewhat by the 50 foot drop from tee to green. The green is sharply sloped from back left to front right, especially in the back left corner, so while that front right bunker is quite deep, it's actually not a bad place to miss. Missing left (or long) represents a much bigger challenge. The green is pretty small, so if you don't want to risk missing left, this hole can be played as a very short par 4, something I always like to see from long par 3s. Options are good.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a fun hole poorly placed. The tee shot on this 435 yard par 4 is blind, with only a tiny sliver of fairway and an aiming flag visible from the tee. The fairway bends sharply left down a big hill, so if you want to hit a driver, you need to hit a big giant draw around trees and a small stream. Most people will opt for a fairway wood or long iron. It's still beneficial to hit a draw, of course, and because of the hill you can get surprisingly close to the green. Still a mid iron, but on the shorter end. A 7 iron instead of a 5 iron, for example. The second shot is to a green, narrow at the front and wide at the back, protected by two deep bunkers on either side. I like the hole, it's one of the best at Sagamore, but it's in the middle of a stretch of awkward par 4s squeezed into the forest, so the fun of the tee shot is lost. It just ends up feeling like another lay-up on a back nine full of them.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a fairly short par 4 at 365 yards, and once again, you have to lay up off of the tee. This is a requirement; the fairway ends at the tree line about 275 yards from the tee, and there's a big native area within a small ravine left of the fairway that the green sits behind. After the lay-up, the second shot is a wedge over the ravine to the green, which is not large, protected by two bunkers, and has a decent amount of undulation. It's actually beneficial not to go too far or too far right on the drive, otherwise the second shot will be over the right-hand bunker.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a short par 5 that's definitely reachable in two so long as you're willing to hit driver down the admittedly not-wide fairway. The hole is dead straight, but the fairway is sort of domed, with it falling away slightly on both sides. It's very much not an easy tee shot, so while the hole is under 500 yards, you can't necessarily count on reaching it in two. The green isn't large and is slightly elevated over its surrounds, with a single small, deep bunker left.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 430 yards and doglegs slightly right around a line of trees. This is a hole that basically requires a fade; if you draw the ball you're going to run out of fairway pretty quick. Despite the trees close to the tee, the fairway is more open than anything the golfer has seen in a while, so you can use driver here. A good one will leave a wedge or short iron into the green, which is protected by a single bunker right. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I like the front nine at Sagamore quite a lot. There are plenty of trees around, yes, but there's space to maneuver on most holes, especially the ones in the middle of the nine out in the meadow. Then there's the seventh, which is quirky in all the best ways. If the back nine was on the same quality, this would be a pretty good course. Not quite at George Wright level, but I'd like it as much as Shennecossett. But there are so many trees so close to the fairways, it just isn't very fun. If there were 10 yards of extra space on each side, things would be improved so much. The driver is just taken out of the player's hand too much as the course stands right now. While I think it's a bit better than courses like Mark Twain or Triggs, it's not on the upper echelon of Ross courses. 

There's also the matter of cost. Thanks to my brother, we were able to play the course for free. Naturally, pretty much any course is worth it if you're playing it for free, but without those connections, it can cost as much as $180 for a round. Even the twilight rate in the shoulder/off seasons is $100 if you're walking. Needless to say, Sagamore is not worth that price. Not even close. $50, maybe $60, that's the most I would pay. So, my advice if you're looking for a classic golf course at an old resort in upstate New York, go to Leatherstocking. It's a much better course, and it's cheaper.