Review: Mohawk Golf Club (Part 1)

Another year, another Devereux Emmet course. The streak continues. And unlike 2022, we have a well-preserved example. Mohawk Golf Club, located in Schenectady, New York, just outside Albany, has a rather interesting place in golf history. While the Emmet version of the course was built in 1904, the club was incorporated in 1898, and included as one of its members a certain A.F. Knight. Now, that name is not going to be familiar to anyone, but Mr. Knight is responsible for the creation of a unique golf club: the Schenectady putter. He used this putter to great effect, and great ridicule, since most believed it to be goofy and ridiculous. In 1902, however, Mr. Knight was introduced to Walter Travis, famed amateur player and golf course designer, who took one look at this putter and was intrigued by the possibilities. He had one built for himself, promptly finished second in that year's U.S. Open, and 2 years later became the first non-British person to win the British Amateur, almost entirely due to his stellar putting (Travis was a very short hitter, but made virtually everything). This so scandalized the R&A that they banned the so-called Schenectady putter for nearly 50 years.

That has very little to do with the golf course at Mohawk, but it's a neat little tidbit of information, and I'm glad I dug that up. Anyway, the course. The initial Emmet design was actually a par 74, whereas the current layout is a par 70. That said, other than the eighth hole losing over 150 yards to become a fairly short par 4 instead of a mid-length par 5 and some general lengthening, the routing hasn't really changed much. Mohawk's also had some restoration work done in the past few years, namely to remove trees from the interior sections. And it really does help; obviously, this is no great beauty of a golf course, being in the middle of suburbia, but those long sightlines to multiple holes in the distance really does give Mohawk a pleasant connectness that many courses lack. 

The first hole is not a gentle handshake sort of opening hole. At 430 yards from the back tees, it's the second-longest par 4 at Mohawk. The tee shot isn't exactly difficult, but neither is it easy, as the fairway isn't excessively wide. It's the second shot that's tricky. There are two bunkers on each side of the green, and the green itself is rather undulating, being especially high on the left middle portion and falling away on either side of that high point. You need precise iron play here, and that's something you'll see throughout the round.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole isn't most Redan hole to ever Redan, but that's basically the hole we're dealing with. The green is tilted 45 degrees away and sloped from right to left, meaning the best play is a draw. The bunkers front left are especially hazardous on this hole, being 10 feet deep. Not quite as extreme as the bunkers at Keney Park's Redan, but still really not someplace to be. And missing right isn't much better either, since the green slopes away right into those deep bunkers. You can very easily run right through and be in a 10-foot deep bunker on your third shot rather than your second. Definitely not speaking from experience there.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is the first of just two par 5s at Mohawk, and if you're crazy enough to play it from all the way back, you'll be confronted with a 620 yard hole negotiating rolling terrain. It's a much more reasonable 530 from the next tee up, which is probably where most golfers should be playing. While there are a few trees right and an O.B. line left, the biggest issue on the drive is the shallow valley cutting across the fairway at about the point where a drive would end up. Go in that and you'll have an awkward stance for your second. Long hitters can carry it, however, and if you do that, the green is reachable in two. It's not an easy shot, hitting a long iron or fairway wood into a fairly small green guarded by three bunkers as well as a significant dropoff left, but it can be done. For most, however, this is pretty safely a three-shot hole.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

Hopefully you're a fan of par 4s, because starting now, we'll be seeing eight in a row. The first of this impressively long streak, the fourth, is just over 300 yards and definitely drivable for the long hitters out there. If you can't quite do that, you have a few options. If you're feeling especially safe, you can hit a mid iron into the first section of fairway, which is wide open but will leave a full wedge second. Use a longer club and the fairway bunkers come into play, but you will obviously have an easier second, especially if you favor the right side. The green is protected by a small bunker front left and a larger one right, but that's not its primary defense. The green is highest on the front left section and falls away from there, making it extremely tough to keep any shot from the left close unless you are extremely precise and get a decent amount of spin. There is definitely something to be said for laying up off the tee so you can get the spin you need, but on the other hand, it is a small green, and the further you are, the more inaccurate you'll be. This is really a very deceiving hole: You see a 300-yard par 4, you expect to have a good shot at birdie, but instead you're happy to walk away with par. 

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a 420-yard par 4 playing to a mostly blind fairway. It's not an especially wide fairway, especially with dense trees lurking to the right, but there are no bunkers, so it's more open and inviting than it looks from the tee. A good drive will leave a short iron into the green, which is sloped from right to left and guarded by three bunkers.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing uphill to a fairly narrow fairway flanked by two bunkers about 230 yards from the tee. How big an issue these are depend on how long you are. This is one of those holes where you can definitely see the age of the course. 230 yards used to be a big issue back in the early 1900s, and while the bunkers still are in play for many golfers, they're not really in play for even moderately long hitters. That said, there is a plateau at that distance, providing a flat stance for a wedge or short iron. If you go past that, you'll have a downhill lie to a green sloping from right to left protected by bunkers on each side.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is slightly longer than the previous hole, but it plays downhill (and parallel to the sixth), so it's effectively the same length, or even slightly shorter. The tee shot is blind, but the fairway is completely wide open, so feel free to use driver, favoring the right side. That will leave you the best angle for a wedge or short iron approach. The green is slightly domed and protected by two bunkers on each side.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 370 yards and plays over essentially flat land. Without natural topography to provide interest, clever design has to take over. The hole doglegs significantly about 250 yards from the tee, so some restraint is necessary off of the tee. But not too much, and it's important not to stray too far right as well. You'll be blocked off by trees. Of course, the same thing happens if you go too far through the fairway. The green has one bunker right and two left, and also possesses a rather significant false front. When the flag is located just over that false front, like it was for our round, putts from above the hole are quite nerve-wracking.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the fourth sub–400-yard par 4 in the row, this one 380 yards and playing slightly downhill. It's a tricky drive, with the landing area pinched by a couple of bunkers left and O.B. in the form of the course's driving range right. In addition, the fairway is tilted from left to right, which is especially tricky from the back tees, which are offset to the left. You have to hit a draw, be extremely precise, or play conservatively to hit this fairway. The second shot will be a wedge or short iron to a green sloped pretty sharply from back to front and fronted by four small bunkers.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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