Review: En-Joie Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at En-Joie, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a fairly short par 4 that goes slightly downhill. It's not exactly parallel to the first hole, though they share a teeing area, but in many ways it functions as a mirror. It goes downhill in a similar way and it has a pond by the green on the right side instead of the left. If you're a long hitter, you'll want to be careful as a 300 yard drive will reach the pond, and the fairway narrows considerably when the water starts. The water is just a foot or two off of the green, so there's no wiggle room right, and a big bunker left that makes for very tense recovery shots. Not much green to work with, a slope that runs right to left, water just beyond, I wouldn't recommend it.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a fairly long par 4 that bends slightly to the left around some big trees. There's a bunker on the outside of the dogleg, and the green is best approached from the right side, near that bunker. The green is slightly elevated and is protected by two bunkers on the left side.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the shortest (and final) par 5 at En-Joie, playing just 510 yards. That means it's definitely reachable in two so long as you avoid the right side and the overhanging trees. Actually, if you can get close to the green with the second, you probably should, as there's a pond about 50 yards short of the green that complicates lay-ups. Either you've got to go out to the right of it, leaving a bad angle, stay short which leaves a long third, or go past. I think that's the best option. The green is angled 45 degrees to the fairway, which makes shots easier from the left side, especially with the bunker in front.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 425 yards, making it the longest par 4 at En-Joie. The playing corridor is wider than many others, so feel free to swing away with the driver. Just avoid the fairway bunker left. The second shot is to a slightly elevated green protected by a bunker right and two small bunkers left. It's the longest par 4 on the course, but it's honestly not that difficult a hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 185 yards and plays parallel to the fourth, even utilizing the same pond. There's a distinct left-to-right lean to the hole, so keep that in mind when hitting your tee shot. There are two bunkers left of the green to catch shots purposely hit away from the pond. The green isn't bad, like the two par 3s on the front, but it suffers from playing almost exactly the same as those two.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is, at the very least, something different. It's a mid-length par 4, and for once it doesn't have trees lining one side of the fairway. Instead, it's got water. The pond runs down basically the entire left side, ending all the way at the green. The smart play is really to use a wood or long iron, since the hole isn't long and the fairway is widest about 200-250 yards from the tee. The green is big (though it's got quite a bit of slope to it), so it's okay to approach it with a slightly longer club. Use a driver and you'll be heading right into the narrowest part of the fairway for not a whole lot of reward. I'm not a big fan, but like I said, at least it's a bit of variety.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is easily the best hole at En-Joie, and a bit of an outlier, if I'm being honest. It's a quirky little par 4 that's drivable by quite a few people, being only 275 yards. There's also eight bunkers scattered about, which is two more than the fifth (the hole with the second most, and a long par 5 at that). The green is elevated and a group of three trees protects the green from the right side, meaning you'll have to hit a fade if you do want to go for the green. If not, you'll hit a long iron, avoiding all the sand, and then a little wedge up the hill. There's a small tier in the green, but it's enough to provide interest. It's a neat little hole and I wish En-Joie had more like this.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a little par 3, playing just 145 yards. The green is long and in a bowl of sorts, with a single bunker to the right. There's quite a bit of back to front slope to the green as well, though the back does flatten out. It's a pretty easy hole, but that's okay. It's nice to have a less demanding par 3, especially considering how similar the first three are. 

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is a 400 yard par 4 that plays a fair amount up hill. It's not an easy drive – there's trees overhanging the right side and water left. But if you do hit the fairway, you're rewarded with a pretty easy second shot. The green is fairly large and receptive, with just one bunker to the right. It's definitely a reasonable birdie opportunity if you hit a good drive, and I appreciate that it's not extremely difficult while not being super easy. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

If you're looking for a golf course filled with interesting, strategic options, En-Joie is going to disappoint you. Wouldn't you know it, but it turns out putting a golf course on a small, flat property isn't a recipe for success, especially when the holes are all parallel and lined with big trees. Virtually every tee shot is the same, and unless you're extremely accurate, you'll be hitting punch shots out from underneath those trees all day. The greens aren't awful, but there's little imagination around them and not much in the way of advantageous angles. 

There is a "but" coming, and here it is. While my brain wasn't particularly stimulated by anything En-Joie did, I can't deny the good things it has going for it. This is a golf course that has and currently does host professional golf events, that is a fact. This is also a fact: If you walk, you can play En-Joie for $27. That is a very good price for 18 holes of golf. En-Joie is a municipal course, so absolutely anyone can play it. You might think that it would be too difficult for the once-a-year golfer who can barely get a drive 100 yards, but it really isn't. There are no forced carries so long as you utilize the proper tees, and the only hole that might give a high-handicapper trouble is the fifteenth. Even that hole is tolerable, since the water is limited to one side. There are trees, yes, but the vegetation isn't dense, and when you play here at a time when the leaves aren't covering the ground, it should be relatively easy to find golf balls in the trees, and it's relatively easy to get out of them as well. I didn't lose a golf ball at En-Joie, and that is no small feat.

In the end, I didn't really like En-Joie and I have no particular interest in playing it again. But I'm glad it exists for the people of Binghamton, and I hope they continue to enjoy it for years to come. It's cheap, it's not particularly difficult, and it's friendly, and that's all you can really ask for from your local muni. Just don't go out of your way to see it.

Review: En-Joie Golf Club (Part 1)

When I went to go visit my brother in upstate New York back in October last year, our plan was perfect. Equinox one day, then Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown the next day. The fall foliage would be at its peak in both places, and I'd get plenty of great pictures. Then Leatherstocking had its green aeration delayed because of rain right to the day we had our tee time (though we'd get there in November, thanks to some unusually nice weather; come back next month for my review of that). We needed a backup course, and that brings us to En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott. 

If that name seems vaguely familiar, it should. En-Joie was the host of the former B.C. Open, a real fully fledged PGA Tour stop, for 35 years until the mid 2000s, and is the current host of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, a Champions Tour event (that's the senior tour, in case the excessive branding makes that unclear). This isn't the first former host of a PGA Tour event that I've played, since Mount Pleasant held one in the 50s and 60s, but I actually remember watching the B.C. Open on TV when I was young. Happily, just like Mount Pleasant, En-Joie is a municipal golf course accessible to all. Actually, reading through the course's history is fascinating; it dates back to the 1920s and was built because the owner of the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company (which employed 20,000 people back then) loved golf and felt that his workers shouldn't be excluded from the sport. A round there originally cost just a quarter, which would be about $3.50 in 2021. It costs a bit more than that to play there now, but En-Joie is still very affordable. 

There is, however, a slight problem, one that you can identify by looking at the course on Google Maps. En-Joie is not located on a large piece of land, and the holes are, by and large, narrow, straight, and parallel with each other. The Susquehanna River is just a few hundred feet to the south and En-Joie has dealt with severe flooding in the past; it couldn't host the B.C. Open in its final year because the course had been damaged by flooding. So it's flat too. That is not a recipe for success. So, can En-Joie overcome those hurdles and be a golf course worth playing? Let's find out.

The first hole is fairly modest, being a shortish par 4 that plays slightly downhill. The drive is pretty straightforward unless you can it 300 yards, in which case a small pond comes into play, so if you're a long hitter a 3 wood may be the better choice off of the tee. The green is long, fairly narrow, and guarded by the pond to the left and a bunker right. It's not a particularly interesting start, but it's not awful or anything.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is 350 yards and the one true dogleg at En-Joie. There's no need to use the driver here, and doing so is really not a good idea. The fairway runs out about 250 yards from the tee and turns hard left, and there's a pond that separates the fairway from the green that a hooked or pulled driver could easily end up in. Either that or you could end up underneath a tree with water between you and the green. A conservative play is really the prudent option. The second shot is a wedge over water to a big green with a decent amount of slope to it. You'll notice that, while you're on the tee, the back tee isn't really the back tee. A good thing that En-Joie does is not even put tees out where the professionals play from. They get a 7,000 yard course, but the normal back tees are at 6,600 yards. Basically no casual golfer needs a course that's 7,000 yards, and removing the option surely speeds up the pace of play, because we all know golfers love to play from the wrong set of tees.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green. The pond is invisible but definitely there.

The second green.

The third hole is the first of three par 5s on the front nine. It's 545 yards, so it's not really reachable unless you're a really long hitter, and a bunker that eats into the fairway on the right side right where a drive would end up makes the tee shot a bit complicated. The lay-up shot is best hit down the left side, flirting with the bunker about 75 yards short of the green. Then you've got a little wedge into a big green guarded by two bunkers on the right side.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

I hope you like mid-length par 3s with water on one side, because En-Joie has three of them. The fourth is the first and the longest at 190 yards. The water is left, along with a single greenside bunkers. The green is actually not too bad, with a swale running across the middle making putts hit from the wrong level very tricky.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 5 yards longer than the third, making it En-Joie's longest hole. It plays slightly uphill down yet another narrow fairway (I haven't really commented on that because every hole is the same in that regard), with the fairway bunker in view being more decoration than an actual threat. The second shot has a bit more to consider. Two crossbunkers cut in about 75 yards from the green, which is right where a lot of people will try to lay up. Unless you're confident you can carry them, I'd recommend restraint and settling for a longer third shot. The green is medium sized and has three bunkers around it.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

If you're laying up on the fifth, do it short of the bunkers.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 420 yards, slightly downhill, and dead straight through the trees. A single bunker on the left side narrows the fairway, but it can be easily cleared with a good drive. That will leave you with a short or mid iron into a very slightly elevated green. I'm really trying here with this course, but I can't pretend there's really anything interesting going on here.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 170 yards, and features water on the right side instead of the left, plus it has two bunkers – left and right. The green has two separate levels separated by a tier, with the back higher than the front. 

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is 530 yards, and while there are no bunkers on the tee shot, you'll want to avoid the left side, otherwise your second shot will be blocked out by big trees that come into play more than most trees at En-Joie. If you're going for the green in two, you'll have a tough long iron or fairway wood over a cluster of bunkers to a shallow green with a false front. If you're laying up ... well, it's a wedge instead of a wood. 

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green, featuring some weird guy.

The ninth hole is a mid-length par 4 with fairway bunkers left and right that you're probably supposed to hit a draw between. Alternatively, you can hit driver over both bunkers if you're fairly long. Then you've got a wedge to a green with a bunker left and a mound to the right. At the very least, this hole doesn't play through a 30-yard-wide corridor of trees, so it's got that going for it.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green, featuring a very angry golfer.

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

Review: The Links at Hiawatha Landing (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Hiawatha Landing, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is a downhill mid-length par 4 with O.B. all along the left side. Most people will hit a draw in between the two fairway bunkers, likely ending up on the little plateau about 250-300 yards from the tee. Or you could play it like my brother, who hit his drive left, landing on the cart path and ultimately going way over 300 yards. Risky, but probably not worth it. The green is guarded by two bunkers to the right. Overall, a nice, fairly simple way to start off the back nine.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a fairly long par 4, playing 430 yards. The hole is bunkerless, but it doglegs left around a cluster of trees that you'll want to avoid. There's plenty of room to the right though. The second shot is semiblind to an elevated green secluded in a little amphitheater. It has a fairly significant amount of slope to it, so missing long isn't a great idea.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green is semiblind.

The twelfth hole is by far the longest hole at Hiawatha Landing, stretching to 600 yards from the back tees. This is a big hole by every definition of the word. Off of the tee, the fairway is pretty wide, but there are fairway bunkers on both sides that you'll want to avoid. Then you have a choice. If you're not in a great position, you'll probably have to follow the fairway, leaving yourself quite a long third shot. But if you've hit a decent drive, you can carry as much of the big native area sitting between the fairway and the green as you want. The green is nearly reachable in two if you're pretty long. There's a bunker in front if you're coming from that direction, or on the right if you've laid up. The hole looks intimidating, but it's easier than it looks.

The very long and expansive twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a slightly uphill par 3 playing 180 yards over a couple of bunkers. The green is extremely shallow but very wide. And speaking from experience here, if you hit onto the wrong side of the green (such as hitting the left corner when the hole is cut on the right) you will be left with a putt that you will either have to aim off of the green to get to the hole or chip. And yes, I did manage to make a par, which was probably the best two putt I've ever managed. So I'm inclined to like this hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green. You can sort of see my ball way in the distance, many many feet away from the hole.

The fourteenth hole is a nice and short par 4 playing downhill. When we played it, it was downwind, so a well-struck drive could get quite close to the green. Normally though, a driver might not be the best play, since there's a small pond left and a bunker right, both pretty much right where a slightly wayward drive would end up. The green is long, narrow, angled 45 degrees from the fairway, and from our experience, it is completely impossible to make a putt on it. It doesn't look particularly nasty, but apparently it's the toughest green on the course.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a long and uphill par 4, playing every inch of its 450 yards. The tee shot is pretty wide open, as the single fairway bunker is too close to the tee to make much of a difference. The second shot is much more interesting, as the green is guarded by four bunkers, all of which are on the left side. The chipping area right of the green does provide some difficulty if you bail out that way. It's a long hole, but not a particularly difficult one.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is probably the best hole at Hiawatha Landing despite being the longest par 4 on the course, stretching up to 465 yards. That's pretty long, but the hole doglegs sharply to the left, so you can absolutely cut off some of that dogleg to get a much shorter look at the hole. Of course, you have to avoid a cluster of big fairway bunkers to do this, but you can leave yourself a very short second shot if you do it right. And you might want to, because approaching the green from the right side is an intimidating prospect. There's a few bunkers in front and to the right, and the green is sort of elevated on a small plateau.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a par 3 that's a little over 200 yards, and naturally, as all modern courses must apparently do, water has to come into play. In this case, a pond lurks to the left, and a bunker protects the green to the right. I'm not entirely sure what the two fairway bunkers are accomplishing on a par 3, but yet, there they are. Other than that, it's a fairly standard difficult par 3.

The seventeen hole.

The eighteenth hole is a par 5, and on the scorecard it's listed as being 520 yards (and is almost that wide). But it's only that long if you take the extremely long route around the lake, playing so that no shot carries any water. But if you're willing to take on some risk, you can shorten the hole by a lot. And I do mean a lot. I hit a drive that was maybe 270, 280 yards over the right corner of the pond and had just under 200 yards into the green. But if you can hit it 300 yards, you can really get aggressive and have just a wedge for the second shot. Sure, there's plenty of water to worry about, but a wedge into a par 5 is a pretty tempting proposition. The green is pretty shallow and pretty tilted from back to front so it's not the easiest two putt in the world, but still, this is a great opportunity to finish with a birdie or even an eagle.

A panoramic view of the last hole.

Most people will go down this way.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

All in all, I couldn't help being a little disappointed in the Links at Hiawatha Landing. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad course and there were some interesting holes, but I was hoping for a little bit more. I was especially disappointed in the front nine. Sure, it was neat playing along the river, but the ponds sitting in the middle of the front nine really kind of ruined it. It made several holes, particularly the seventh, way too narrow. I don't like having water on both sides of the fairway, doing that is unnecessarily penal in my opinion.

It's a shame that the front nine isn't more like the back, since the back is by far the superior of the two. There's less water and there's actual elevation change, both of which automatically make things more interesting. I know there probably wasn't much the architect could do in terms of elevation change on the front nine, since it is routed on a flood plain, but throwing ponds down was not a good solution.

In terms of value, Hiawatha Landing isn't too bad. It was 30 dollars per person on a Sunday afternoon, which is pretty decent, especially seeing as it's a newer golf course. But still, if you're looking for value in the Southern Tier, Mark Twain is by far the better option. Two people could play for 30 dollars, and I like that course better. It was nice to play this course once, but I probably wouldn't go back.