Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Leslie Pell-Clarke/Henry L. Wardwell (1894)

Location: Springfield Center, New York

History: Billed as one of America’s oldest courses, Otsego Golf Club was founded in 1894 by Henry L. Wardwell and Leslie Pell-Clarke on their farmland in Central New York. Pell-Clarke was one of America’s first golf nuts, and likely is most responsible for the design. While the original course was 12 holes, today’s layout has been whittled down to a more conventional 9.

Conditions: 5/10, Conditioning is about average, with greens that run on the slow side and shaggy fairways and teeboxes.

Value: 4/10, For a rural part of Central New York, Otsego is on the pricier side with rates ranging from $36 to $41 to walk depending on the day. There are discounts for juniors, seniors, and veterans, however.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Blue                   35           3048               33.9                109

White                35           2618                32.9                105

Gold                   35          2338                N/A                 N/A

Red                     35          1876                33.1                 112

Hole Descriptions: I don’t exactly remember why or how Otsego arrived on my radar, but it remained on my list to see for several years until the opportunity arose while on a work trip to Upstate New York. The course sits about 20 minutes up the road from Cooperstown on the north end of Lake Otsego in a beautiful setting not dissimilar to Devereux’s Emmet’s Leatherstocking nearby. Seemingly untouched for over a century, the layout here is simplistic and primitive, with small greens, minimal bunkering, and classic mounding throughout. While today’s course is nothing I’d go out of my way to see, the setting and history are compelling and it is worth a play if you’re looking to turn Leatherstocking into a 27-hole day.

After a short walk through the woods, you arrive at the 1st hole, a 378 yard straightaway par 4. With Lake Otsego down your left the entire way, this fairway is generous with the Club’s driveway to your right. This green is quite wide and slopes mainly right-to-left with a bunker short that forces you into an aerial approach. While a simplistic hole architecturally, there’s no denying it’s a beautiful hole and arguably the most memorable here.

The 2nd hole is Otsego’s lone par 5 and plays over the road at 500 yards. Thick forest lines the right the entire way, while sporadic trees can be found to the left of a wide fairway. The remainder of the hole plays slightly uphill and relatively free of danger, culminating in a green that tilts from the back left to the front right.

Otsego is a short and relatively forgiving course overall, but the 3rd hole is a deserving number 1 handicap as a 430 yard par 4. This hole is not only long, but also quite tight, with OB down the right and tall trees on the left. This putting surface is on the smaller side and slopes right-to-left with a bunker left.

The 4th hole is a 375 yard slight dogleg right par 4 that runs parallel to the 1st. While the fairway is wide, your teeshot must carry a small creek at about 140 yards and avoid thick fescue and forest down the left. A left-to-right ballflight around the trees is preferable. This green is overall flat and open up front with the only danger being a bunker in the back left.

The 5th hole is the first of Otsego’s two par threes at 162 yards. Playing over level terrain, this is rather boring one-shotter with a flat green lined by a bunker short.

At 271 yards, the 6th hole is almost certainly the most interesting hole on the course as a risk/reward short par 4. From an elevated teebox, this teeshot plays downhill to an initially very generous fairway that ends around 180 yards with a creek. A subtle green then sits back up a hill on the other side of the creek. While the safe play might be a lay-up for the majority of golfers, there’s little danger otherwise over the creek and it is definitely worth going for if you have the distance.

The 7th and 8th holes run parallel to each other as two short par fours over level terrain. The 7th is the shorter of the two at 335 yards and plays straightaway with OB down the left the entire way. The most notable feature of this otherwise bland hole is a creek that runs just short of a left-to-right sloped green and mandates an aerial approach.

At 337 yards, the 8th is essentially the same hole without the creek and plays straightaway with forest down the left. This putting surface is on the flatter side with a bunker to the right.

The scorecard has the 9th hole as an 120 or 260 yard par 3 depending on the tee you play, but my teebox was about 170 yards and I imagine this is the norm. This one-shotter plays through a chute of trees and over a creek to a small, subtle green defended by a back right bunker.

General Comments: Otsego is a very low-frills affair, with no teetimes, a clubhouse that doubles as a pub, and virtually nonexistant practice facilities. I ran into two groups on the course including an eightsome (!) of couples and family with two toddlers but fortunately was able to play through at a brisk pace.

Verdict: A historic 9-hole course in a gorgeous lakefront setting, Otsego is a somewhat simplistic design with limited amenities and average conditioning. I wouldn’t go out of my way to play here, but it is a viable addition to a day at Leatherstocking down the street.