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It's a wooded parkland and hilly in places so elevated tees and greens proliferate. Like all Vermont courses, it's lush and plays longer than the 6,200 yards on the card. Better your handicap and you'll have had a grand day.
Your next stop is Sugarbush and I defy you to walk this one! It's is a true mountain course where even the worms crawl downhill. There are 4,500 acres of resort out there and at the high point you'll be at 2,000 feet where the views defy adjectives and the ball flies a country mile.
Nestling in the Mad River Valley in the heart of the Green Mountain National Forest, the course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. You wouldn't guess, though. Because of the terrain the layout is uncomplicated, its bunkering uncluttered; the pedigree is evident mainly in the configuration of the large greens.
Spectacular is a common adjective here and it's an ideal holiday course with every apres golf facility: a three star hotel and all manner of night life.
You could spend a glorious week on this triangular tour with no drive longer than about 90 minutes, and there's another of similar duration that covers the central and southern section of the State.
It starts at Woodstock (pop 2,500) and everyone visiting Vermont must see this enchanted village. It's as serene as can be and some visitors fall so in love with the place that they never leave.
Frequently described as "the most beautiful village in New England," Woodstock was founded in 1765, there's been an inn overlooking the village green since 1793 and a golf was first played here in 1895.
Covered bridges, quaint shops, a warming ambience and gentle people, the attractions are legion; but our priorities centre upon the Woodstock Inn and its country club golf course.
I'll temper my admiration and say simply that, like the aforementioned Equinox, the 140 roomed inn has the highest US rating available and frequently wins international awards for cuisine, accommodation and facilities. And yet it's not stuffy or even formal: cosy and luxurious sums it up, with service to match and nothing is overlooked. Most of its business is repeat; guests can't wait to return.
The same is true of the golf course half a mile away. There are other courses nearby but golfing guests seldom stray from Woodstock. Surrounded by wooded mountains, it's visually breathtaking, with hundreds of specimen trees, several lakes and a brook that's frequently in play.
It's only a spit over 6,000 yards from the back tees and an easily walked but challenging par-69 from the forward tees, with six par-3s, three par-5s and a clutch of holes that will have you reaching for the camera. Like the inn, it's impossible to tire of Woodstock's gem of a course.
For those wishing to see other areas, though, a scenic drive will take in a mountain course, similar in style to Sugarbush, at nearby Killington, and adjacent is a new pay-and-play, the Green Mountain National course, which has also become a major attraction. Closer to Woodstock is the Quechee Country Club but an even greater draw awaits for Woodstock guests.
It entails returning to my starting point, the equally disarming town of Manchester. The bonus is a five day, four night golf package offering two nights each at the Woodstock Inn and the Equinox Hotel, part of the Guinness chain and a sister resort to Gleneagles, after which its course is named. It's a prospect to sate a dedicated hedonist; two of the finest hotels in the United States and unlimited golf on their acclaimed courses.
There's more: en route between them and a short drive from Manchester is another jewel that should not be missed, the 27 holes at the famous resort of Stratton Mountain.
This will be a highlight of your trip; it's a scenically dazzling, technically demanding golf experience. Stratton's three loops have some heroic holes, including the longest three shotter in Vermont, where carding a five will be a prodigious feat, and some unforgettable par-3s. Golf is rarely better than this; a day will not be long enough.
And then there's the Equinox and its Gleneagles course, the equal of Woodstock in quality and ambience.
The gracious hotel, steeped in history which in this case has its origins in the American Revolution, overlooks the course from across the main street, part of an estate that covers 1,000 acres.
Originally designed by Walter Travis and revamped by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the course lies in an undulating valley at an altitude of 1,800 feet and with the Taconic and Green Mountains as a backdrop.
More expansive than Woodstock's, it's a bigger test, a rolling parkland of 6,400 yards, par-71, with generous fairways and tightly-defended bent grass greens. It's walkable but you'd best take a cart, which is included in the package. You'll want to play 36 holes here on both days, in fact the likelihood is that you'll change your plans and linger longer.
That will be a common thought as your holiday progresses. And if you don't linger, you'll certainly return...
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