Course Tour

Course Overview

Walter Travis was one of the leading course architects of the early 20th century. Himself a winner of the British Amateur in 1904, he went on to design – or redesign – a number of highly regarded courses including Garden City, Ekwanok in Manchester, VT, and Yahnundasis in Utica (home course of the NYS Amateur Golf Association). His courses have earned a following that has been institutionalized in the Walter J. Travis Society, which preserves his heritage and course histories.

Today the course bears Travis’ signature design principles: Bunkers requiring particular attention from the teeing ground, and undulating greens [in Travis’ words “seldom if ever flat…”].

One round – even a look – illustrates the varied topography on which Travis applied his principles. Our course ranges over 325 acres and is arguably the most scenic course in the Capital District. The 10th green and 11th tee are perched above the club house, and on a clear day, the view extends over 50 miles southwest to the Catskill Mountains.

CountryClubofTroy CourseMap

Hole by Hole Tour

HOLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Black 405 146 367 531 415 358 559 193 425
Blue 387 146 367 475 374 358 544 193 390
Green 375 129 337 451 354 333 510 185 387
Gold 346 125 327 409 283 283 479 173 324
White 344 122 322 405 279 279 425 169 320
HOLE 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 IN TOTAL
Black 395 527 255 387 357 141 427 369 406 — 6663
Blue 366 512 227 387 357 141 427 369 357 — 6377
Green 362 503 205 368 348 124 416 358 339 — 6084
Gold 300 450 172 303 300 98 378 349 334 — 5450
White 274 395 147 298 263 96 330 346 330 — 5160
SLOPE MEN WOMEN
Black 133 –
Blue 131 –
Green 128 129
Gold 123 121
White 119 –
RATING MEN WOMEN
Black 72.5 –
Blue 71.2 –
Green 69.8 74.9
Gold 67.2 71.4
White – 69.9

A tough opening par 4 that looks so simple, with only two fairway bunkers to avoid with a right center tee shot that hopefully carries the crest of the fairway. From the fairway, the hole plays slightly downhill to a relatively flat raised green that slopes from front to back slightly. The green has no bunkering, but the closely mown sides can lead to awkward chips. Making par from the fairway is easier said than done.

hole01

A little par 3 that has you thinking birdie but leaves you wondering how you made bogie. The green is two tiered and severely sloped from back to front. It is usually one of the fastest on the course. Below the hole is always the place to be. Avoid the back bunker at all costs. Only the luckiest players make par from there, but more often bogey or worse.

hole02

A straightforward short par 4 that features a green with a valley in the middle. Keep your drive down the left side of the fairway for the best angle into the green. It’s a good hole to try to get a stroke back with a quality short iron second. The two bunkers guarding the left side of the green should be avoided. If the flag is in the back, play to the back edge of the green as a valley running through the middle of the green, making it a tough two-putt.

hole03

A true risk-reward hole, a solid drive down the left side of the fairway to the “go zone” lets you take a rip at the green. A creek wanders some 6 to 8 yards short of the green, waiting for short approach shots. Play it smart, and a good birdie putt awaits.

hole04

A daunting uphill par 4 that requires a right-center tee shot (just avoid the hazard right of the fairway) followed by an uphill second where only the top of the flag is often visible. The Oak tree on the left side of the fairway makes the fairway play much narrower. The long hitters might try to shorten the hole, but their second shot is almost always from a severe uphill lie. Walking off the 5th with a par is a job well done!

hole05

A short par 4 that plays even shorter because of the elevation change from the fairway to the green below. The wise play is to leave yourself at the crest of the hill and have a wedge into a receptive green. The members know if you read any break in your putt, cut it in half.

hole06

A nice par 5 that requires a right-center tee shot to avoid the large trees guarding the left side of the landing area. Big hitters might get home in two, but the green is not receptive to running shots, and going over is a very tricky up and down. The smart play is to the left of the second fairway cross bunker, where a straightforward wedge awaits you. The green is the flattest on the course with only a few subtle breaks.

hole07

A long par 3 that starts the hardest three-hole stretch on the course, with two bunkers short of the green by 15 yards, a pot bunker left, and a fourth bunker in the back right. The green has a large knob in the center of the green that influences almost all approaches and putts. The front third of the green is almost always a good spot to be.

hole08

A long par 4 with a severely sloped and tiered green. Most players try to hit a drive to the edge of the hill leading down to the green. This leaves a flat lie of about 150 yards that plays much shorter. After your second shot take time to soak in the best view on the course. Almost all of the tee shots over the hill run left and end up in the rough or worse stay on the downhill, making for an awkward second. Par is a good score!

hole09

The last of this difficult three-hole stretch is an uphill par 4. Be careful not to hit your tee shot through the landing area. The ideal tee shot is the right side of the fairway just left of the pine trees, which affords the best look at the green. A false front and sloped right side add to the difficulty of getting on the green. The second shot always plays 1 club longer at least. The green is large and sloped from back to front. The smart play is to find the center of the green.

hole10

A medium-length straight par 5 with an elevated tee to a rolling fairway. Longer hitters can carry the ball onto the plateau, which starts about 260 yards from the hole. The best layup is about 100 yards from the green on the right side of the fairway. Closer to the green leaves, an awkward pitch shot to a firm green.

hole11

A long downhill par 3 that measures 255 yards from the back tees. The green features a large swale (“The Tub”) in the middle of the green. Everything rolls to the right side of the green. It is better to be on the front edge of the green for a front pin and the back edge of the green for a back pin. Take your par if you can and move on!

hole12

A medium-length par 4 dogleg left around a fairway bunker with a fairway that slopes from right to left. There is a flat section of fairway between the two bunkers that leaves you with a 150-160 yard approach shot. The brave take it over the last fairway bunker and are rewarded with a short approach shot. This green and #14 are two of the most undulated on the course. This green is bisected from right to left with a large swale. A front pin requires care, as anything into the swale leaves a very difficult two-putt.

hole13

A Short par 4 with a severely undulated green. Members refer to the green as the “Old Man’s Revenge,” true to Walter Travis’ notion that a green should be seldom if ever flat. The front portion of the green is defined by a swale running from the front to the middle of the green with a large hump at the very back of the green. A two putt is often well done on this green.

hole14

An uphill par 3 that plays as one of the toughest holes on the course. The green is severely sloped from back to front and very fast. Staying below the hole is paramount to making a par on this hole. Any putts from above the hole are very fast, all but impossible to leave short.

hole15

The longest par 4 on the course and often plays into the wind. Two large bunkers on the right side of this hole are the toughest to play from on the course. A tee shot left of the bunkers is required for a straightforward second. Beware of the hazard just left of the fairway in the landing area. Two bunkers guard the right side of the green and should be avoided with any pin on the right side. Playing to the middle of the green is never a bad option on this hole.

hole16

A simple looking straight par 4 of moderate length. Avoid the bunker on the right and the deep rough on the left, and a short iron is all you have left to the deceptively fast green. A slope on the green between the left two bunkers often funnels the shot to the fringe. With a slope from front to back, it is better to be short of the hole than past. Putts from above the hole are notoriously fast. Two quality shots give you a good look at a birdie.

hole17

The closing hole is a strong par 4 from any of the tee boxes. A tee shot to the left center of the fairway leaves a short uphill second to a green guarded by bunkers short and right. The left side is a closely mown bank that rejects shots and leaves a tough chip. The green is relatively flat with subtle breaks towards the first tee.

hole18