The Great Vermont Golf Run
By Joel Zuckerman - Special to Shark.com

My golf buddies and I are all flirting with 40 and are in full swing.Business, kids and family demands all conspire to lessen our time on thelinks, but the desire to be out there remains unabated. So when we get thechance to let it rip, we take full advantage.

Lots of golf in a compressed format was the underlying theme of ourrecently completed "99 Cup," so named because we managed 99 holes overthree days while touring Vermont from top to bottom. Armed with anSUV, a couple bottles of aspirin and an overnight bag, we cut a swath fromBurlington to Manchester, pausing between courses only for the threeessential "G's": Gas, grog and golf balls.

Our tour commenced at the recently completed Vermont NationalCountry Club in Burlington, although it wasn't planned that way. While Iwould never confuse Pinehurst with Pine Valley, or Oak Hill with Oakmont,some mysterious mental block caused me to mix up Vermont National withit's contemporary southern neighbor, Country Club of Vermont. We showedup for an 8:30 tee time at a course we weren't scheduled to play, almost afullhour north of where we were slated. Fortunately, accommodating pros atboth venues in conjunction with tee sheets that had some timely gaps allowedus to complete our 36-hole mission nevertheless.

Sitting in the Champlain Valley and just a mile or so from the beautifullake itself, Vermont National is reminiscent of the courses found in coastalGeorgia or the Carolina Lowcountry. This Jack and Jackie Nicklaus designhas been carved out of a virtually flat piece of pastureland, with almost noelevation changes to speak of. The standard Vermont golf experienceconsisting of blind shots, and sidehill or downhill lies won't be found here.

Instead wetlands and native fescue grasses provide both the challenge anddefinition on a links-style front side, where the wind can whip and scores cansuffer. Those who can keep it in play will be pleased, as bent grass fairwaysand greens offer a touch of polish in a golf region that can be rough aroundthe edges. With distant views of both the Adirondacks and Green Mountains,Vermont National is a fairly scenic, although far from dramatic test of golf.

We cruised south to Waterbury Center that afternoon, and made it toCountry Club of Vermont about six hours behind schedule. It was worth thewait. While not quite on par with first-time designs like Jack Neville atPebble Beach, George Crump at Pine Valley or Henry Fownes at Oakmont,Canadian architect Graham Cooke's first U.S. effort is nothing short ofspectacular. The former Canadian Amateur Champion has fashioned arugged and rewarding layout on exceptionally hilly terrain.

The front side istreeless, with crowned fairways that slope off in either direction towardslongnative grasses. The canted fairways, some of which offer more levels than aparking garage, often require a tee shot that lands in the rough, and caromsonto the short grass. The back nine becomes a more traditional walk throughthe woods, yet every hole on the course offers a wonderful view, and almostevery green has serious undulation. There are five sets of tees which helpstodilute the intimidation factor, but this is a stout and memorable test byalmostany definition, and a course that's eminently worthwhile.

"Reload Richie,"our chauffeur and high handicap patsy, was exhausted by day's end, and notbecause he's the oldest in the gang. By the time we finished launching ourdrives on the 36th and final hole of the day, Rich had probably taken almost50 swipes with his driver, and gone through well over a dozen balls. Weheaded south to the highway at sunset, right past the Ben & Jerry's factory,but didn't feel compelled to drop in. The day had been sweet enough already.

The next morning we laced them up in the tiny hamlet of Quechee, awide place in the road about half an hour from the Killington ski area in thestate's central region. This little burgh is postcard Vermont: meanderingstreams, lovely waterfalls and wagon wheels, punctuated by a downtown areaendemic to all Green Mountain communities. There isn't a single necessity tobe found in the Main Street shops. It's all scented soaps, soft linens,garishtee-shirts and all manner of blown glass, figurines and generally uselessbric-a-brac.

Fortunately we weren't there to shop, but to tour one of thefinest 36-hole complexes in Northern New England. The Quechee Club wasdesigned by Geoffrey Cornish, an architect best known in New England formodestly budgeted projects with minimal flair. Cornish proves at Quecheethat you can be as good as your topography though, as his Highland andLakeland courses are both aesthetically pleasing and formidable. As thename implies, Lakeland winds liberally around Lake Pineo, and the highlight atHighland are a pair of dramatic back nine par 3s that require heroic shots,both uphill and down, over a plunging ravine.

The sparkling OttaquecheeRiver winds throughout the property, influencing play directly or indirectlyona dozen of the 36 holes. A manicured course in Vermont is as rare as acountry store without maple syrup, but Quechee is the exception, withnumerous plantings and flower gardens adding charm and beauty. As mybuddy said at day's end, there are worse places to take a couple ofhundred strokes.

Our final day was a breeze: a mere 27 holes at Stratton Country Club,located south of Manchester. This is another Cornish creation, three distinctnines known as Mountain, Forest and Lake. This former LPGA Tour stop isa quintessential alpine design, somewhat shaggy and unkempt, with therequisite plunging, twisting fairways, dizzying tee boxes, and rockyoutcroppings.

Stratton is a grassy funhouse, and selective perception isrequired to enjoy it to the fullest. Enjoy the exhilaration of a toweringtee ballthat hangs suspended over the tree line, or an uphill approach that clears arushing stream and finds the putting surface. Ignore the occasional goofyhole, or the soggy miasma of a fairway that would get a superintendent firedin the flatland.

After two and a half days of brilliant sunshine, theumbrellascame out midway through the final nine, signaling the beginning of the end ofyet another golfing jamboree. We tried to clean the mud off our spikes, threwthe bags in the trunk and headed south to Massachusetts. It wasn't 20minutes before we were discussing the parameters of our next excursion,slated for Alabama in November. The traveling golf bug is a sickness fromwhich there is no known cure.

It doesn't matter if you choose a sedate nine or a frenetic 99, because it'sallgood. Summertime golf in Vermont is a rare treat, superseded only by thatshort but intense stretch of Autumn golf, where the hills and valleys turntwenty shades of reddish gold. They are both experiences to be savored, likea fine meal or a brilliant sunset. Enjoy it while you have it, because itdoesn'tlast long.