"Among the Catskills, a disjointed member of the Adirondacks, there lives a simple and good natured…read morefellow named Rip Van Winkle". - Washington Irving. And I can continue to quote much chapter and verse of this posthumous writing as the writing is near and dear to my heart - the gallantry shown at Fort Christina and more, the true founders of New York and I wish the good Peter Styversant were here today to drop a heap of learning about America on you who don't understand not just NY history, but America! Love it or be gone. Arriving at 5:45, I hadn't inquired as to what time the first tee ball hits the air, turns out it's about 8:00am. So I practiced my sneaky bump and runs, flips and flops and Texas toe downs. And player worth his salt has to know a multitude of great escape shots. So I lead the field being put out as a single with twins and fours amassing behind me and being 2 years removed from the short grass (due to injuries) I was a bit nervy on the 1st tee, nobody knew who I was, everyone else knew each other. Fortunately I ripped a low 3 iron cut stinger and I was off, still walking and carrying my bag, adding layers and subtracting layers as it was nippy in the mountains. I love the classic shallow and square bunkering design originally popular with architecture from the 20's and 30's. The greens rolled true but I couldn't buy a putt, not much break out there and putting off the second collar is doable. The fairways were in the shape to be expected for early season golf, what I should have done was pay closer attention to the unseen creeks that protected some greens and ran out along the sides. But I was the first player and I needed to set a good pace out there. Overall, the course played extremely fair, I can't give the staff enough credit for such fine service for me, attentiveness and extremely friendly.

Rip Van Winkle holds a special place in my heart…read more Not only is it the closest golf course to my parents' home and as such the place where I've golfed the most in the past decade (not saying much), but it's also the first place my brother, my father and I played after my father went through some very serious medical issues. We weren't entirely sure if he would ever be able to play golf again, so it was an amazing feeling to get out and hit a few balls with him last year. My father is doing much better now (physically at least, not that much better at golf), and so we try and get out whenever possible. This adds up to a couple times a year here when I'm in town, and accordingly, I am very, very bad at golf. Please believe that no one is mistaking Rip Van Winkle for something that belongs on the PGA Tour. When Greene County hasn't gotten enough rain, you may see a few brown spots out there. It's only nine holes, and generally pretty flat. However, it's an accessible, family-run place that I feel lucky to be able to play. It's affordable (kids play free too), and has my kind of casual vibe. I love that if I forgot to pack a collared shirt, they don't hassle me. My dad says the owner John is a great guy, and I like that his teenage son is often riding around tidying up the course. It's a true family biz. They do a good job too; the greens are well-maintained, the mountain backdrop is gorgeous, and you can't be sad about any day you spend trying to knock a little white ball around a beautiful grassy area. I suppose I can be sad about how poorly I do it, but I'm pretty happy here overall.

I almost don't want to review College Hill because I don't want people to start flocking here. I…read morelove this little course, and I don't care that a) it's only 9 holes, b) it's not long. It is fun and challenging, not to mention very nicely maintained and an absolute bargain. If you play the blues it's still pretty tough for an average golfer (#3 plays ~200 yards for a par 3, for example). The namesake hill on #8 is downright nasty, and you have zero chance of getting on the green in 1 no matter how big a hitter you are so you have to lay up at the bottom of the hill and then rocket one up there to have a chance. I am a huge huge fan.

A charming 9 hole course in the middle of the city. Staff nice and course well maintained. A…read morelittle gem in Poughkeepsie - which obviously needs a gem or two!

Was back at Wiltwyck recently for a party for my mother-in-law. What a great place to have an…read moreevent. I actually got to start the day playing golf with my brothers-in-law and had a great time. I hadn't played much this year...played well for about 13 holes then the wheels came off and I started spraying the ball all over the place...still a fun day though. Can be a very tough course and the greens are unforgiving on bad shots and bad reads. After golf, we showered and got ready at the club while the wives got their mother to the club. It's been a very long time since I've been up here at Wiltwyck and having a couple drinks after our round help take the edge off a bit. Such a beautiful view of the course from the bar-though it tends to remind me of how little time we seem to have for ourselves these days. Anyway, once people started showing up we started with some drinks (or MORE drinks for me) and passed hors d'oeuvers before sitting down to an amazing buffet that included salmon, a carving table with tenderloin, roasted chicken, pasta, salads, veggies, etc. If there's one thing I've never questioned in all the times I've eaten at this club it's the food- it's always top notch. My wife and I actually had our wedding reception her a "few" years back and they really do a great job at formal, semi-formal, and just regular daily events. They hit the ball out of the park on our wedding night and they did it again when we were there for the party recently. You won't generally get anything TOO fancy at a buffet type of dinner like we had, but there have been times when, for dinner, the chef will get creative and when he does, you're taste buds are in for a treat. In a nutshell...Great golf, great food, great service, and great times...wish I lived closer and had enough extra time and $$ to be members here.

What a great find! Not a private club anymore and the restaurant is open to the public. Excellent…read moreservice, great food and really great wine. Looking forward to going back soon. Nice bar too. Only downside was there is nothing in the place to absorb the sound and it can be be very noisy and was at times hard to hear at our table. On the second floor of the club but there is an elevator if anyone in your party needs it.

I love this place and have been coming forever with my family. So much to do. The place is…read morespotless and kept pristine. There are 3 meals a day. The food is basic. But it doesn't matter because it's Sunnyhill!

Our family has been coming here for decades, just like hundreds of other families have. Sunny Hill…read moreis the perfect family vacation. Whether it's golfing, fishing, swimming, playing sports, painting ceramics, playing games at Armae Hall, there will never be a dull moment on the Hill. We go again in a few weeks to continue our tradition.

Can't go wrong with a golf course whose motto is GOLF IN PEACE. Nice Pro named Judd in the pro…read moreshop. They are a members only club but do make provisions for "tourists" in the area. Their website lays out what you need to have to demonstrate you are a tourist. We weren't asked to show papers or anything, hey, this is chilled out Woodstock NY for God's sake! We used the putting green and had fun practicing our strokes. They don't have tee times so guests are asked to call in to see what times are good times for guests. First priority goes to members. The course is well taken care of and seems to have some challenging spots. It's mostly flat which is good for sight lines and for seeing your ball and the flags. They have plenty of golf carts. There is also a restaurant attached . Nice people work there.

You need to check out Sycamore! They have recently become a public country club with full bar and…read morerestaurant. They deliver which is a blessing for anyone in the hollow. They have great food, reasonable prices and offer delicious specials. The staff there are wonderful and the chef Adam does a fantastic job. Go there and check it out!

Great course with great views. Very fairly priced. The carts are in great shape as well. I would…read morehighly recommend checking it out.

1/5 7 minutes ago on Google…read moreSo for those of you planning a wedding nearby... we had the most horrific experience here. Wedding across the street and with few places to stay in the area we rented out the Island Green for family guests. I had visited the place prior to the wedding to meet with the owner and check things out. He showed me a couple of rooms. I did not go deep into the rooms but peeked in ( except for the clubhouse "suites" which only had an outdoor entrance and it was necessary to walk through one bedroom to get to the next. There were 4 double beds in each rooms and each had one bath.) Clear this establishment is not meant for any but male golfers. The owner made a big deal about their restaurant chef and I was introduced to him during my visit. They both talked about how talented the chef was and how delicious the food was. I asked about their hours and was told they would extend their dining hours for our guests if we brought in enough people. The wedding was held in the fall. The guests staying there stayed in rooms that had scraps lumber in the closets, some closets unfinished, no hangers, one guests sink faucet was hanging loose. One guest said the cabinets were dirty as well as the refrigerator. One guest room had no heat. One room's only tv was in a hallway with no room to sit and required you stand in the hallway to view the screen. I am sure there were more issues but we were spared so we could enjoy the reason we were all there. The wonderful food they advertised was nonexistent. They were getting ready to close for the season so the food supply was negligible. I believe they had told guests they were going to bring in some pork to make barbecue but they did not follow through with that promise. When the manager was approached he got very defensive and claimed I had approved every room during my visit which was untrue as I had viewed three total rooms and had only looked into the clubhouse suites because I was trying to figure out who would be comfortable staying there with their rooms wide open and the front bedroom used as an entrance to the second room. He was dismissive to the guests who approached him over the issues I was aware of. The guests staying there described it as similar to a motel featured in the tv show Schitt's Creek if you are familiar. I understand most people who stay there are men and play golf there in the warmer months. The rooms are laid out to accommodate many people in each room. They may not have the same expectations. This is not a RESORT!!!! A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment--such as a hotel, beach, or ski destination--that provides lodging, food, entertainment, and recreation for vacationers It was definitely a rip off for the guests and humiliating for us to have promoted their accommodations. If you are planning a wedding nearby just food for thought. Maybe they'll clean things up but this was a nightmare for us.

My husband and I were in the Catskills for a midweek getaway for his birthday and we decided to go…read moreplay a few rounds of golf the day of his birthday. I had researched a few golf resorts in the area beforehand and it was between Island Green and one other place. The deciding factor was price and the fact that Island Green had a tee time that better aligned with our schedule. To be honest, my husband and I are golf novices and everyone at the resort was so friendly and helpful, on and off the course! We didn't have time to finish all of the holes due to a dinner reservation but we had such a great time. The condition of the curse was very well maintained and it wasn't too crowded for a Tuesday afternoon!

I like this course…read more It's never very busy, the conditions are very good for the price, and some of the holes are challenging. There is enough water and heavy woods to lose a few balls, so if you tend to spray then you might need a few extra. The greens are generally very small. It's a good option that I frequent almost every time I'm in western MA.

Played this sweet little track during a difficult period in my life with one of dad's golfing…read morebuddies and it did wonders for me. After playing 99% of my golf on the west coast over the past decade, it's really nice to play a lush, wooded east coast track. Measuring 6000 from the back tees, Egremont CC is a tough test. Water comes into play on 8 or 9 holes, but for the most part the course is very fair with tight little greens. The condition was excellent considering it was June and we had 2 str8 days of rain. Wish my dad could've been there, but I'm sure he was watching down on us!

Beautiful golf course. Amazing land, great layout! I just wish the cart paths weren't as bumpy.read more