It’s that time of the year to load up the clubs, point the car north or west and get yourself out for a fun, fabulous quintessential New England golfer experience: Mountain golf.
With more choices than you could even take on in one season, the vibe is out there for you in all kinds of spots. Sugarloaf Maine’s highly rated golf club is always a solid choice. Up in Stowe, you’ve got multiple options for play. The Mount Washington Valley region is a spot you could fill an entire week – or more – with mountain golf. And at Sugarbush, Vermont, despite the recent tragic clubhouse fire, the course is in top-notch shape and open for play.
There’s Stratton, Vermont, too, and plenty of others.
What makes it worth the trip? I found out exactly that and more when I headed up to Jay Peak, Vermont (https://jaypeakresort.com/) for a weekend golf stay that felt – particularly in this era of strife and worry in the world – like an elixir.
The magical mix of peak and prolific foliage, crisp clear air with a warm sun, and a course that’s at once beautiful, challenging and super fun brought me what I believe golf should bring the player: Pure joy and despite a higher than usual score, a round for the ages.
I arrived on a Friday already feeling fulfilled; my drive up Route 93 through Franconia Notch and over the Connecticut River was a feast of vistas. I’d heard the drought had dimmed the foliage. Not from my view: It was spectacular.
I settled into the slopeside Hotel Jay and met up with friends at the mountain’s Foundry Restaurant, where I had the perfect martini and some great food with friends.
But I was there for the golf. Morning dawned spectacularly, just enough chill in the air to keep you comfortable (I’d lose both extra layers within the first hour; the weather was sublime). I was lucky enough to be playing with course designer Graham Cooke, a true legend in the Canadian golf world. Seeing and playing the mountain course through his lens was illuminating in all the right ways.
Jay Peak golf isn’t easy. You’ll take on a lot of carries over spots left to nature. You’ll ponder and plan lay-ups to manage bubbling streams. There’s a bit of target golf, and the elevation drops and rises are substantial – do use a cart!
But at the same time, I found it forgiving. With six tee boxes to choose from, the course really does play well for most everyone. While I was playing with spectacular low-handicap guys, I kept up thanks to the smart placement of the reds I was playing. Yet, I didn’t feel insulted the way some forward tees can feel sometimes. Jay wants me to embrace courage and go for some shots. Did I lose a few balls? Sure. but I found a few too – and there’s more at the store.
The course was in spectacular shape – and when you consider the northeast has been in a sustained drought, that’s saying something. There’s been a recent storm and there was some pooling in a few traps, but the free drop because of that saved this gal four times, so … silver lining,
Rather than plow aside nature and drop in a course, Graham wove the course into the breathtaking mountainside area. That makes it special. You climb up big hills and hit down into valleys. You play holes with the carved-out ski trails above you, and the resort’s famed tram running up high above you. You’ll see flora and fauna – there’s even a resident beaver who likes to peek out at players all day.
But most of all, you’ll be submerged in the epic beauty that fall mountain golf brings: the bright reds of the sugar and red maples, the bright yellows of the birch trees, the deeper golds from beech and oak trees, and the muted beauty of the evergreens and ash to accent it all are a golf round backdrop for the ages. It makes, I saw and felt, even a so-so round a lifetime memory.
Jay is very much alive this time of year. We sat outside for our post-golf lunch. I scarfed down an excellent smash burger and my friends opted for well-made lobster rolls and smoked chicken wings. A Jay IPA washed it all down just right. We hopped the Tram and went to the very peak, seeing the course we played from up high.
That night at Eleven, the newer patio of the Foundry, we sat around a fire pit, drank excellent cocktails and ate again (the best street corn dip ever) and listened to great live music from a local artist. Fresh oysters were shucked on the patio, and as the stars twinkled above I thought back on my day of mountain golf at Jay Peak.
I was chock full of satisfaction. And that is what golf should bring you.
