civilized ku # 1140-44 ~ a good walk (not) spoiled
Friday, October 14, 2011 at 09:18AM 
1st tee (alternate) ~ Au Sable Valley GC / Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Maintenance path • click to embiggen
9 green • click to embiggen
6 tee (alternate) • click to embiggen
6 green • click to embiggenThe past couple days, I have been getting out for a late afternoon 9-hole round of golf at our local - 2 short blocks from my house - golf course, the AuSable Valley GC. The 9 hole course was designed by Seymour Dunn - born 1882 in North Berwick, Scotland in his father's golf club making shack next to the 1st tee on the West Links GC. Dunn moved to Lake Placid 1920. He designed many famous golf courses in the NE US including many in the Adirondacks.
The AuSable Valley GC was built in the second decade of the last century (one source says 1915, another 1920) putting it very close to celebrating its centennial year. The course was originally built as a private course for the employees of the J.J. Rogers Company (1827-1971) - a large iron, and later pulp and paper, manufacturing concern located in Au Sable Forks.
Over the years, the course passed into private ownership and is now a family owned operation, under which the course is held together with some spit, a lot of bailing wire, and a fair amount of dedicated hard work. Meaning, course conditions are not always the best although, under all but the most extenuating circumstances (really long dry spells), the course is always playable.
That said, the course itself is a magnificent and very challenging layout. It's a real mountain goat track - lots of dramatic elevation changes (seems like I am always walking uphill), dramatically rolling fairways, blind shots aplenty, 2 dogleg fairways, up/downhill lies, above/below your feet lies, and undulating postage stamp sized greens. With all of the aforementioned and the fact that no two holes are alike, the course places quite a demand on a wide variety of shot making proficiencies. Despite the course's short 9-hole length - 2,700 yards - it is mostly definitely not a swing-away-at-it golf experience. Throw in a few incredible views from several very elevated tees, and what you have is a recipe for a very interesting, challenging, and if you play well, enjoyable round of golf.
FYI, if you choose to play 18 holes, 6 of the 9 holes offer a second set of tees which alter each hole's tee shot significantly.
In any event, playing here at this time of year is, for me, a great experience. The scenery is in its autumnal best and the course is essentially one's own private track - not another soul in sight. And, it demands little of your time and wallet - an hour and a half round for $10. What's not to like about that?
Reader Comments (1)
"What's not to like about that?"
It's owned by Capitalist. We should taken it away from them. The government can run it and it could free for everyone. Not everyone can afford $10. That's not fair and equal. To hell with their spit, bailing wire and dedicated hard work, who cares. Let's get em. We'll stop em. There won't be anyone building anything like this again.