My wife and I took a road trip to western Vermont over the summer, and although it was meant to be relaxing, it turned into a golf trip. We loaded up our car and headed for the west side of Vermont, staying in two different places and playing at five different courses.
Our trip started in Essex Junction, just east of Burlington. We stayed at the Essex Resort, a historic building with modern amenities, and found a hidden gem in an RV park on the coast of Lake Champlain. Apple Island Golf Club (www.appleislandgolf.com) was easy to walk, affordable, and in great shape. The three things we look for in a 9-hole course.
One thing that can suffer on a par 3 course is the tee boxes because everyone hits irons and leaves divots. However, Apple Island’s tees were in fantastic shape, and we never had to worry about finding a flat spot or a lack of grass. They have two tee boxes, with the longer ones ranging from 73- 181 yards.
The course was a great way to practice our irons, but the greens were the most difficult. They are tiny! They also have huge undulations and tiers, and most have wavy fringes around them. It was difficult to hit the small targets from the tee, but it was also tough to land chips close because of the uneven surface and changing speeds. This was a great course for a quick round and to get ready for our road trip.
Next, we played the executive-style Links at Lang Farm (www.linksatlangfarm.com), right across the street from our resort in Essex Junction. They have three sets of tees, while the front has two par-fours and the back has four, with the rest being par-threes. The warm-up areas were legit, with a 25-bay grass range, tiered putting green, and chipping area.
I had similar thoughts about the tee boxes at The Links because so many golfers use irons, but they also did a great job keeping the boxes fresh. The greens are large but have subtle breaking hills that can create three-putts with a wayward tee shot.
Starting the trip with two short courses was a nice way to ease into the full-size layouts coming up. After we left Essex, we stopped at the Ralph Myhre Golf Course (https://ralphmyhregolfcourse.com/), which is the home of Middlebury College. It is right next to the campus and has all of the amenities you would expect. Grass driving range, putting/chipping green, and full clubhouse with restaurant and outdoor patio. The course was in amazing shape and offered cool scenic mountain views.
The first hole is a bear. It is a par five that shoots down a narrow fairway lined with trees and bunkers. The back tees are right next to the outdoor seating; lucky for me, it wasn’t busy on an overcast weekday, but I can imagine the anxiety you would get standing over your ball on this one with everyone watching you.
The course has elevation changes and large greens with tricky routes that are tough to read. This has been the theme in Vermont so far on this trip…fantastic courses with greens that threaten to ruin our scorecards. Hole 3 was the most insane, without a doubt. You approach it blind from the fairway, but what was more diabolical was the shape of it. It is long and narrow, slopes hard right to left, and has a huge valley running through the middle. You have to drive up and see where the flag is before hitting to make sure you are on the correct side, or else you could roll off and down a steep hill.
Our road trip took us down to a rental property on an active farm in the town of Bridgewater, located right between Woodstock and Killington. We relaxed here at night but kept visiting courses during the day. The fourth course we played was one of our favorites. I wrote a detailed article about it last year, Green Mountain National (https://greenmountainnationalgolf.com), and highly recommend it. It has to be the best municipal course in New England. It has the look and feel of a private course, but it is open to everyone.
Our final round was at Killington Golf Course (https://killington.com/tee-times-and-events) located at the base of the ski mountain. This is interesting because the course has a ton of elevation changes, but it is still way below the peak. The course has everything you would expect from a mountain course. It has cool scenery, blind shots, and some wicked green structures. Most holes have water or wetlands running through the fairways, so you really need a GPS to navigate your shots.
I liked the challenge the course provides with the blind shots and narrow landing areas. It forced me to think on the tee box and use strategy rather than just hitting driver. Finishing the trip with tough greens only made sense. Most of the greens are uphill, and your approach is almost blind. If you have never played the course before, like us, you’ll be surprised when you pull up in your cart and see the actual layout of each green. You might think you are close, but then realize there is a steep hill to read or you are just off to the side. Overall, this mountain course was a fun challenge and worth a return trip.
My wife and I made this trip during the summer, but we might repeat it in the Fall to experience the foliage and color-changing scenery. Vermont courses have beautiful settings, and all of these were in great shape. I would recommend taking the trip up to the Green Mountain State for relaxation and golf anytime.
