The newest golf course in the North Country is nearly ready to tee off.
Crews are putting the finishing touches on the clubhouse and first nine holes at Ganienkeh Golf Club. Tom Delaronde of the Ganienkeh people said it should be open to the public sometime next month.
The two-story clubhouse is nearly finished, with some painting and other finishing touches under way. The upper level will feature a re staurant and the lower level will house the pro shop.
Natural wood siding covers the upper level of the exterior, with dark green trim and a green metal roof. Carpenters from the various Mohawk communities have done the work for display cases, counters and more.
The layout plays to a par of 36. Much of it winds through woods, with stone walls a visible sign of the former field boundaries.
"The land lent itself to a natural kind of layout," Delaronde said. "There was really no blueprint for this."
The wooded property lends itself to wildlife sightings. Delaronde said he saw a black bear cross the third fairway a couple weeks ago.
There are numerous stone walls on the course, leftover from when they marked the field boundaries.
"They fit right in," Delaronde said.
The course will feature four sets of tees — championship, men's, seniors and women's — to make the layout fair for golfers of all abilities.
It is irrigated from tee to green. Golfers have the option of walking the course or riding in a golf cart.
The course starts with a par three, with the tee next to Rand Hill Road. It plays to a narrow green, with a sand trap on the left.
Number two is a par four. It is a slight dog leg left, with two trees that narrow the fairway at the corner and make accuracy off the tee paramount.
The third hole is a monster par 5 that stretches to about 630 yards from the championship tee. It is a dogleg left with a long carry to the fairway.
There are two fairway bunkers on the left that guard the corner. A fairway bunker on the right could catch wayward second shots.
There is a steep downslope about 100 yards from the green, with a tall pole behind the green to provide a target, as the green can't be seen if a golfer is too far back down the fairway.
Number four is a long par 4, with a steady dogleg left. Another fairway trap guards the right hand corner of the fairway.
As on several holes, a number of large stand-alone rocks are along the tree line.
The fifth hole is a par 3, with the irrigation pond encroaching on the left side of the hole. The two-tiered green features a lower front section and raised back section.
"We are thinking about expanding the pond out farther (in front of the green)," Delaronde said.
Delaronde said the sixth hole might be the toughest on the course. The championship tee on the par 5 is tucked tight against the trees on the left, making it for difficult for those who fade the ball to find the fairway.
The hole has a long, gradual bend to the right, more of a C-shaped fairway than a true dogleg. The first fairway bunker guards the right side, while a second one guards the left side near the corner, about 300 yards from the tee.
The large green is guarded by out of bounds fences on three sides.
Number seven is a slight dogleg left par four. Players who tee off from the championship and men's tees must carry a low stone wall in order to reach the fairway.
The elevated green features sand traps in front and to the right.
The eighth hole is a straight-away par four. The championship and men's tees are behind the irrigation pond, giving added pressure to make solid contact.
There is a large fairway bunker down the right side and out of bounds along the left. The is a large bank just behind the green, to prevent shots from going to far over.
The ninth hole is perhaps the most scenic. The tee box is in a wooded half chute along a small stream that runs the length of the par four.
The fairway elevates above the stream, with a rock wall along the left tree line.
A lone tree guards the approach for those who leave their tee shot too far right or short. The green sits on the other side of the rock-lined stream, with one pin position tucked behind a bunker.
There is a natural amphitheater behind the green, which will make for a nice area for spectators to watch golfers finish their rounds.
There is a practice green behind the seventh green. Delaronde said a driving range and practice area will be created at a later date.
He said Norm Baker and Sons did a superb job with the excavation and grading work, as well as sprinkler installation. They even placed the large stones that line the stream that guards the ninth green and irrigation pond.
Janice Albany will run the pro shop and give lessons once the course is open. She also plans to offer group lessons and clinics.
Watio is the greenskeeper, although many jobs are shared by the Ganienkeh people, Delaronde said.
E-mail Dan Heath at:
dheath@pressrepublican.com
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