The Hancock Golf Course, Hancock, NY

Located in the southern tier of New York, Hancock Golf Course is a pleasure to play and a slice of history as well. The course was originally designed by legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones seven decades ago, and his ideas on the game of golf are clearly evident. According to the Robert Trent Jones Society, the designer of this course "believed that golf should be a no risk; no reward sport and his designs encouraged daring play." This philosophy is on display as one steps up to the fifth tee box. The green is kept tantalizingly out of the golfer's view until the second shot. A shot over water that is reachable, but not easy. The accurate and courageous golfer will be rewarded, others will lose their golf balls in the water or the woods. A perfect Jones golf hole. Distances are clearly marked on each hole, and one can march around the course comfortably if you are confident about club yardage. The layout provides the clear opportunity for success on each hole. Reasonable distance off the tee always opens up to a clear shot at the tiny greens. The greens are welcoming and in very good shape even at the end of August, but they are challenging. Designed with bent grass it is similar to putting on tile, but they are readable and fair, and their endless undulations provide for dramatic turns of the ball on the way to the cup. The fairways are Bermuda grass, and although they are tree lined, they are wide and inviting. The course is nestled into the forest in such a way that it seems to have always been hidden there. Sounds of nature prevail as one walks away from the first tee, and from soaring eagles to deer in the woods, it is a beautiful day spent in the open. Now under new management, the course is being genuinely cared for and nurtured by Professional Golf Association golfer Dustin Wrighter and his family, and that was exactly the atmosphere that I encountered at their golf course. The staff at the clubhouse was friendly and helpful, and to those concerned about libations, the clubhouse one again has a liquor license. Playing at the end of August, one can always find reasons to complain, but I found the fairways to be in very good shape, particularly by local standards, and the greens were green. Something that is not the norm at many courses at this time of year. The design of the greens is wonderful on this course. Some are surrounded by earthen berms that will redirect a mildly errant shot, and others appear to be the only level area in sight. They are small, challenging, fun and fair. A beautiful course with very competitive rates, it is one of the handful of courses that I will play five or more times this season.