Putter in the backstretch: Horse racing and golf a natural exacta

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (Aug. 28, 2006) - Locals like to joke that if you aren't addicted to horse racing before a trip to Saratoga Springs, you will be after a visit during the summer thoroughbred season.

"Come in the summer once and you'll be planning how to get back here every summer to play the ponies," local Mike Maloney said, laughing.

There's surely some truth in that. This upstate New York town has the oldest thoroughbred track in the country, dating back 143 years. You can almost hear the history in the hoof stomps shaking the old grandstand.

Not that golfers are likely to need converting.

It's no mere happenstance of the crowded season that Saratoga-area golf courses are busiest during the six-week racing season that typically ends around Labor Day. There's plenty of crossover between racetrack enthusiasts and golfers.

"It's no secret - most golfers like to gamble," said Scott Bowles, who makes a nice living selling golf packages to gambling meccas like Las Vegas and Niagara Falls. (Yes, there are casinos alongside those raging waters.)

Some might claim that gambling is in the golfing DNA. After all, what group of recreational sportsmen make more side bets on their games than golfers? Two-dollar Nassaus are as much as part of the vocabulary as birdies (make that more for most average golfers). Drinks at the bar can hinge on everything from closest to the hole to closest to the slow-poke group in front of you.

Which makes horse racing a natural golf trip tie in. What’s more exciting than a round at a great course followed by screaming at the horses going down the backstretch with a $2 ticket clutched in your sweaty palm?

The trick comes in that most of your easily-identifiable, great golf destinations do not have such alluring racetracks. Going to Phoenix’s Turf Paradise horse racing track after visiting one of Scottsdale’s showcase courses is like hitting White Castle to finish a night at the Oscars. Turf Paradise brings out work shirts much more than golf polo shirts.

That’s how it is in many traditional golf meccas.

There are great horse racing/golf hot spots; they just require a little venturing from the usual paths. Here are some of the best bets (pun intended).

Horses in the fairway

How about placing your bets then hearing the results as you tee off? How about hitting the trifecta while you're on the green?

Not all that farfetched if you're playing White Clay Creek Country Club. This new Arthur Hills design in frequently sped-by Wilmington, Delaware shares a park with a racetrack.

White paddock fences stand near the borders of several holes. On White Clay Creek's 11th and 12th golfers can hear the race announcer calling the afternoon's action over a scratchy loudspeaker. It doesn't get any closer to horse-racing golf than this.

Another good option in the New York-Philadelphia corridor is Monmouth Park on the Jersey Shore. This high-class track that's attracted Kentucky Derby winners to its summer-season highlight Haskell Invitational puts you close to worthwhile courses such as Hominy Hill and Pine Barrens Golf Club.

Racing with the stars

Everyone knows Churchill Downs, storied home of the Kentucky Derby, is the Vatican of horse racing. Few realize that Hollywood Park is ranked third-best in the country by thoroughbred enthusiasts. And Los Angeles offers a lot more golf options than Louisville. A lot more everything options, for that matter.

Wagering at Hollywood Park can mean mingling - or at least seeing the security of - Tinseltown bigwigs like Kevin Costner, Jack Nicholson and Pierce Bronson. The track, located in anything-but-star-studded Inglewood, is at a crossroads, though; its owner - Churchill Downs, coincidently enough - is reportedly considering razing it and putting up a more upscale oval in Orange County.

As long as it's still there, Hollywood Park gives horse-playing golfers a place to hit the windows when they're not enjoying the golf glitz on LA-area courses like Trump National LA and The Lost Canyons.

Hollywood Park and the nearby Santa Anita (ranked No. 4 by racing lovers) offer an exception to the out-there golf/horse racing spots.

No need to get crabby

Pimlico in the northern reaches of Baltimore is home to the Preakness, one of the Triple Crown races, but nearby good golf options are harder to find than the grandstand in this town better known for its crabs than its courses.

Still, you can find decent plays while visiting one of horse racing's biggies.

Hit Pete Dye’s Bulle Rock or the county-owned, but public upscale feel Greystone in suburban Baltimore County and you won’t be left with a loser (at least away from Pimlico, you’re on your own at the track). The really adventurous should consider a side trip to Fredericksburg, Virginia for a quirky scene with some better-than-expected golf.

But if you want a small-town feel with your elite horse racing, it's hard to beat Saratoga. This town of 26,000 has loads of restaurants and B&Bs off the main drag, that Yankee Stadium of racetracks and some seriously daunting golf at courses such as Saratoga National.

Saratoga National's green fee jumps $35 to $175 during the July 17-Sept. 4 racing window. Its owners know golfing horsemen cannot resist. New York sports-radio personality Mike Francesa is just one of the guys who builds his vacations around Saratoga's racing schedule. Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells never missed a summer during his various short-lived retirements.

"In August, all the guys out on this course are from out of town in for the races, paying almost $200 to play," Maloney said, shaking his head.

Maloney suddenly smiled. "Of course, I guess that doesn’t matter if you win enough at the track."

Spoken like a true golfer. Or is it that spoken like a true horse racing devotee? It’s hard to tell the difference these days.

If you go

California tee times: 866-351-1688 or 760-469-4405
New York tee times: 800-791-5842
Scottsdale/Phoenix tee times: 866-444-0992 or 602-910-6821

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.