Otesaga Resort's Leatherstocking Golf Course: More to Cooperstown than
the Hall of Fame

TravelGolf.com Staff Report

Unlimited-play Package Includes Meals, Use of New Driving Range, Golf Cart and Ticket to One of Three Local Museums

CCOOPERSTOWN, N.Y., (February 2001) - Designed by Devereux Emmet in 1909, the Leatherstocking Golf Course is a challenging, 18-hole, championship golf course located at The Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown.

The Otesaga was voted one of the 50 top U.S. golf resorts by readers of Condé Nast Traveler (June 2000), in recognition of the Leatherstocking's excellent design and level of difficulty, as well as of the quality of accommodations and dining at the resort.

The Leatherstocking Golf Course's natural contour sweeps along the western shore of Lake Otsego. With its deep sand bunkers, numerous water hazards and elevated fairways, which provide views of the lake, the course ranks among the most scenic and demanding in the Northeast.

Its three finishing holes are the most exciting on the course. The par-4, 16th hole requires a precise tee shot, while the par-3, 17th hole requires a tee shot to carry over a wide Lake Otsego water hazard.

The grand finale of the course is the 18th hole C a 505-yard par 5, reminiscent of Pebble Beach C where the fairway sweeps to the left around Lake Otsego. Players tee off from an island green on Lake Otsego and must decide how much of the fairway to bite off in order to score well on the hole.

In the past two years, Leatherstocking Golf Course has added an 11-acre driving range, made improvements to the drainage system and enlarged many of the tee boxes and cart paths.

These projects were handled by Cupp Design, a well-known, Atlanta-based golf architectural firm.

• Past New Jersey Reviews • Past New York Reviews • Past TravelGolf.com reviews by Tom Robinson

"We are committed to raising our standards each year. There's always a growing-in period after renovating, and the course has matured wonderfully the last two years," said Dan Spooner, director of golf for The Otesaga. "We were able to update the course to meet the needs of a growing number of golfers, while maintaining its integrity."

In addition to the quality of play on the course, the Leatherstocking Golf Course has been hailed for its commitment to high environmental standards and to preservation of wildlife habitat.

In 2000, Audubon International officially designated Leatherstocking a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary," under its Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS), a program supported by the United States Golf Association.

The Otesaga's Leatherstocking Golf Package offers players an ample opportunity to test the course. The package is priced per person, per night, based on double occupancy, subject to availability and requires a two-night minimum stay.

Single rates are available. Service charge and tax are not included. The package includes the following:

Standard guest room accommodations (upgrade upon request)
Unlimited golf on the Leatherstocking Golf Course
Unlimited driving range balls
Breakfast and dinner daily
Golf cart for one round of golf for each night's stay
Club cleaning and storage
Advanced tee times
Ticket of your choice to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The Farmers Museum or Fenimore Art Museum
Special souvenir gift

Rates

April 23 - May 28, 2001
$211.00 (non-golfer rate is $146.50)

May 28 - September 3, 2001
$231.00 (non-golfer rate is $166.50)

September 3 - mid-November, 2001
$221.00 (non-golfer rate is $156.50)

The Leatherstocking offers professional instruction for individuals and groups with Head Instructor Ronald Philo. Winner of a "Teacher of the Year" award in the Northeastern New York PGA section, Philo's teaching program is available from May 15 - September 15. The hourly charge for an individual lesson is $100. Philo's youngest daughter, Laura Philo Diaz, is a top-rated player on the LPGA Tour.

After a round, golfers can enjoy lunch and snacks at the Leatherstocking Golf Shop Patio, which provides a breathtaking view of Lake Otsego. The well-stocked Golf Shop offers golf club rentals as well as sports apparel and supplies.

September 4 - 7, the Leatherstocking Golf Course hosts the 19th annual Otesaga Hotel Senior's Open and Pro-Am Golf Tournament, benefitting the Pathfinder Village scholarship fund and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum endowment fund. In the past, the tournament has raised over $1 million for scholarships and endowments at Pathfinder Village, a community dedicated to children and adults with Down Syndrome.

Also in September, the New York State Mid-amateur Championship will be played at the Leatherstocking for the first time.

In addition to golf, The Otesaga offers tennis, a heated pool, fitness room, lake swimming and canoeing on-premise. Fishing, fly fishing and boating on the lake are also available.

For a nominal fee, guests can enjoy the nearby Clark Sports Center, a state-of-the-art sports complex with racquetball, fitness classes, Nautilus rooms, basketball, a running track, bowling and an adventure climbing wall.

Area attractions include the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The Farmers Museum, Fenimore Art Museum and the Glimmerglass Opera. Located at 60 Lake Street in the historic Village of Cooperstown, N.Y., about 70 miles from Albany, The Otesaga, a member of the Historic Hotels of America, maintains a tradition of gracious hospitality which harks back to the turn of the last century.

Having just completed an extensive $34-million restoration, the hotel is welcoming guests for its 92nd year, looking more grand than ever.

For information, tee times and reservations for the hotel's upcoming season (April 23 to mid-November), call (800) 348-6222, or visit www.otesaga.com on the Internet.