It’s become somewhat of a tradition for us to make the journey to the Turning Stone Resort/Casino in central New York to play on their bucket-list courses.
We love to pamper ourselves at the property’s Lodge, to roll the dice at the casino a time or two, and even to feast on the steak at the resort’s TS Steakhouse or some sashimi, nigiri, maki, and noodle bowls at Sushi Sushi, a restaurant so good it has to be said twice.
Turning Stone, set about 30 minutes from the Syracuse airport in the Mohawk Valley, has a little bit of everything for everyone, and the service minute to minute is in lockstep with the amenities the entire stay. We, as always, focus on the golf – and with three of the finest courses in New York and two fun nine-hole tracks – there’s plenty here.
The big courses here are Atunyote, a flawless Tom Fazio design that’s hosted PGA Tour events and is the resort’s marquee track; the Rick Smith-fashioned Shenendoah, which is just a blast to play from first tee shot to final putt; and Kaluhyat, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. to be is difficult and challenging and demanding but still produces a different level of fun.
Turning Stone Resort & Casino
No expense spared at Atunyote
Fazio was given a virtually unlimited budget by the Tribe to create an elite championship golf course at Atunyote and he succeeded, in spades. He moved plenty of dirt around to manipulate the routing, but you never even think about that when you are on the course – all you think about is how fine the place is and how great it is to be playing it.
Fazio pushed prodigious amounts of earth around, planted nearly 1,000 young trees, carved out numerous water hazards, and added ornamental details and plantings.
There are times when you play Atunyote and feel as if your group is the only one on the course – it has that private, exclusive, country club vibe.
Atunyote plays at 7,315 yards and is a par-72. On the front nine, the most secluded hole is the par-3 sixth. Though there’s a pond short right and a bunker by the left side of the green, a false front and an extremely wide green present greater threats to par.
No. 9 is the toughest hole on the front side; at 468 yards and playing uphill, Fazio has said that the hole is patterned after the finishing hole at famed Oak Hill Country Club.
The back nine sees holes routed around a 13-acre lake. Nos. 11-14 and the closer are defined by a stone-lined creek.
Per the norm on a Fazio-designed course, the ending stretch at Atunyote is memorable for its variety and challenge. The 15th is a sweeping dogleg right two-shotter, and No. 16 is a well-protected par-3; both are bordered by a dramatic deadwood swamp. The home hole, a massive 603-yard par-5 with the lake looming to the right, narrows the closer you get to the putting surface.
Turning Stone
Fun factor raised at Shenendoah
Shenendoah is perhaps the most fun track to play at Turning Stone and certainly the most forgiving. Named after one of the great chiefs in Oneida history, it’s Turning Stone’s original 18-hole track and is routed through wetlands and some treed areas while plenty of open spaces and vistas also contribute to a memorable setting.
Wetlands define the left side of the sixth and seventh holes, a pair of differing par-4s that move to the left. The sixth is Shenendoah‘s No. 1 handicap hole because of its length (452 yards) while the much shorter seventh (364 yards from the tips) provides more intrigue with its strategically placed bunkers that dictate the need to attack the green from the air for one of the only times during the round.
A pair of three-shotters start and end the back nine. The 10th hole begins from a ridge just behind the clubhouse and moves downhill to the valley, where the rest of the side is played. But what goes down must come up, and that’s the case on the 18th, which moves uphill and has a fairway that’s lined by native areas and a creek about 225 yards from the green. The angled putting surface is fronted on the right by a deep bunker.
Shenendoah plays at 7,013 yards and, for us, is the course we always want to play twice on the trip. It’s just that fun.
Turning Stone
Kaluhyat is Turning Stone’s player’s course
If possible, we like to tackle Kaluhyat third among the three 18s here – after we have our game in top shape and we understand more what it’s going to take to be successful. Kaluhyat, carded at 7,105 yards, is the resort’s toughest course, but it is also a track that provides its own level of fun because of that difficulty. If you are a real player, you will likely leave here thinking it’s your favorite course of Turning Stone’s trio.
Built by Jones Jr. and opened in 2003, Kaluhyat alternates between woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands in an out-and-back routing.
The round starts gently with a 530-yard par-5 with a wide fairway; take advantage here because it’s the only quarter you will be given on the course. The 406-yard, par-4 second features Kaluhyat‘s most dramatic tee shot, downhill over a tall grass cross hazard.
The back nine is tighter and more rugged, as more cross hazards, mostly in the form of tall grass, up the ante. The toughest stretch on Kaluhyat is lumped together on holes 11, 12 and 13.
The par-5 11th, the No. 1 handicap here, is a 621-yard tester with two carries and a final approach that must traverse a marsh that begins 100 yards from the severely elevated putting surface. Following the named 427-yard par-4 12th, which is called Straight and Narrow, is another par-5, this one with the handle of “Big Water.” The 558-yard hole has a fairway that sweeps around a lake that looms to the right.
Each of Turning Stone’s three 18-hole courses were named to “best of” lists when they opened, and all are constants among the state’s best you can play. One of the joys of the Turning Stone experience is playing courses entirely free of housing or development.
Turning Stone also has a pair of nine-hole courses: Sandstone Hollow, a Smith-designed par-3 layout with holes ranging from 88 to 144 yards; and Pleasant Knolls, a player-friendly, 3,368-yard par-36 that’s perfect for a quick or getaway nine.
Off the course there’s the Lodge, with its lush suites-only boutique offerings; the 19-story Tower Hotel, the tallest building between Syracuse and Albany; and the property’s elaborate Skana Spa, a 33,000-square-foot facility with an indoor mineral pool, 12 treatment rooms, and a VIP suite. Then there’s the Sportsplex, which sports tennis and racquetball courts and an indoor golf driving range.
Turning Stone