If you need travel directions, zip him an e-mail at askjoe@golf.com.
Hi Joe:This summer I will be vacationing in Lake George, New York. What course do you recommend I play? — Bill Misko, Newington, Conn.
You'll find a beautiful Donald Ross treat at The Sagamore in Bolton Landing (518-644-9400, thesagamore.com). Non-resort guests can walk for $65 during the week. It's $135 to ride before 2 p.m. on weekends, but the view of Lake George from the first tee will make you forget about the cost.
Dear Joe:
Our foursome is considering a trip to southwest Ireland and we know Ballybunion and Lahinch are must-plays. How do we get tee times at those two courses? Also, can you recommend a few other courses in that area? — Bill Madison, Portland, Ore.
Obtaining tee times online for overseas courses is actually easier these days than the airport-line travails of getting there. Don't miss Ballybunion Old ($223; ballybuniongolfclub.ie) or Lahinch ($210; lahinchgolf.com). Other trophy courses that will fill your photo albums are Waterville ($155-$223; Watervillegolflinks.ie) and Tralee ($230; traleegolfclub.com).
What's new this month?
Stowe Mountain Club Stowe, Vt.
6,411 yards, par 72; $110-$150;
802-253-4833, stowemountainclub.com
Stowe, in Vermont, has long been known as the ski capital of the Northeast, but its golf offerings were strictly bunny-slope quality. This summer the golf climate changed with the addition of the Stowe Mountain Club, located at the Stowe Mountain Resort and boasting in-your-face vistas of 4,395-ft. Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest point.
This Bob Cupp product serves as the centerpiece of a new upscale real estate development but will also be open to guests of the new 139-room Stowe Mountain Lodge when it opens in the fall. The layout measures a petite 6,400 from the tips and demands precision. Once you've put peg to turf, you'll discover a refreshingly quirky throwback design that's as New England as Yankee pot roast. All the Norman Rockwell touches are lined up, from mountain streams to birch trees to alpine backdrops. Most memorable is the downhill 252-yard par-3 fourth that features rock-wall tee boxes, a babbling brook and a well-bunkered green edged by both forest and meadow. This is one of the few mountains worth climbing.
){kind=link}