Saratoga National Golf Club

The verdict

Saratoga National is the upmarket public course every visiting golfer to the Capital Region eventually hears about. Roger Rulewich, who spent decades as the lead designer for Robert Trent Jones, laid it out on a wetland rich site near Saratoga Springs, and it opened in 2001 to immediate acclaim as one of the finest daily fee courses in New York State. The experience is deliberately polished, from the bagdrop and the caddies to the clubhouse and the service, so a round here feels closer to a private club than a typical pay and play.

It plays as a par 72 of about 7,241 yards, and water is the defining feature, in play on a large share of the holes as ponds, creeks and protected wetland. Rulewich gave it generous landing areas off the tee but demanding, well defended greens, so it rewards the player who can plot a way around and punishes the careless. As an upscale public course it makes an outstanding centerpiece for a trip built around Saratoga's summer racing season, its restaurants and its spa town charm, and it is one of the easiest great rounds in the Northeast to actually book.

The holes worth the trip

Water sets the rhythm at Saratoga National. Several of the strongest holes ask a carry over wetland or a tee shot that flirts with a pond down one side, so the round is a steady exercise in choosing a line and trusting it. The par 5s offer real reward for the player willing to take on the water in two, while the par 3s are built around well guarded greens where the safe miss is rarely simple.

Rulewich balanced the demands with width through the shoulders of the fairways, so the average player can keep the ball in play by laying back, then face a longer but drier approach. The greens are the course's main defense, sizable but contoured and firm, and a good day here depends on distance control and a confident putter as much as length off the tee. The conditioning is consistently excellent, part of what earns the course its premium reputation.

What stays with visitors is the sense of occasion. Saratoga National is run like a private club that happens to welcome guests, and a summer round, played in the soft upstate light with the racing crowd in town, is one of the most enjoyable public golf days in the Northeast. It is a course built to be savored rather than survived.

Where to stay nearby

Saratoga Springs supplies a wealth of lodging, from historic downtown hotels and inns within walking distance of Broadway's restaurants to resorts and spa hotels a short drive from the course. Summer, with the thoroughbred racing in full swing, is the marquee season, so book early and expect peak rates from July into early September.

Saratoga National pairs naturally with a Capital Region golf trip and the town's racing, dining and spa scene, and we can build the lodging, tee times and transfers around your rounds. Tell us your dates and we will shape it.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Saratoga Springs.