Nothing Borderline about Vermont Golf Courses Near Canada

Vermont is a great place to visit -- and to play golf -- in the summer and fall.  A few years ago, while visiting my daughter and her family in late summer and autumn, I played 10 golf courses in northern Vermont and across Lake Champlain in upstate New York. I provided reviews for most of them in my newsletter, Home On The Course, and elsewhere here at GolfCommunityReviews. In a nutshell, the following is what I thought of each of them, with ratings on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being “Wonderful,” 4 “Very Good” 3 “Okay” and 2 “Fair.” None I played merited a “poor” score.

Jay Peak, beautiful and occasionally scary

Jay Peak, North Troy, VT.  Rating 4.5
I wouldn’t recommend the Jay Peak golf course to a 20-handicap player, but for those with the ability to hit the ball straight, to chip and putt well and secure (mature?) enough to move up two tee boxes from their customary launching pad, the layout provides gorgeous views and excellent conditions. For the quality of the layout, the $65 I paid (now $74 in 2024), cart included, was an extreme bargain. Better yet, if you decide to make Vermont your permanent or summer home, a membership at the semi-private resort course will pay for itself in about 30 rounds. 

Green Mountain Golf Club, Killington, VT.  Rating 4
I love to start off a round with a par 5. Using driver, fairway wood and (hopefully) short iron to the first green is a great way to kickstart 18 holes. Green Mountain’s starting hole is a par 5 of modest length with a generously wide fairway. From the tips (black tees) it is “only” 513 yards, just 443 yards from the tee boxes I played (total lengthfor my layout was 5,787 yards). When you play Green Mountains, pay attention to the beautiful scenery – and the scorecard’s advice about which tees to play.

The turf on the Williston golf course is well cared for by the owners.

Williston Country Club, Williston, VT.  Rating 4
There was a lot of work being done on the Williston layout, including a brand-new 18th green and tee-box updates. All that should be done by now.  The course was in excellent condition and the holes varied and challenging. Williston is a 90-year-old layout owned by one family since the beginning, and the latest whippersnappers running it – two brothers -- clearly want to keep it one of the most popular layouts in the Burlington area. They are doing a good job of it.

If you squint, you'll see the flag on the green down by the lake at Bluff Point.

Bluff Point, Plattsburgh, NY.  Rating 3.5
Bluff Point has history, and that was the source of a little of my disappointment. If I hadn’t read about the place before I arrived there, it would almost certainly warrant a slightly higher rating. But when you advertise a circa 1916 A. W. Tillinghast design, he of Bethpage Black and Winged Foot fame, you set up major expectations for those of us who have been lucky enough to play one of his layouts and know his reputation. Some of Tillinghast’s holes at Bluff Point had been replaced (to build a parking lot, no less) and, over the years, his signature bunkers had pulled well away from his equally distinctive greens, and everything felt flatter than the architect must have intended. But playing a course that had been beloved of U.S. Presidents – McKinley, both Roosevelts – neutralized the disappointment, even if it wasn’t exactly the course they had played.

The Kwiniaska Country Club golf course, aka "Kwini," is kwirky and fun.

Kwiniaska Golf Club, Shelburne, VT.  Rating 3.5
“Kwini,” as the locals call it, is a bit of a hodgepodge layout, and with good reason. Some holes that once played across the road from the rest were sold to a home developer and squeezed into an area with the rest of the 18. The latest owner is clearly serious about keeping Kwini a popular alternative for the locals. The course was in fine condition, some of the holes – especially those shaped by P.B. Dye – were visually interesting, but you are always just a bit conscious about a bit of dissonance among the holes. Approach the course as 18 separate holes, and you will have an interesting day of it. And the staff could not be friendlier.

Alburg Links are rough and ready for anyone who loves a classic layout.

Who doesn't love a downhill short par 3, like #7 at the classic Champlain Country Club?

Others:  Alburg Golf Links, Alburgh, VT…Rating 3.5. North Country, Rouses Point, NY…2.5. West Bolton Country Club, West Bolton, VT…4. Champlain Golf Club, Swanton, VT…3.5. Fox Run (formerly Okemo Valley), Okemo, VT…4