This past weekend was the inaugural Asher Invitational,* a 54 hole event played out on 3 courses over 2 days at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY.
*Despite the tremendous rhetoric suggesting this was an actual big-time invitational tournament, it was basically a golf weekend organized by my friend Kevin, and the field consisted of 4 guys. But it was fun to play along. We even had shirts made up.
There certainly was nothing close to even par played over the course of the weekend -- the weather conditions were prohibitive, with temperatures in the low 40s and "heavy mist" on Saturday, and then downpours for the first 5 holes on Sunday. But I write this not to tell you the ups and downs of my game. I write this with one simple message:
IF YOU LIKE GOLF, YOU SHOULD GO TO TURNING STONE.
First, let's run through some of the stats:
There are 3 courses at the resort: Atunyote (which hosted the Turning Stone Resort Championship on the PGA tour from 2007-2010), Kaluhyat, and Shenendoah. All 3 clock in at over 7000 yards from the tips (Atunyote is the longest at 7,482) and have slopes and ratings in what one might consider the "extreme" range (Kaluhyat is rated the toughest at 75.5/150). In the course rankings world, Golf Digest ranks Atunyote as the #76 public course in the country, with Kaluhyat not far behind at #84; Golf.com/Golf Magazine actually puts Shenendoah higher than the others, coming in at #59 on their "Best Courses You Can Play" list, with Atunyote next at #65. (In their in-state rankings, golf.com puts Shenendoah #2 and Atunyote #3 behind Bethpage Black in New York; Kaluhyat ranks 16th.)
So I'm not exactly breaking new ground by saying this, but in the immortal words of Sidra on Seinfeld, "They're real, and they're spectacular."
Shenendoah and Kaluhyat are actually located on the resort grounds and share a clubhouse and practice facility; Atunyote is about 5 minutes down the road. Both sites feature top-notch staff who were there to service our every need -- and they still had a smile on their faces despite the fact that we were literally the only people playing on Saturday afternoon. The practice range and putting green at the main site are both immaculate, and probably the best I've used other than TPC Boston (we didn't use the facilities at Atunyote, but I'm sure it was of similar quality).
The first course we played was Kaluhyat, and it's a beast. We played all the courses from the blue tees, and it would probably be insane to play this one from the blacks. The par 5's are probably the toughest set on any course I've ever played; other than the very 1st hole there are no birdie opportunities among them. You can really tell a lot of thought was put into each hole -- and most of that thought was how to make it challenging. Despite all that, it's the type of course that you marvel at it's challenge, even while it's kicking your ass. I loved it.
Atunyote was second on our list. Everything is long there. Even from the blue tees there are 5 par-4's over 420 yards, and it closes with a 580 par 5 that is all uphill. Compared to Kaluhyat the course is wide-open, with a more links-style layout. Fairways are generally wide, but there are ample bunkers that make the navigation difficult, and the dominating feature of the course is a beautiful running brook that comes into play on many of the holes.
Shenendoah was the last course we played, and I have to say I agree with golf.com -- it's the best of the bunch. The hole variety is impressive, and the course is definitely fair but challenging, with holes that could be played any number of ways bringing both birdie and double bogey into play.
Ultimately, though, it's the conditions that separate Turning Stone from other sites I've been to. All 3 courses are in perfect shape, with razor-mown fairways, thick
punishing rough, and greens that are smooth, fast, and apparently have
the greatest drainage in the world. We were awed standing on the 1st tee on each of the courses -- and still in awe by the 18th each time.
Let's put it this way: the weather was terrible, probably the worst it can be without the course closing, and we had an awesome time. I can't wait to go back.
