Golf in Kingston

Designed by course architect Dick Wilson, Garrison Golf Club’s 18-hole course covers the tree-lined hills, valleys, and ravines of the Hudson Highlands as golfers drink in sweeping views from 800 feet above the Hudson River. Without disturbing the native birds and wildlife, the course artfully integrates the natural terrain into a challenging layout, featuring multiple shots that must clear deep chasms and rolling fairways that create tricky hill lies and test golf carts’ vulnerability to motion sickness. Stone walls and mature oaks and hemlocks add to the stately scenery as players grapple with testy hazards, such as those encountered at the par three 17th hole, where tee shots must find a putting surface buttressed by sprawling trees, sand traps, and a stream.

An Audubon International–certified course, Garrison Golf Club’s environmentally friendly efforts include a 2-acre organic farm that sprouts heirloom tomatoes, nine kinds of lettuce, and other greens incorporated into dishes at Valley and Terrace Grill, the club’s onsite restaurants. Guests may also opt to wind down at World’s End Bar, a cozy spot ideal for sipping cocktails or interrogating fellow players about the veracity of their scorecards.

East Fishkill Golf Center's 26-acre, multisport facility awakens the sportsmanship of every visitor regardless of age or athletic prowess. The grounds cater to ball-strikers of all stripes, whether protecting the strike zone in 1 of the 11 batting-cage stalls, avoiding the waterfalls and elevation changes on the 19-hole miniature-golf course, or aiming for displaced UFOs on the 35-stall lighted driving range. A 12,000-square-foot indoor facility carpeted with astroturf houses a regulation softball infield complete with pitching mounds and a spectator viewing area.

The 18-hole course at Rainbow Golf Club takes players careening across a 6,287-yard layout carved into the foothills of the Northern Catskill Mountains. Players rip tee shots from one of five sets of tees per hole, allowing for an enjoyable yet challenging round for greenhorns to green-jacket holders. As rental carts transport players across the well-manicured landscape, they must take care to avoid tree-lined fairways, undulating greens, and feral caddies looking to stock up on golf balls for winter's hibernation. The course's signature hole is the 13th, a 135-yard, par 3 that forces golfers to carry their tee shot over water onto an island green, the only known island in New York. A pro shop, practice facilities, and a restaurant with an outdoor patio overlooking the course all provide entertainment when golfers aren't practicing their postputt struts.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Total length of 6,287 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.8 from the back tees
• Course slope of 126 from the back tees
• Five sets of tees per hole