Tom Smack, director of golf at The Sagamore Resort (866-385-6221; TheSagamore.com) in Bolton Landing, N.Y., loves his job. An accomplished player who has played in a U.S. Senior Open, Smack greets visitors to this Donald Ross gem with a hearty, “Nice to see you,” and sends them off on their rounds with an equally enthusiastic “Enjoy the course!”   
    From the first tee with its view of Lake George in the distance, the 6,771-yard, par-70 Sagamore Golf Course is an unfolding work of art, with fairways that follow the natural terrain, dramatic elevation changes, undulating greens and greenside bunkers large enough a whitetail deer could hide in. The course has been lovingly restored during the past 20 years, enhancing one of Ross’s finest Northeast designs.
    Being a great golfer isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying The Sagamore. Just let the genius of Ross sink in as you face decision after decision is certainly enough of a reward. By the way, legend has it that Ross imported heather from his native Scotland to plant along some of the holes.   
    Listen to Smack, “I’ve played some great Ross designs in the region, like Oak Hill and Salem, and I marvel at this routing. I think it’s one of his best.”    
    The course is located only a few miles away from The Sagamore Resort that sits on an island on Lake George. The hotel is stately and tastefully decorated. The cuisine is mouth-watering and the ambiance delectable. And this year, there’s a new concierge service available for guests at the hotel.

Where can you spend a day browsing through the National Baseball Hall of Fame, walk the same woodland paths that American author James Fenimore Cooper made famous in his novel, “Last of the Mohicans”, and play a round of golf at one of the top 50 resort courses in the country? Cooperstown, N.Y, of course.
    The aptly named, 6,416-yard, par-72 Leatherstocking Golf Course (800-348-6222; Otesaga.com) is resort golf at its finest: fun to play and challenging enough to keep the best players interested.
    The view from the tee box on the par-five 11th affords a stunning look at Lake Otsego and the rolling hills in the distance. There is also The Leatherstocking Golf School and a full practice facility on premises

You may not experience a sweeter round of golf in the Northeast than when walking the fairways of the Shenendoah Golf Course at Turning Stone Resort and Casino (315-361-7711; TurningStone.com) on a late summer afternoon. Sunlight dances off the tall fescue lining one of New York State’s most magnificent tracks, and the tightly mown grass of the fairways and putting surfaces shine an emerald green.
    Shenendoah is only one of three superb 18-hole courses at Turning Stone, located in Verona. The mystical Rick Smith design is joined by Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s Kaluhyat and Tom Fazio’s Atunyote. There’s also Sandstone Hollow, a nine-hole, par-three course crafted by Smith, and Pleasant Knolls, a regulation-length nine-hole course, as well as comprehensive indoor and outdoor practice facilities.   
    The Oneida Indian Nation’s reservation is home to a bustling casino, hotel, events center, a sparkling new Lodge and Ska’na spa, and enough golf to keep visitors busy for a week. The resort plays host to the PGA Tour’s Turning Stone Resort Championship.
    Atunyote—site of the PGA Tour event—will offer a unique experience this year that will make visitors feel as if they are on Tour. Players will be greeted by one of the club’s professionals at the bag drop, given a locker that one of the Tour professionals use during the tournament, escorted to the practice range (lesson optional), be given two forecaddies for each foursome and sent on their way for a most special round.

The Jack Nicklaus-designed course at The Peninsula On The Indian River Bay (302-947-4717; PeninsulaDelaware.com) on the southern shores of Millsboro, Delaware, allows the player to mesh with the natural surroundings of the property, while dealing physically and mentally with the hefty demands Nicklaus always places on ability and course management.
    “The genius in the design is the way Jack took a piece of land and created such different and deceptive shot values,” says Troy Flateau, director of golf. “It looks intimidating off the tee. But once you get out on the fairway you realize there is plenty of room to hit the ball. He plays with your mind.”
    Playing with your mind is something the beautiful natural landscape over which the 7,302-yard, par-72 course was routed will most certainly do. It’s is a mix of interior holes and those that play out to and along Indian River Bay. One of the best holes on the course is the 216-yard, par-three ninth that is surrounded by water on three sides and reminiscent of the great Lowcountry layouts of South Carolina,.
    The Peninsula On The Indian River Bay will ultimately have 1,404 residences, town homes, villas, condominiums and custom homes. The newest neighborhood, The Eighteenth On The Bay, will stand apart with opulent design and a location on the golf course. Rental programs are available at the community.
    The Peninsula offers residents an array of amenities, including a 13,000-square-foot wave lagoon, a private beach, nature trails, golf and tennis camps and basketball and sand volleyball courts. The Lakeside Village Center boasts a gourmet restaurant, indoor/outdoor pools, fitness center, spa facilities and ongoing activities and classes.

Cape Codders call it “champagne air” when the salty breezes of the Atlantic mingle with zephyrs blowing east off Cape Cod Bay to produce a euphoric rush of emotions.
    Exhilaration is what you will feel on the first hole of The Ocean Course at New Seabury (508-539-8322 option 6 for rental information; 508-539-8200 for new homes; NewSeabury.com) as you are massaged by swirling winds and gaze down the fairway on the 530-yard par-five to see Martha’s Vineyard in the distance.
    “It’s a wow factor to be sure,” says Brendan Reilly, the ebullient head professional at The Club at New Seabury in Mashpee, Massachusetts, which also boasts The Dunes Course. 
    Designed by William Mitchell and opened in 1962 (Rees Jones did some tweaking on a few holes a few years back), the Ocean Course has been called “the Pebble Beach of the East.” The first portion of the course winds along or near Nantucket Sound, and the final nine passes through woodlands and marshes. The Dunes Course, only 6,000 yards from the back tees, is a little gem. The conditions at both private courses are superb.
    New Seabury has an extensive residential component with over 1,000 existing town homes and single-family residences. An additional 450 homes will be built, with five new neighborhoods recently arriving on the market. The property has a tennis facility, fitness center, beach club, cabana and oceanfront pool. The clubhouse at New Seabury contains a restaurant that features majestic views of the ocean as well as great food.
    In addition, The Club at New Seabury offers villas for rent. Staying at the club allows visitors access to both private courses.

Quebec (playgolfinquebec.com) has some of the best golf our Canadian neighbors have to offer.
    One of the most intriguing aspects of a golf trip to Quebec is that it’s like being on holiday in France. Most for the population speaks fluent French and almost all “Quebecers” are conversant in English. Both Quebec City, which is celebrating its 400^th anniversary in 2008, and the bilingual city of Montreal burst alive with song and dance during the warm months, as minstrals roam the streets and outdoor shows are a common theme.
    “The cities are really abuzz with festivals and events that go on all summer,” said Jacques Landry, director of the Quebec Golf Course Association. Some 17 courses are being promoted this year through the Play Golf in Quebec initiative.
    From Mont Tremblant, a re-creation of a French alpine village center an hour and a half north of Montreal, to Fairmont Manoir Richelieu, a magical resort located in the somewhat wild lands of the Charlevoix region north of Quebec that includes 27 holes of golf with stunning views of the Saint-Laurence River and a casino, there is a delicious menu of golf courses to sample.
    Mont Tremblant has two of the best layouts in the area—Le Diable and Le Geant. The two courses at the fabled Gray Rocks Resort are also worth checking out. Royal Laurentian and Le Maitre are also outstanding.
    Montreal has several splendid courses, including two contrasting designs at Ile de Montreal Golf Club.
    The eastern townships of Quebec have several fine layouts, including Royal Bromont, which offers top-notch accommodations and other amenities.
    Fine dining, spas, sailing, whale watching - it all goes together perfectly with golf in Quebec.