Our recent tour of the New England states was about travel and exploration, but it was also about golf.
Having recently won me over to his sport of choice, as preparations for our trip began, Hubby asked how many rounds of golf I would be willing to play. Initially, I couldn’t figure out why he wanted to waste our time while traveling to play golf, but as I researched courses in the area, I realized what a missed opportunity it would be to explore a new place in taste, sights, and surroundings, but ignore the beauty and craftsmanship of their local greens.
We chose to play in Prince Edward Island and Stowe thinking they would hold the best views.*
*Spoiler alert: We were right.
While in Stowe for Valentine’s Day weekend last year, we drove to Stowe Mountain Resort with hopes of enjoying their lodge facilities, grabbing a bite, shopping their boutique ski shops, and returning to our not so pomp and circumstance hotel.
As we approached the hotel, we realized that non-hotel stayers, such as ourselves, had to self-park in a massive lot that was a bit of a walk from the lodge and shops. With a real feel temperature in the negatives, we decided to seek entertainment elsewhere.
February, 2016
September, 2016
As we planned our return to Stowe, we discovered the resort’s golf clubs. Yes, plural. Though the Stowe Country Club looked slightly better than what we are used to playing, the Stowe Mountain Club was a Cadillac of golf courses* and once we looked it over online, we couldn’t get it out of our heads.
*And we had been living in a world of Honda golf courses.
Playing the Mountain Club course required being a guest at the lodge, a ‘sacrifice’ we were willing to make.
Being the off season, we were upgraded to a Lord suite which made me giddy simply because I had never before stayed in a true ski lodge. The beauty of the wood accents every which way we turned had me ready to join their private residence club, or at the very least, pre-book our next visit.
Yup, the mountain is right outside our balcony
The lodge staff treated us with the best of care and made our morning transition from carrying luggage to carrying clubs a pleasant exchange.
With the mountains surrounding us as we played, it made deciding who held a more picturesque playing background, PEI or Stowe, a nearly impossible decision to make.
The course is certified as a Signature Sanctuary by Audubon International. The design and management of the course are based on an environmental and economic approach.
The breathtaking views of nature helped with the difficulty the course presented. Not only were there more hills, bunkers, and slopes than usual, but, thick, deep grasses, as well.
Yeah, he’s not finding his ball in there.
You’d think he was posing, but I just happened to get lucky with this shot.
We found several of these rock formations similar to the inukshuk we first learned of in Canada. Inukshuk is the singular of inuksuit, meaning “in the likeness of a human”. The monuments were used by the Inuit to communicate “someone was here” or “you are on the right path”.
It’s nice to know that someone has been where you currently are…
…it’s even better knowing you’re on the right path.
Stowe Mountain Club
7412 Mountain Road
Stowe, VT 05672
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