Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY is located between Syracuse and Albany and easily accessible from the New York State Thruway (Exit 33). Located about ½ hour from the Syracuse airport and an hour and 15 minutes from the Albany airport, lies three championship golf courses, a player-friendly recreational golf course, a nine-hole par 3 course, golf dome and superstore, as well as the Casino with all of its lodging and restaurant options.
From the Turning Stone website: “The longest of the Turning Stone Resort’s three championship courses, at 7,315 yards, this Tom Fazio design was home to the Turning Stone Resort Championship from 2007 – 2010. In 2006 it was the site of both the PGA Professional National Championship and the BC Open."
While not located immediately at the Casino, Atunyote Golf Club is only 4.5 miles down the road, yet back off the main road (if you can call it that) with no flair or even a sign. You make that turn down the long driveway though, and this is the first thing you see:
Once stopped at the gate, you press a button to call the Pro Shop, and an attendant opens the gate remotely from there. Very fancy.
The clubhouse itself is a bit underwhelming from the outside, but once inside, everything changes. From the Dustin Johnson trophy (his first PGA Tour Victory), to the “Players Lounge” with its fireplace and leather chairs, to the bar & dining area which spills out onto the balcony overlooking the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] green, the place is just gorgeous.
I have separate photos of the clubhouse, but I believe this is the most accurate representation of it from the approach on the 18th:
Practice Area:
The first thing I did upon arriving, was eat (more on that later). The second thing I did, was head over to the practice area. I was shocked at the mere size of the range, putting and chipping areas. The all grass driving range was in phenomenal shape, as if nobody had ever ventured to hit a shot over there. Sure enough, there was nobody out there…
There were five different color flags to shoot at ranging from 85 to 183 yards. Now that does not sound like a full size range, but as you can tell from the picture above, there is room beyond the last flag, as well as another 100 yards or so that the range boxes could be moved back.
There were two putting greens at Atunyote: one each in the practice area and near the clubhouse adjacent to the first tee. The putting green in the practice area was enormous. Shaped like a big kidney bean, there had to have been ten different holes to putt to—with a shelf in the middle of the green. A lot of two-way benders and both up and downhill putts could be practiced. Again, not a sole around. The putting green adjacent to the clubhouse was smaller, albeit a good size with multiple holes to putt to. I did not stroke any putts in the practice area, but I did roll a few on the clubhouse green, and I found the speed on that green to be identical to what I saw on the golf course.
One of my favorite things about Atunyote was the chipping greens. That’s right, greens. Two of them to be exact, each with two holes to shoot at and bunkers adjacent to them. The condition of the range, putting greens, and chipping greens were all immaculate.
Grade: A+
Course Conditions:
In a word, incredible. The tee boxes were all square and relatively flat. The fairways were all perfectly manicured, as well as the rough. You would be hard pressed to find grass out of place on this course. The sand traps were all raked, and I found the sand to be in very nice condition. The bunkers were consistent one hole to the next with the soft granular sand on top, with a firm packed layer an inch or two down. I found the bunkers very easy to play out of. The greens were definitely slower to me than the other Turning Stone course I had played earlier in the day, but not grotesquely slow either. I found them to be fairly consistent from hole to hole and the majority of them had quite a bit of break and slope.
The approach into the 14th shows one of the few waterfalls on the course:
Grade: A+
Layout:
With five sets of tee boxes, Atunyote offers options for golfers of all skill levels:
Black: 75.8/143 playing at 7,315 yards
Blue: 74.4/140 playing at 6,998 yards
White: 71.7/134 playing at 6,561 yards
Gold: 69.5/127 (men) - 75.5/135 (ladies) playing at 6,069 and
Red: 69.8/120 playing at 5,120 yards
While the other Turning Stone courses utilize fescue in their course design and layout, Atunyote does not. Turning Stone refers to Atunyote as a “park like setting” which is a perfect description of how it is laid out. While the rough isn’t as penal as the other Turning Stone courses, strategically places bunkers, creeks, and lakes all present a similar challenge.
Probably my favorite tee box of the afternoon, the par 5 12th:
Grade: A+
Pace of play:
Turning Stone’s official website indicates “our pace of play goal is 4 hours 45 minutes for 18 holes.” Playing in the first group of our outing, as a threesome, we finished in just over 4 hours. The most challenging part of this course is its length, not its fescue, so spending time looking for sprayed tee shots is not an issue. Regardless there were Marshalls present on the course to keep everyone moving.
Grade: A+
Price:
Atunyote is expensive. No two ways about it. Resort guests will pay $200 and public guests will play $225; however, if you play one of Turning Stone’s other courses first (Shenendoah or Kaluhyat), you can play Atunyote at the “replay rate” of $100.
Grade: If paying full rate? B…but if going out on the replay rate? A+
Amenities:
Locker rooms were available in the clubhouse and clean. There were two beverage carts on the course, one on each 9 hole side. On the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] tee box, there was a wooden box, and located inside were locally grown NY apples on ice. I’m not sure if I was just hungry or what, but they were delicious. There were two bathroom stations on the course, located at cart path intersections between holes (one on each 9 hole side). The carts had coolers in them with a free bottled water (Fiji) for each player, but just like the other Turning Stone courses, no GPS. I just think they are missing the boat there on that one.
The restaurant/grill in clubhouse is fantastic. We had played 18 in the morning at Kaluhyat, and now Atunyote was to be our second “replay” 18 holes; and due to the time constraints that we expected between rounds, we planned to eat at Atunyote all along. The entire group (20 guys) was able to sit on the patio of the clubhouse overlooking the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] hole. The menu was limited, but included burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches of all kinds and other finger foods. Prices were very reasonable ($9 for a burger, $4 for beer). I went with some mushroom swiss burger with garlic aioli and fries--highly recommended.
Grade: A-
Overall:
One of the nicest courses condition-wise that I have ever played. I would go as far as saying second only to that course I played in California in December. The staff was very friendly and helpful and very much went out of their way to make sure we were happy and taken care of. It’s apparent from the moment you pull into the bag drop, that customer service is their number one priority. Atunyote easily ranks up there with my favorite courses and I can’t wait to play it again.
Grade: A+
I have plans of adding a separate thread with additional pictures of all of the Turning Stone Courses; and when I do, I will link it here.
Edit: and here it is: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...urning-Stone-Resort-Casino-the-Picture-Thread
From the Turning Stone website: “The longest of the Turning Stone Resort’s three championship courses, at 7,315 yards, this Tom Fazio design was home to the Turning Stone Resort Championship from 2007 – 2010. In 2006 it was the site of both the PGA Professional National Championship and the BC Open."
While not located immediately at the Casino, Atunyote Golf Club is only 4.5 miles down the road, yet back off the main road (if you can call it that) with no flair or even a sign. You make that turn down the long driveway though, and this is the first thing you see:
Once stopped at the gate, you press a button to call the Pro Shop, and an attendant opens the gate remotely from there. Very fancy.
The clubhouse itself is a bit underwhelming from the outside, but once inside, everything changes. From the Dustin Johnson trophy (his first PGA Tour Victory), to the “Players Lounge” with its fireplace and leather chairs, to the bar & dining area which spills out onto the balcony overlooking the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] green, the place is just gorgeous.
I have separate photos of the clubhouse, but I believe this is the most accurate representation of it from the approach on the 18th:
Practice Area:
The first thing I did upon arriving, was eat (more on that later). The second thing I did, was head over to the practice area. I was shocked at the mere size of the range, putting and chipping areas. The all grass driving range was in phenomenal shape, as if nobody had ever ventured to hit a shot over there. Sure enough, there was nobody out there…
There were five different color flags to shoot at ranging from 85 to 183 yards. Now that does not sound like a full size range, but as you can tell from the picture above, there is room beyond the last flag, as well as another 100 yards or so that the range boxes could be moved back.
There were two putting greens at Atunyote: one each in the practice area and near the clubhouse adjacent to the first tee. The putting green in the practice area was enormous. Shaped like a big kidney bean, there had to have been ten different holes to putt to—with a shelf in the middle of the green. A lot of two-way benders and both up and downhill putts could be practiced. Again, not a sole around. The putting green adjacent to the clubhouse was smaller, albeit a good size with multiple holes to putt to. I did not stroke any putts in the practice area, but I did roll a few on the clubhouse green, and I found the speed on that green to be identical to what I saw on the golf course.
One of my favorite things about Atunyote was the chipping greens. That’s right, greens. Two of them to be exact, each with two holes to shoot at and bunkers adjacent to them. The condition of the range, putting greens, and chipping greens were all immaculate.
Grade: A+
Course Conditions:
In a word, incredible. The tee boxes were all square and relatively flat. The fairways were all perfectly manicured, as well as the rough. You would be hard pressed to find grass out of place on this course. The sand traps were all raked, and I found the sand to be in very nice condition. The bunkers were consistent one hole to the next with the soft granular sand on top, with a firm packed layer an inch or two down. I found the bunkers very easy to play out of. The greens were definitely slower to me than the other Turning Stone course I had played earlier in the day, but not grotesquely slow either. I found them to be fairly consistent from hole to hole and the majority of them had quite a bit of break and slope.
The approach into the 14th shows one of the few waterfalls on the course:
Grade: A+
Layout:
With five sets of tee boxes, Atunyote offers options for golfers of all skill levels:
Black: 75.8/143 playing at 7,315 yards
Blue: 74.4/140 playing at 6,998 yards
White: 71.7/134 playing at 6,561 yards
Gold: 69.5/127 (men) - 75.5/135 (ladies) playing at 6,069 and
Red: 69.8/120 playing at 5,120 yards
While the other Turning Stone courses utilize fescue in their course design and layout, Atunyote does not. Turning Stone refers to Atunyote as a “park like setting” which is a perfect description of how it is laid out. While the rough isn’t as penal as the other Turning Stone courses, strategically places bunkers, creeks, and lakes all present a similar challenge.
Probably my favorite tee box of the afternoon, the par 5 12th:
Grade: A+
Pace of play:
Turning Stone’s official website indicates “our pace of play goal is 4 hours 45 minutes for 18 holes.” Playing in the first group of our outing, as a threesome, we finished in just over 4 hours. The most challenging part of this course is its length, not its fescue, so spending time looking for sprayed tee shots is not an issue. Regardless there were Marshalls present on the course to keep everyone moving.
Grade: A+
Price:
Atunyote is expensive. No two ways about it. Resort guests will pay $200 and public guests will play $225; however, if you play one of Turning Stone’s other courses first (Shenendoah or Kaluhyat), you can play Atunyote at the “replay rate” of $100.
Grade: If paying full rate? B…but if going out on the replay rate? A+
Amenities:
Locker rooms were available in the clubhouse and clean. There were two beverage carts on the course, one on each 9 hole side. On the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] tee box, there was a wooden box, and located inside were locally grown NY apples on ice. I’m not sure if I was just hungry or what, but they were delicious. There were two bathroom stations on the course, located at cart path intersections between holes (one on each 9 hole side). The carts had coolers in them with a free bottled water (Fiji) for each player, but just like the other Turning Stone courses, no GPS. I just think they are missing the boat there on that one.
The restaurant/grill in clubhouse is fantastic. We had played 18 in the morning at Kaluhyat, and now Atunyote was to be our second “replay” 18 holes; and due to the time constraints that we expected between rounds, we planned to eat at Atunyote all along. The entire group (20 guys) was able to sit on the patio of the clubhouse overlooking the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] hole. The menu was limited, but included burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches of all kinds and other finger foods. Prices were very reasonable ($9 for a burger, $4 for beer). I went with some mushroom swiss burger with garlic aioli and fries--highly recommended.
Grade: A-
Overall:
One of the nicest courses condition-wise that I have ever played. I would go as far as saying second only to that course I played in California in December. The staff was very friendly and helpful and very much went out of their way to make sure we were happy and taken care of. It’s apparent from the moment you pull into the bag drop, that customer service is their number one priority. Atunyote easily ranks up there with my favorite courses and I can’t wait to play it again.
Grade: A+
I have plans of adding a separate thread with additional pictures of all of the Turning Stone Courses; and when I do, I will link it here.
Edit: and here it is: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...urning-Stone-Resort-Casino-the-Picture-Thread
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