The history of the acquisition of lands for state parks and properties is a varied one, across the Empire State. The first state park, Niagara Falls, was established in 1885. Many of us locals would love to have a scenic golf course located on Goat Island, with holes that ease their way next to Horseshoe, Niagara, and Bridal Veils Falls. We do understand, however, that the parkland is better suited to accessibility by and for all residents and visitors.

Work on state parks, especially the introduction of golf courses, ramped up in the 1930s, thanks to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress programs. The state continues to acquire lands today, to preserve open spaces and critical habitats. For the golfing faithful the 24 state-owned golf course properties offer affordable and accessible, municipal golf.

It’s easy to divide the 19 parks that host golf courses into regions, but it’s much more challenging to build a tour. Our first trip, in June of 2024, focused on a quadrilateral of courses in South-Central New York state. We ran into an immediate impediment when both Chenango Valley and Soaring Eagles reported tournaments on the critical Saturday morning of our trip. We flipped a coin, and the home course of former PGA Tour professionals Joey Sindelar and Mike Hulbert came up a winner. Soaring Eagles did not disappoint, but still, we were left wondering what might have been at Chenango Valley.

Fortunately for us, Ryan Molter at Chenango Valley was able to curate a few images for us and supply impactful information on the layout. It’s our pleasure to initiate the second installment of “Crossing to Bethpage” with a look at his home course.

Chenango Valley

Thanks to the diligence of Ryan Molter, we learned a lot about the history of this central New York state park course. Chenango Valley came into existence as a nine-hole course called Riverside. Designed by engineer James Evans and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, Riverside was expanded into 18 holes by regional architect Hal Purday. Purdy had worked for Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and his courses show off many of Trent Jones’ favorite architectural elements. For example, Jones was a fan of the double-dogleg, par-5 hole, and the 10th hole moves sharply right, then slightly left toward the end. Jones also loved monster par fives, and the seventh hole can stretch up to 570 yards. As if that weren’t enough, the fairway pinches between the adjacent Chenango River on the right, and a 200-yard-long pond on the left.

Chenango Valley is a traditional, parkland golf course. It tips out at 6,400 yards, with seven par-four holes measuring 370 yards or fewer. The golf course demands thoughtful preparation and execution, as bomb-and-gouge will not win the day in central New York. Better to be shorter and straighter than risk an approach shot blocked by the tall timber of the region. As Mr. Molter reveals, combine the low green fees with the high level of conditioning, and you have a true, hidden gem in New York state parks golf.

Soaring Eagles

Mike Hulbert and Joey Sindelar were the two top amateurs in New York State around 1975. Hulbert went off to Furman University in South Carolina, while Sindelar headed to The Ohio State University. Each would win multiple times on the PGA Tour, and each would point to the opportunities that Soaring Eagles gave them.

Soaring Eagles sits within the confines of Mark Twain State Park. The layout was traced by Pete Craig, a regional architect who found a home in upstate New York. Craig was given a massive amount of land on which to design a course, and he made the most of it. Soaring Eagles is a brawny, tumbly course that moves hither and yon, up and down, and over. There is marshland to the west and four of the course’s 18 holes dance along its edge.

To call out a small number of holes as memorable, would be an injustice to the totality of the layout. Soaring Eagles doesn’t feature a single, calendar golf hole. Its collection of golf holes adds up to a sum that is greater than the parts. It’s a course that changes day to day, that offers width to the wild, and challenge to the accurate. The putting surfaces are large and intriguing. It’s no wonder that Sindelar and Hulbert had a chance to become the golfers they did, playing their formative years over this tract of land.

Bonavista

Hardened but less-travelled golfers might be forgiven for underestimating a nine-hole layout. Some of the finest nines are nothing more. Such is the case with Bonavista. One could easily become a solid player at this bluff-top, nine-hole track that looks over Seneca Lake. Bonavista begins play with a downhill, dogleg left. A pond awaits to the left of the fairway, so don’t overcook your tee ball. The green’s raised sides funnel approach shots inward; if you miss outside of the ridges, your recovery should be daunting.

The second hole is the most memorable at Bonavista. It begins on high, and plays down for an eternity, with the lake in the distance. Oh, but for the removal of trees between the course and the water, and the view might be unparalleled. A seminal tree stands guard, center left in the fairway. It’s easy enough to punch under, but who wants a recovery when the par-five green is reachable in two? Number three plays over an abyss, with tree coverage pinching on both sides. The remaining holes at Bonavista are solid, if standard-issue. They move up and down with the slope, and feature greens that are protected by at least one sand bunker. Accuracy is required to have a putt at birdie, as the putting surfaces are smallish in nature.

Bonavista is a wonderful place to spend a late afternoon, with the sun setting to the west. With many wineries and breweries in the vicinity, and Watkins Glen at the bottom of the lake, the apres-golf options are endless.

Indian Hills

Indian Hills lies adjacent to I-99, the interstate that cuts south from Corning, NY, toward Williamsport, PA. The road’s construction cut away a portion of the original course layout, then the state took over Indian Hills and leased it to a management team. No state park surrounds Indian Hills, as is often the case with other NYSP courses. When acquired, the land to the north featured a par-three course. That layout has been taken out of service and currently features a practice ground for golfers.

Indian Hills is home to some of the more unique holes that you’ll play this, or any, summer. It begins with a series of fairly straight, treelined holes, then moves westward, toward the interstate. That’s where the fun begins. On the front, there’s a par five that compels you to face your longest night’s terrors: water, tree-enclosed green, out of bounds. On the inward half, the par-five 12th and par-four 13th defy both logic and imagination. On the former, you tee off through a hallway of arbor, where only a left-to-right shot will live to see another day. Your next play … well, you don’t really know. A flag appears beyond an impenetrable wall of timber, but there’s no way … oh, yup, that’s yours. Members simply punch approach shots between the trunks. Hit and hope, as they say. There is a fairway that goes way right, then back again, but no one goes there anymore.

On the later, the fairway moves 90 degrees to the starboard side, through a narrow tree chute, away from a flag that looks, for all logic, like the putting surface you desire. It actually belongs to the short 14th. If first-timers are fortunate, someone in the group follows the fairway mowing lines and cries, “That’s our green, way over there to the right.” Unlike the previous hole, no trees block your approach. After surviving (and finding) the tee ball (and the putting surface) the hole plays out in benign fashion.

With three chapters remaining in our story of New York State Parks golf courses, the image begins to take form. The state park system is a varied collection, offering diverse options to the residents of the Empire State.

RELATED: Crossing to Bethpage Part One: Green Laks, Beaver Island, James Baird, the Bethpage Five