The Saratoga National Story

The Capital Region boasts several private country clubs: courses designed by world-renowned golf architects, magnificent clubhouses, superb food, impeccable service and first-class amenities. Now, Saratoga National brings all these elements to the general public at "your country club for a day."

The club is the dream of Tom Newkirk and Bob Howard, both successful Capital Region businessmen, and former members of a prestigious Capital Region club.

Newkirk and Howard met in the early 1970s when they were members of the Albany Country Club. They kicked around the idea of starting their own club for several years, partly because they didn't like all the restrictions that many private clubs have, such as initiation fees, dues, assessments, play restrictions, limits on guests, and so on. They wanted a club where they could play anytime they wanted. They had the resources to make it happen, and after 20 years of thinking and planning, it did.

The long search for the perfect location ended in 1994 when they were able to buy a 472-acre former horse farm at a foreclosure sale. The land borders Lake Lonely, with the property line running through the lake. In fact, 70 acres of the property are under water, and one-third of the property is wetlands, beautifully preserved and adding natural beauty to the course.

World-renowned architect Roger Rulewich, who worked for over 34 years with Robert Trent Jones, was hired to design the course, and construction began in June 1999. The contractor was the Delaney Construction, working with The Golf Group, Rulewich's firm. Joe Lucas, the Course Superintendent was also actively involved in the design process.

The course has 24 wooden bridges, 50 bunkers, blue limestone retaining walls to shore up the land around the ponds, and a continuous cart path that allows for play even after a heavy rain. There are five sets of tees ranging in length from 5000 yards to over 7200 yards. There are large rolling greens, fairways with the same bentgrass as the tees, and whit silica sand that was trucked in from West Virginia.

Saratoga National's golf carts have the GPS system that allows golfers find the distance to the pin, view terrain features, locate the cart in front of them, keep score, order food and communicate in case of an emergency. The GPS system allows management to reach people if needed, keep track of pace of play and see who is slow. The target time for a round of golf is 4 - 4 1/2 hours depending on the conditions of the day. If you choose, you may request uniformed caddies.

Construction of the 35,000 square foot Victorian style clubhouse began in March 2000 and opened in June 2001, coinciding with the opening of the course. The designer of the clubhouse was Chris Consultants of Dallas, Texas and the contractor was the Pike Company of Albany and Rochester. The building is two and half stories high, and the main foyer has a 34-foot vaulted ceiling. The outside is surrounded with Mahogany and stone decks with a cobblestone patio and gardens. There are also two fire pits, fountains, a negative edge water feature and a great view overlooking Owl Pond. Off the foyer is Prime at Saratoga National, a classic French four-star restaurant, which has won several awards over the years. In addition, there are two private dining rooms, wood-paneled locker rooms, a first-class pro-shop and all the other niceties one could wish for.

The overall goals of the owners is to provide the golfer with a world-class experience by providing a well-designed course with excellent playing conditions and amenities that are second-to-none. And above all, the owners want you to "Have Fun" - as you will be reminded by the many Have Fun signs lining the driveway to the clubhouse.

Some dreams really do come true.