– by Edward W. Brown

I love to play golf, and have been playing since 1973.  I am not an expert, but just your everyday average golfer.  I play to challenge myself, the exercise, being with friends and enjoying the great outdoors.  Playing a round of golf is much like taking a hike along the Mohawk Towpath Byway. If you hit your ball into the woods you have to go searching for it and sometimes blaze your own trail, unlike the well blazed Byway.  On some courses if you hit the ball the wrong way you may have to hike up or down a hill to retrieve or hit it out without penalty.

Other things I notice when I am playing is the beauty of our surroundings, the trees, plants, flowers, water hazards, sand traps, streams and brooks.  These are the same things you can find when you stop along the Mohawk Towpath Byway and explore.

The golf courses that come to mind in our area are rich with these natural features.  Mohawk River Country Club is somewhat flat, challenging and has elegant dining.  The Edison Club is a private club, but I have played there as a guest.  The course is challenging, has many of the hiking attributes, and has fine dining.  Schenectady Municipal is also a challenging course, open to the public and also has some history in it’s background.  It’s a short drive from the Byway.  Stadium Golf Club is a family owned operation a short drive from the western end of the Byway.  It’s challenging and plenty of that nature feeling and also offers some history for our area.

Get out and go hiking, play a round of golf, or do both, but enjoy the beauty of both on the Mohawk Towpath Byway.

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Ed Brown lives in the corridor, enjoys our resources, and volunteers his many talents to the Byway.