Designer: Devereux Emmet (1909, 9 holes), Devereux Emmet/Len Rayner (1919, 18 hole Redesign), Bob Cupp (1998, Renovation)
Location: Cooperstown, New York
History: Leatherstocking opened in 1909 with a 9-hole course designed by Devereux Emmet attached to the nearby Otesaga Hotel. In 1919, Emmet returned and converted the course into an 18-hole championship layout with the help of the course pro Len Rayner. Besides a minor renovation from Bob Cupp in the 1990s, today’s course is more or less as Emmet left it a century ago. Leatherstocking is still affiliated with The Otesaga and has won numerous awards:
- #175 Best Classic Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
- #87 Best Public Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
- #52 Best Course in New York – Golf Digest (2025)
- #34 Best Course in New York – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
- #2 Best Public Course in New York – Golfweek (2025)
Conditions: 9/10, Leatherstocking is in very strong condition with quick greens, thick rough, and firm, fast fairways.
Value: 6/10, While not cheap at around $150, Leatherstocking offers fair value as one of the best public courses in the region.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Green 72 6401 71.7 139
White 72 6040 70.1 137
Silver 72 5439 67.0 127
Red 72 5122 70.5 128
Hole Descriptions: There are many excellent public courses in the United States, but the majority of them are modern designs and few are located in the Northeast, where private golf reigns supreme. Leatherstocking is a rare classic layout open to the public and is one of the absolute best public courses in the region, only behind Taconic and Bethpage in my opinion. Built into the side of a hill along the banks of Otsego Lake, the course occupies a gorgeous setting with excellent land movement throughout. Emmet’s design features lots of quirk, with a particularly tricky and interesting set of greens, numerous blind shots, and deep and strategic bunkering. There’s no denying Cooperstown is a baseball town, but Leatherstocking is a worthy addition to any trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Leatherstocking is on the shorter side and begins with a gentle opener in the 340 yard par 4 1st. Playing straightaway, this hole features a generous fairway that plateaus and begins to dip downhill at about 250 yards. There are a few trees down either side and a right bunker at 245 yards, but this is a fairly simple teeshot. Like most of the course, this hole gets much more difficult as you near the green, which is elevated and slopes severely left-to-right with five deep, small bunkers surrounding it.
The 2nd is a much more challenging hole playing uphill at 392 yards. Trees line both sides of a severely left-to-right sloped fairway and I would imagine many golfers end up in the right rough. The fairway ends at around 290 yards and your approach plays uphill over a driveway towards another elevated green that slopes back-to-front with two tiers. Par is a great score here.
At 200 yards, the 3rd hole is the longest par 3 on the course and plays over level terrain to a large, back-to-front sloped green. You can’t quite see it on the teebox, but there are eight small bunkers and numerous mounds defending this green long and right.
The 513 yard 4th hole is Leatherstocking’s first par 5 and turns back the opposite direction. From the Green Tees, this teeshot plays somewhat blind over the driveway to a tight fairway lined by Lake St. down the right the entire way. There’s a hidden right crossbunker around 200 yards and a significant speed slot shortly after this. Longer hitters will likely have a chance to reach this green in two, but those laying up will have to contend with five bunkers scattered throughout the fairway in the lay-up zone. This green slopes right-to-left with a false front short and eight small, deep bunkers left.
Strangely, the 5th hole takes you back to the clubhouse and feels like it was maybe part of the closing hole on Emmet’s original 9-hole layout. This 396 yard par 4 is a dogleg left with an 150 yard carry over a creek to a fairway that turns left. The approach plays over barrier bunkers to a back-to-front sloped green open up front but lined by six bunkers left, long, and right.
You walk behind the 1st hole to reach the 362 yard par 4 6th, somewhat of an awkward dogleg right. This teeshot plays over a bunker to a fairway that bends to the right with trees and a creek down this side. The elevated putting surface is small and shaped somewhat like an upside-down bowl with slopes off its edges. Five bunkers surround it long, left, and right.
At 404 yards, the number 1 handicap 7th hole is the longest and toughest par 4 on the course. Running alongside and playing similarly to the 2nd, this beastly hole runs uphill the entire way and plays much longer. It begins with a brief forced carry over a water hazard to a left-to-right sloped, generous fairway. The driveway bisects the fairway at about 290 yards, and another slab of fairway follows on the other side. There’s a ridge in this fairway and a large crossbunker about 75 yards short of the green those laying up will need to wary of. This green sits at the top of the hill with a severe back-to-front tilt, false front, deep depression short right, and bunkers left and long.
The 8th hole is a 375 yard slight dogleg right par 4 featuring a wide and undulating tree-lined fairway. The most interesting aspect of this hole is its small, tricky green defended by five bunkers right and long.
I was a big fan of the course up to this point, but Leatherstocking takes it up a notch when you cross Lake St. and get to the 9th hole. This hole begins the stretch from 9-12 playing across the street on some truly wild topography. An 186 yard par 3, the 9th runs at least a club uphill to a green sitting on top of a pedestal. The putting surface slopes hard towards the front right with steep slopes and bunkers down the right.
The 10th hole continues up the side of the hill as one of the toughest par fours on the course at a long 384 yards. This is a really fascinating hole with numerous different teebox angles to a fairway that runs uphill and slopes hard left-to-right with the land. At about 285 yards, a crossbunker and hill of rough run through the fairway with additional fairway on the other side. This green is small and slopes severely left-to-right with bunkers surrounding it on all sides. Leatherstocking is technically a short course but its three longest par fours (2, 7, 10) play much longer uphill.
You climb a bit more uphill to access the 11th teebox, the highest point on the property. At 560 yards, this is the longest par 5 on the course but runs extremely downhill the entire way, making it play much shorter. This hole begins with somewhat of an awkward teeshot due to overhanging trees down the right. In addition to playing significantly downhill, the fairway also slopes severely right-to-left and the trees down the right force you into playing a cut to keep the ball in the fairway. Occasional trees line the left while dense forest runs down the right the entire way. Bunkers defend either side of the fairway near the lay-up zone but those who can carry the final bunker will likely trundle downhill near the green. This tricky putting surface is flatter than you’d expect and defended by five bunkers left and long.
The 12th is the final hole on this side of the road and continues downhill as an 137 yard dropshot par 3. This is a really beautiful one-shotter where distance control is vital with its shallow green defended by a moat of ten (!) bunkers. The putting surface itself slopes both front-to-back and right-to-left.
After crossing the road, you arrive at the 13th hole, the first of consecutive short par fours at 342 yards. With the Fenimore Art Museum at your back, this is an interesting hole playing straightaway over a plateau and crossbunker to a rather tight, tree-lined fairway. There’s a hidden right crossbunker around 250 yards and the fairway gets very narrow after this point. The defense of this hole is an exceedingly small, circular green that slopes front-to-back and is surrounded by chocolate drop mounds and bunkers.
At just 285 yards, the 14th runs parallel to the preceding hole and is a readily reachable straightaway par 4. Like the 13th, this hole is rather tight and forces golfers into a choice off the tee, with a right crossbunker around 180 yards and a very narrow fairway following this. This elevated green is open up front but also quite small, with bunkers left and long and an overall front-to-back slope.
The 15th is perhaps the easiest hole at Leatherstocking as a short 462 yard par 5. The fairway is quite generous here, but slopes hard right-to-left, leaving an awkward lie on your second shot. This second shot will also probably play blind over a plateau to a fairway that runs downhill on its second half. There are bunkers on either side about 40 yards short of the green, but otherwise this punchbowl green is open up front and very receptive to longer irons and woods.
The 16th is the final par 4 on the course at 366 yards and is another beautiful hole with views of downtown Cooperstown and Otsego Lake. From an elevated teebox, this hole plays downhill to an initially generous fairway that narrows quite a bit with a pond down the right and a pair of crossbunkers on the left around 245 yards. This hazard runs all the way to the green, which is overall pretty flat but lined by a bunker left and water right and short.
I’ve seen some hate online about the 17th hole but think its a fine par 3 at 182 yards. This is a difficult and intimidating one-shotter playing level over a water hazard the entire way to a narrow, back-to-front sloped green with bunkers left and long.
Leatherstocking’s closing hole is a memorable one as a sweeping, 515 yard dogleg left par 5. With its teebox floating out on Otsego Lake, this teeshot requires a significant forced carry over water to a fairway angled 90 degrees left. Somewhat of a Cape design, this hole gives the golfer numerous options off the tee, with a bail-out area right and big rewards for those who take aggressive lines over the water. Once safely on land, the fairway continues to work gently to the left around the Lake, culminating in a large, two-tier, back-to-front sloped green lined by water down the left and a bunker long. This is a unique and exciting hole that could yield anything from eagle to golfers running out of balls.
General Comments: Practice facilities weren’t much of a priority in 1919, and there’s no range at Leatherstocking as land is limited. Golfers can warm-up on a small short game area next to the 5th hole. Pace of play was excellent when I played and the majority of golfers opt to take a cart here, as it’s included and the hilly layout would be a very difficult walk.
Verdict: While Cooperstown is a primarily a baseball town, one of the best and most fun public courses in the region is located here in Leatherstocking. A classic Devereux Emmet design in a gorgeous lakeside setting, this quirky, old-school layout is well-worth a visit.
