The hardest golf courses in Albany, New York
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Albany, New York, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 9 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Saratoga Springs, Voorheesville, Altamont, Troy and Mechanicville.
Shaker Ridge Country Club
Albany, NY, USASlope rating 137, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,837 yds
PrivateJim Thomson
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.2Facilities
- Fast greens
- Driving range
- Restaurant
Championship
Saratoga Spa State Park Golf Club
Saratoga Springs, NY, USASlope rating 134, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,145 yds
PublicWilliam F. Mitchell
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Extremely well maintained, and not your run of the mill muni. Lots of challenging holes, used most of the clubs in my bag
Written by
@tagliatelletodd
- Must play
- Hidden gem
- Walkable
Colonie Country Club
Voorheesville, NY, USASlope rating 133, 74.1 course rating, Professional tees, 6,847 yds
PrivateGeoffrey Cornish
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
The Country Club of Troy
Troy, NY, USASlope rating 133, 72.5 course rating, Black tees, 6,663 yds
PrivateWalter Travis
- 1.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Orchard Creek Golf Club
Altamont, NY, USASlope rating 131, 72.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,623 yds
PublicPaul Cowley
- 4.5Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 5.0Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Must play
- Putting area
- Restaurant
Capital Hills at Albany
Albany, NY, USA
Slope rating 128, 70.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,332 yds
Albany Country Club
Voorheesville, NY, USA
Slope rating 125, 72.4 course rating, Blue tees, 6,771 yds
Fairways of Halfmoon
Mechanicville, NY, USA
Slope rating 124, 70.4 course rating, Blue tees, 6,237 yds
Saratoga Lake Golf Club
Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
Slope rating 121, 71.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,284 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Albany, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Shaker Ridge Country Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Albany, New York at Slope 137 (74.0 course rating · Black tees · 6,837 yds). 9 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Albany, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Albany, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:26 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
