Golf Course Review-Mountain View Country Club

Country Club Road, Greensboro, VT
802-533-7477

The Mountain View Country Club is well off the beaten path. It is located in the idyllic town of Greensboro, a village situated on the banks of pretty, little Caspian Lake., Greensboro has been a popular retreat for more than a hundred years. Beautiful in a quaint and understated way, it attracts a well-heeled crowd of out-of-staters. The part-time residents are drawn to this antique, resort hamlet to find haven from the hustle of the world, and that's exactly what they find. Greensboro is not a town that one accidentally stumbles upon. It is well removed from any large town or major highway.

The Mountain View Country Club dates back to the late 1800s. Golf was first played in 1898 on a cow-pasture course laid out by club members. The trees have grown larger and the forests have tightened up the fairways, but little else has changed. Only minor rerouting has occurred. Though little actual evidence exists today, the cows remained active on the course until well into the 1960s. The cows are gone, but the relaxed and endearing ambience remains. This is a delightfully old-fashioned venue that specializes in archaic golf.

Mountain View is a full-length nine-holer that checks in at close to 3,000 yards for overall length from the blue tees. Given that a number of holes require uphill approach shots, that�s ample enough yardage for the majority of players. Nonetheless, with a slope of 110 to 115 depending upon tee choice, Mountain View is not a very difficult course. Those low ratings can be deceptive, however. Players who have trouble with sidehill and uneven lies may be in for a very tough time of it. This old-fashioned course is carpeted by an endless procession of small mounds. These moguls give most fairways a texture similar to that found on a chopped-up, intermediate ski trail at the end of a busy Saturday at Stowe or Sugarbush. It is possible to play a loop at Mountain View that provides not one single, flat fairway lie.

The choppy, bumpy terrain at Mountain View produces some very interesting play, and some visually appealing holes. Visitors should be forewarned, however. Some players will find this uneven terrain challenging; others may just fine it annoying. As one of our people said, �They call them fairways for a reason; they are supposed to be the fair path to the green. These should called bumpways.� He has a point. Most of Mountain View�s moguls are just little, nuisance bumps that really have no business being in prime landing zones. At Mountain View, it matters little where a tee shot is aimed; it�s just a crapshoot as what tee shots receive a good lie and what tee shot does not. It would be nice if a well-placed tee shot were rewarded by a premium lie.

Better players who can handle the ball above or below their feet will find Mountain View to be a simple course that can yield some very low scores. Most fairways are straight lanes through to the green; landing zones are wide; rough is kept low and hazards are all but non-existent. Long irons and fairway woods will be required on only two holes for better players, and one of those holes is a par-5 that offers very easy birdie opportunities. Slicers and hookers will find themselves searching for lost balls between the numerous trees, but accurate players will get around this track with little or no trouble.

One of the other primary reasons that Mountain View can yield some low scores is the complete absence of sand traps. This course was a cow pasture for the first sixty years of its life and sand traps were deemed to be impractical given the nature of cattle. The greens were fenced off to keep bovine influences away from the smooth putting surfaces. Better players may wish that the early club members had extended their counter-corrals to include a few traps. The fences have been gone for forty years and most of the Mountain View greens are now left completely unprotected � not from cows, but from approach shots. One green, Number 5, has a pond in front, but the space between the green and the water is so wide that only beginners and hackers are truly threatened by its presence.

All of Mountain View s greens are relatively flat, but some are elevated and crowned. Most are canted forward. With greenside traps protecting approaches, the placement of approach shots might be tricky, but at Mountain View, the fronts of almost all of the greens are open, easy targets. This allows for many simple, uphill putts and chips on greens maintained at slow to moderate speeds. Low-ball hitters and bump and run players will find the undulating, green-front terrain tricky, but accurate target golfers should generate some pretty low scores.

The strongest feature of Mountain View is its scenery. From the clubhouse, this appears to be a pleasingly attractive venue situated on a nice piece of hilltop land. The first-time visitor does not know what awaits him. Several of these holes provide some of the loveliest golf views in Northern Vermont. The first surprise comes when the visitor reaches the tee for Number 3. A vast panorama spreads out before him, a panoramic expanse that is not done justice by a camera. It is so pleasant that it becomes a distraction when gauging how to club for the precipitous downhill plunge to the par-3 green below him. From the back tees, only the tip of the flag may be seen

This is a lovely, little golf course that pleases the eye in all directions. However, nowhere does the eye become happier than at green Number 8. After playing to the green on this uphill hole, the player turns around and whammy there s the lake spread out below him. It s a beautiful surprise. After that, hole Number 9 plays downhill to an inviting green that sits all warm and cozy in front of the picturesque, little clubhouse. It all puts the player in such a good mood that he wants to sign up immediately for another round no matter how high his score might have been on the first nine.

Conditions at Mountain View are far from fancy, but they are decidedly nice. This is a well-kept golf course. The fairways are well grassed and the tees are reasonably level and plush. This club has a reputation for keeping their greens reasonably plush, but Mountain View experienced a good deal of winter damage to its greens in 2003 � snow mold mostly. It will be mid-summer before the greens recover from their cold weather traumas. There are also a few poor drainage areas that can make play sloppy, but that should be a problem only in very wet conditions.

Mountain View will probably stay essentially unchanged for another one hundred years - Greensboro is just that kind of resort. Its visitors want an anachronistic retreat that speaks loudly of times gone by. It is doubtful that many members at this club will ever vote to update this venue, and that is probably as it should be. Mountain View is not a great golf course, but it is most definitely a great golfing experience. This is a course that can be played and enjoyed many times over. Golf purists may have problems with some of the unsophisticated design characteristics, but golf enthusiasts will love its quirky qualities and enchanting beauty. When things get too crowded at Stowe and St. Johnsbury any golfer would be well advised to hop in his car and take a drive over to Greensboro. Mountain View is a delightful place to play.

The Mountain View Country Club is located two miles south of the Greensboro village center. It is semi-private club that allows outside play only on weekday afternoons during the summer months. Rates are moderately high for a nine-hole course. It is also important to note that this is a Walking Only Course. The use of motorized carts is permitted for the physically impaired only. Though Mountain View is far from flat, it is not an overly demanding course to walk. Lazy golfers will want to play elsewhere, however.

Groups that feature mixed marriages golfers and tennis players will like Mountain View. There are seven clay courts next to the clubhouse.