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KIAMESHA LAKE, N.Y. - Nobody puts Baby-Fade in a corner.
The Catskills, the scenic, once-proud but long-declining region made successful by generations of vacationing New Yorkers and made culturally iconic by the movie Dirty Dancing, just might be on the verge of a comeback, at least where golfers are concerned.
In late June, the Mid-Hudson News reported that a tract of 1,100 acres that included the entire property of the former Grossinger's Resort - on which Dirty Dancing's fictional "Kellerman's Mountain Resort" was based - has been purchased by a South Florida developer with deep pockets and several golf courses in his portfolio.
Ari Pearl, whose PPG Development group has been involved in the high-end Shell Bay and Dutchman's Pipe courses in Florida and is also preparing to remake Emerald Hills outside of Fort Lauderdale, purchased the 600-acre Grossinger's site and 500 neighboring acres for a reported $14.75 million. Pearl intends to bring about "a thoughtful revival that celebrates its legacy while introducing a new era for the Hudson Valley," per the article.
Golfers enjoyed Grossinger's' 27 holes of golf - a mix of holes designed by A.W. Tillinghast and Joe Finger in two different eras - for decades before the resort closed in 1986 and the course, known as "Big G" in its later years, was shuttered in 2018.
In the middle 20th century, the Catskills' clutch of kitschy but beloved resorts drew holidaymakers north from the five boroughs to get together around lakes, pools, bars and golf courses. Places like Kutsher's, Nevele Grand, Villa Roma, Hudson Valley Resort, Grossinger's and The Concord formed a murderer's row of sunny, scenic getaway spots with vast lists of activities for all ages. Big music and comedy acts would make the rounds throughout this region, nicknamed the Borscht Belt because of the high percentage of Jews who would visit every summer, since they were seldom welcome in other vacation destinations until later in the 20th century. Once the restrictive social conditions that caused the Catskills resorts to flourish ebbed, their clienteles dispersed to other established resort areas. The Borscht Belt's fortunes dried up.
Now, many of the Catskills hotels and resorts are either crumbling ruins or shells of what they once were. Kutsher's is gone, Hudson Valley and Nevele have been rebranded and continue to operate without golf courses. Villa Roma has endured, albeit with mixed reviews, while courses like Lochmor and Tarry Brae attract a local clientele. The nine-hole Sullivan County Country Club and Inness courses point towards progress, albeit at a much more modest scale than the Borscht Belt behemoths.
What hasn't changed in the Catskills, though, is the area's inherent virtues as a summer hangout. Mild weather and a sense of seclusion always attract outdoorspeople. The reasonable cost of the land in the PPG/Grossinger's purchase suggests some opportunity for those with a strong vision.
The Monster Golf Club and Resorts World Catskills kick off a new Catskills era for golfers
While golfers wait to see what happens at Grossinger's, one other area resort's second chapter is already well underway. Opened in 2018, Resorts World Catskills sits on the property of the former Concord Resort Hotel, which sprang up as a rival to Grossinger's and built two golf courses of its own in the 1960s. Of the pair, The Monster was the draw, known for many years as one of the hardest and longest tests in America, measuring a fearsome 7,650 yards from its opening. It outlasted the Concord resort but eventually closed in 2010.
The rise of Resorts World Catskills, as well as the neighboring Kartrite Resort - with an indoor waterpark and go-kart facilities - enabled The Monster to take a new form for the 21st century. Laid out by Rees Jones and associate Bryce Swanson and opened in 2023, the new Monster is an impressive effort that uses land that belonged to both of the Concord's former golf courses. The opening par 4, a long and scenic uphill dogleg-left, serves as a perfect introduction: this is still a course where solid shots will be necessary. The front nine wanders some hilly territory, highlighted by the long par-3 4th, which drops some 60 feet from the tee down to the green. The graceful par-4 7th sits beautifully between woods, pond and meadow.
The back nine at The Monster is flatter, using more of the tract of its namesake course. Here, Jones and Swanson uncorked a cracking set of holes along Kiamesha Creek. The long par-5 12th tacks to the right the whole way, with a centerline fairway bunker whose right-side fairway can make the hole play shorter. The short 13th is a superb wood-and-wedge par 4 where a tiny finger of the water intrudes on the tee shot. The water doesn't come into play on the following hole, a picturesque par 3, so much as it sets a nice scene.
Managed by Troon Golf, the Monster is an upscale golf experience along similar lines to other casino courses. At 7,300 yards from the tips, it is less monstrous than it used to be; golfers who play the correct tees will have a good time. Tee times are spaced 15 minutes apart to give groups a sense of seclusion on an already appealing property. House-made lemonade with different flavored syrups (I recommend the lavender flavor) made for a refreshing treat at the turn. The fairway grow-in has been slowed slightly in places by some challenging spring weather the last two years, but the greens were nearly perfect, albeit recovering from aerification, when I played the course in June. Peak green fees sit north of $200.
The Resorts World Catskills casino hotel property itself is bright, clean and cheerful, with the typical variety of slots, table games and a modest poker room. The highlight restaurant is Cellaio, an Italian steakhouse by celebrity chef Scott Conant. The 18-story hotel tower's higher floors afford lovely views of the Catskills landscape, welcoming visitors to a new era for the region.
