Turning Stone - Atunyote and Kaluhyat

luxman · July 25, 2011

I was very surprised to see so little talk about the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY courses. After staying and playing there, I am even more surprised. Turning Stone is, without question, a must if you live within 4 to 6 hours and can either be a destination for a guy's trip (3 golf courses, a casino and casual dining) or a romantic getaway (3 golf courses, spa for the wife, shows and a 4 diamonds restaurant).

First the accommodations. You have your choice of the Towers, which is connected to the casino and all of the restaurants except for one or the Lodge, which is within walking distance of the Kaluhyat and Shenandoah courses (the Atunyote is 15 minutes away). If you are on a guy's trip, then the Towers is your best bet. If it's a romantic getaway, then the Lodge is perfect. I stayed in the Lodge, which are all suites and the accomdations were very nice. My wife spent from 9-5 in the spa and said she enjoyed every minute of it.

There are plenty of dining options. At the casino there is a Brazilian steakhouse (which was very good), a traditional steakhouse, an Italian restaurant along with a food court. I ate at the Brazilian steakhouse and it was very good. At the Lodge, there is a 4 diamonds restaurant called Wildflowers that is nothing short of amazing. If you go, request Jason to be your server. You won't be disappointed.

All of this would be irrelevant if the golf isn't good, but I am happy to report that the golf more than exceeded my expectations. I played the Atunyote in the morning and the Kaluhyat in the afternoon.

The Atunyote is the most expensive course at Turning Stone ($200 if a guest) and is a great layout in pristine condition. You won't have to worry about it being crowded, as it only gets 25-40 rounds per day. The clubhouse is spectacular and the proshop is well stocked. The Antuyote isn't gimmicky at all. The course is right out in front of you. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single blind shot or over the top green. Just a really solid layout from the 1st hole to the last. I will post pictures to my Webshots page later this week.

The Kaluhyat is also a very good golf course, but completely different than the Atunyote. Most of the tee shots are forced carries and there are a number of holes with significant elevation drops. There are also a number of blind tee or approach shots as well. Unfortunatley my camera ran out of batteries right after my first round so I don't have any pictures of the Kaluhyat, which is a shame because, from a photography standpoint, it's more picturesque. I imagine that when the leaves are changing colors that this course would be spectacular from that standpoint.

Personally I liked at Atunyote much more. After a while, the forced carries gets a little old, but the Kaluhyat is certainly a very playable and good track. I did not play the Shenandoah, but I heard good things about it.

I would absolutely go back to Turning Stone and would recommend it to anyone looking for a weekend getaway.

sheppy335 · September 8, 2011

I have been looking into Turning Stone also for a guys trip in the spring. Looking for a 3 day trip with 36 a day for 2 days and 18 on Sunday before leaving. What is intriguing me is the multiple things to do, Casino and golf. This hits all the things my group would love to do. Do they have a nice driving range? Is it open late?
I like that is not far and also is super nice place to go. I am also looking to see if there are things for my wife to do and even if kids have things to do.

luxman · September 8, 2011

[quote name='sheppy335' timestamp='1315497127' post='3550976']
I have been looking into Turning Stone also for a guys trip in the spring. Looking for a 3 day trip with 36 a day for 2 days and 18 on Sunday before leaving. What is intriguing me is the multiple things to do, Casino and golf. This hits all the things my group would love to do. Do they have a nice driving range? Is it open late?
I like that is not far and also is super nice place to go. I am also looking to see if there are things for my wife to do and even if kids have things to do.
[/quote]

What's your definition of "not far"? From Pittsburgh you are looking at a 7 hour drive. Being that you are in Pittsburgh, have you looked into Nemacolin, Bedford Springs or even Hershey? Other options for you that are closer would be the Greenbrier or Homestead.

But, back to Turning Stone, the driving range at the Antunyote is very nice as is their short game area. The range for the Kaluhyat and Shenandoah is not as nice, but is certainly fine. There's no question that they put a lot more money into the Antunyote course than the other two.

If your wife likes to go to the spa then she will have something to do. Aside from hanging out at the pool, I don't think there is anything there for kids.

Sorry I haven't put up pictures, I've been really busy at work. I'll try to get them up in the next week or so.

misterlau · September 9, 2011

i've been trying to find time for the [url="http://turningstone.com/promotions/index.php?sectpreview=golf"]Unlimited golf package[/url] for awhile.

luxman · September 9, 2011

[quote name='misterlau' timestamp='1315570384' post='3552706']
i've been trying to find time for the [url="http://turningstone.com/promotions/index.php?sectpreview=golf"]Unlimited golf package[/url] for awhile.
[/quote]

IMO you definitely want to stay at the Lodge.

broth518 · September 9, 2011

I have been going there for almost 7 years every fall - Atunyote is by far the best course but yes it's expensive, never liked Kaluhyat it's too tricked up and the layout is all over the place which is weird with all of the room they have. You should have played Shenendoah it's more like Atunyote as it follows a similar layout much better IMO then Kaluhyat.

It's too bad they don't host the PGA there anymore it was fun playing the courses the pro's played....

I will be heading there in two weeks looking forward to it nothing better than golf in the fall in Upstate NY

luxman · September 9, 2011

[quote name='broth518' timestamp='1315593150' post='3553478']
I have been going there for almost 7 years every fall - Atunyote is by far the best course but yes it's expensive, never liked Kaluhyat it's too tricked up and the layout is all over the place which is weird with all of the room they have. You should have played Shenendoah it's more like Atunyote as it follows a similar layout much better IMO then Kaluhyat.

It's too bad they don't host the PGA there anymore it was fun playing the courses the pro's played....

I will be heading there in two weeks looking forward to it nothing better than golf in the fall in Upstate NY
[/quote]

I'll give the Shenandoah a shot next time I go up. I'm not sure if I'd call the Kaluhyat "tricked up", but there are definitely a bunch of forced carries and blind shots. However, no question that the Atunyote is the best of the bunch.

RecreationalHacker · October 18, 2011

I'm heading to Kaluhyat this Saturday...weather permitting. We tried to get on Shenendoha but it was booked in the afternoon. I don't mind a challenge but Kaluhyat looks a little brutal based on the hole by hole description on Turning Stone's webs site. I'm probably going to have to play very defensive and avoid huge numbers and accept that real attempts at par will be far and few between. Since my driver has abandoned me as of late (too many hooks), I will probably have to keep it in the bag more than I might otherwise. But on the bright side, my worst day of golf is better than my best day of work so it will still be fun.

Kuz013 · October 18, 2011

I play all these courses every year as I live close by......a very underrated facility in general, the service at every one of these courses is great. Atuynote is without a doubt the best of the bunch, and I'd put Shenandoah ahead of Kaluyat. But overall Turning Stone is a great "resort" course. They even have a dome for us upstaters to hit some balls in during the winters.

luxman · December 1, 2011

This is long overdue, but here is the link to my webshots page with hole by hole pictures of the Atunyote course

http://sports.webshots.com/album/581912569eslJbD?vhost=sports

jerseydevil · May 11, 2014

Played Kaluhyat on Friday. Nice facility, fantastic staff. One of the toughest courses I've played, but I wasn't much a fan of the layout. The course is more than fair and accessible from the tee, but some of the approach shots are almost obnoxiously difficult to judge for someone playing the course for the first time. Many shots from the fairway being thrown at slivers of greens barely visible between the lips of front and side bunkers, some hit-and-pray shots to pins where there is no green to be seen at all.

I played an early AM round in Rochester on my way to Turning Stone and spent about 4 hours driving before we got to the resort, so I was pretty exhausted by the time we made the turn at Kaluhyat which probably made the course play a touch more difficult. Felt a little like a death march - there was a sense of "It's finally over"-type relief when my approach on 18 settled down right next to the pin. I'm sure I'd be more comfortable there now that I've seen what the course has to offer, but it is always going to be a chore to get around that property no matter what. It'll REALLY test your game - especially your irons.

I'll definitely be checking out Atunyote and Shenendoah before thinking about Kaluhyat again.