Cooperstown, New York (April 9, 2025) – Many sports enthusiasts know Cooperstown, New York, as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but the village is also where you’ll find one of the East Coast’s top public golf courses, Leatherstocking Golf Course. The course, which is located at the legendary Otesaga Resort Hotel and situated right along the banks of Otsego Lake, collected several awards and accolades before opening for the season on April 5.
In preparation for that opening, the course superintendent, Mike O’Neill, and an 11-person grounds staff have been busy beautifying the course by trimming trees, removing debris, dethatching the grounds, and repaving golf cart paths … all in an effort to create ideal playing surfaces for golfers. The team also ensures that the course maintains plenty of natural areas to promote wildlife.
“As a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary through Audubon International, Leatherstocking Golf Course has a strong commitment to preserving and enhancing the natural habitats and resources that have been in place since the course opened in 1909,” O’Neill says. “For any tree we must remove, we replace it with another.”
Leatherstocking began its environmental protection efforts in 2000, monitoring water quality, reducing chemical use, and supporting natural wildlife and habitats. Of particular interest is the bluebird population, which has experienced a decline in past years. The course provides 12 special nesting boxes that are monitored by volunteers from the community.
In fact, O’Neill has made such a commitment to protecting the environment on and around the course that last fall he received an Environmental Stewardship Award from Audubon International.
The 18th hole and tee at Leatherstocking Golf Course.
Credit: The Otesaga Resort Hotel
Beyond offering the scenic beauty of its natural areas and a showstopping lake, Leatherstocking is known as a challenging, par-72 championship course with diverse elevations. The course opened in 1909 with nine holes and expanded to 18 holes across 90 acres just a decade later. Its expansion was designed by legendary golf course architect Devereux Emmet, who designed more than 150 courses around the world.
While updates have been made over time to uphold the best championship conditions, the integrity of Emmet’s unique layout remains intact. Each hole is different, bringing return players, newbies and even some of baseball’s greats to the resort to play its course.
And they’re not the only ones to recognize the course’s attributes. Leatherstocking was recently recognized as the #2 Best Public Golf Course by USA Today 10Best’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards. The course also received accolades as the #1 Public Golf Course in New York State in 2025 by GolfPass and was named the #2 Best Public Golf Course in New York State in 2024 by Golfweek. In addition, it ranks among the Top 16 Public Golf Courses in the U.S. in 2025 as determined by Golfpass’ Golfers’ Choice Awards.
Leatherstocking Golf Course is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Book now through May 16 for spring golf specials that range from $59 to $79 per round (including a golf cart).
To learn more about Leatherstocking Golf Course and to book a tee time or package, visit www.Otesaga.com/Golf.
