Cronin’s Golf Resort, Adirondack Golf at its Best!

When I look for a good golf resort I want a great golfing experience, a bit of golf history,  and a place to have fun. Cronin’s Golf Resort in the Adirondack Park, with its fourth generation of ownership and operation, is all that and more. You will come, you will stay, you will golf and you will make great memories with family and friends, even if it is your first visit like mine was. Like the Adirondack Park, a cabin at Cronin’s is a bit rustic but it is clean and comfortable and your choice of location- off the 18th green or on the bank of the mighty Hudson River is pretty sweet. You will not meet nicer people than, brothers James and John Cronin and their wives Jeanie and Val respectively. Well, I lied there. The rest of the gang from Mo (Maureen) the bartender, to vacationing couples Lois & Tom and Jeanne & Bob, to Rob, the guy I played golf with and allowed me to interview him, they were as nice as James and John. Visiting Cronin’s Golf Resort was a one-of-a-kind fun experience, one I hope to repeat next year, like all the regulars who come back year after year. If you want to experience the Adirondacks, stay and golf at a very reasonable price, this is the place to do it!

You meet the nicest people on the golf course and at Cronin’s that is true to ‘the nth degree.’ I met Rob Riedinger, a man who shows his talent by example in terms of woodworking and home design in the Lake George area. Playing golf with him was an exceptional experience.

CLICK here for VIDEO INTERVIEW with golfer Rob Riedinger at Cronin’s Golf Resort.

There is really no other promotion needed for Cronin’s or the Adirondacks other than this man’s simple, honest and thoroughly experienced testimony in the video interview linked to above. I was impressed with he and his wife’s decision 13 years ago to leave the rat race to raise his family in a wholesome, outdoor, and intimate manner. I identified with his love of the game of golf and the reason why he loves golf—”it’s purely mental, an internal struggle and you don’t have to fight with anybody other than yourself.” I learned a lot about the Adirondack Park—the bubble and 46 peaks. Most importantly I learned more about James and John and how they run and operate Cronin’s Golf Resort. If you lose a club there it will be returned even if it is next season. Like finishing every hole by listening for the sound of the golf ball falling into the cup, Cronin’s leaves no detail of customer delight to chance.

The face of the business today is brothers James and John Cronin but the golfing legacy of Cronin’s Golf Resort goes back to their grandfather Patrick Cronin, the keeper of the green (forerunner of today’s golf course superintendent) at Glens Falls CC, a 1912 Donald Ross design. Influenced and inspired by the Scot who served an apprenticeship with Old Tom Morris in St Andrews, Patrick designed the front nine of the Cronin Golf Resort course in 1930. His son Robert, James and John’s father, purchased the property in 1945 and added the second nine in 1965. Robert, an  accomplished golfer, would demonstrate the game to young James and John by shooting 31s on the first nine and reach the par-5 fourth hole in two shots. Something neither son, even with teeing up the second shot in the fairway, could duplicate, even to this day. After father Robert became ill and retired, the youngsters took over the operation in 1998 and have never looked back. By reinvesting the profits back into the golf course,they raised several green complexes to be insulated from the whims of the at times vigorous and destructible Hudson River.

CLICK here for VIDEO INTERVIEW with owner/operator James Cronin.

Father Robert studied turf management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with noted golf course architect Geoffrey Cornish. Son James also studied at UMass Amherst which is about a 3-hour drive from Cronin’s. That would become the apparent division of golf responsibilities between the sons, although with a lot of overlap. James would take care of the condition of the golf course while John, who studied in the PGA of America program, would take care of the swings of the golfers and together, with family and employees, do everything else. I remember my first conversation on the phone with John who ended it with “come and we will treat you like a farm animal.” James is outgoing, hard working and hilarious though attentive to all the guests at Cronin’s. You can pursue whatever your style of fun is at Cronin’s as long as “your happiness does not come at the expense of anyone else.” You can party at Cronin’s or you can find a quiet place along the Hudson and meditate in your own way. I did laugh when the beer delivery truck driver asked a relevant question in his mind— “does anyone ever play golf here or do they just drink?” I guess we can do both together and separately at Cronin’s.

CLICK here for VIDEO INTERVIEW with owner/operator John Cronin.

Brother John is the quieter version of brother James though with the same big heart, love of golf, Cronin’s and especially the guests. John is an accomplished golfer and turned pro at the age of 19. He worked his way up the PGA of America apprentice program for seven years in Florida before returning home to run the business with James when their father became ill. He studied under some great golf professionals on his way up in the golf business including Dr. Gary Wiren, noted amateur golfer, educator, author and swing aid specialist. John is a historian of the game and a collector like me. He brought out some hickory clubs with markings I had never seen before. What impressed me most about John can be seen in his video interview above. His respect and attention to the customer. Notice that in the video there was no hesitation on John’s part to leave the interview and address his customer needs at the counter. He will surely delight you too. Notice too, by his comment, that the golfer is paying for his round after playing it. You can trust you will be treated like family at Cronin’s Golf Resort.

I used the term ‘the nth degree’ and think it apples to Cronin’s Golf Resort in terms of an infinite experience with lots of golf, fun and interesting people. I feel like one of the ‘Cronin’s Chronies’ now. As such, I bestow upon James and John the title of  ‘First Rate & Honorary, ‘to the nth Degree’ Golf Resort in the Adirondacks.’ They are Adirondack Golf at its Best!