SoniaS

The first time I played Elmira, if you stood on the first tee and looked from your left all the way to your right, you could see a lot of the holes that make up the majority of the course. The second time I played it was on September 1, 2012. What a pleasant difference! Most of the holes are tree lined on both sides making distractions from other groups minimal. Although the course is not long or slope rated very high by today's standards, it's challenging enough for all levels of play. Care must be taken on the approach shot to the greens, due to elevation changes, in order to place the ball in the same quadrant as the pin. If you don't, you'll end up with some long and tricky putts (3-putt territory!). The greens were an absolute delight to putt on. They rolled true, smooth, and consistent in speed.

My wife and I played Stratford Country Club on August 26, 2012. The previous time we played it was between 10 and 15 years ago in their annual matrimonial couples tournament. At that time the course was in much better condition than it was on our most recent visit. The tee block should be the one place where you don't have to worry about your stance and lie. The grass on quite a few of the tee blocks was patchy with uneven footing. Some of the forward tees my wife played from had very little grass on them. We played winter rules on the fairways, and we found the speed of the grees inconsistent.

I found the pace of play a little slow. I like to play in 4hr.-20min. or less. The course is kept in reasonably good shape. Proper club selection off the tees on some of the shorter par fours is recommended if you want to avoid strategically placed hazards while still leaving a relatively short iron into the green. Beware of the seventh green. This green has a severe back to front, left to right slope. Long putts from above the hole can go off the green if you're not careful.