Saxon Woods Golf Course

I haven’t played this course in 4 years because of previous problems I’ve had with it. I went today because I had no other choice. All the other Westchester courses were booked until after noon. Here’s what previously concerned me:
The pace of play was notoriously slow and averaged 6.5 hours a round. On one occasion my friend hit a ball in the woods and rather than look for it he dropped a ball right where he stood and hit a second shot. He was trying to save time but the ranger scolded him anyway. Meanwhile, that day there were backups of 4 – 6 carts on every tee box! So what was the hurry anyway?
To add insult to injury I also witnessed something that astounded me… A ‘squeeze play’. Westchester courses have a computerized system that schedules tee times every so many minutes. As I’m waiting on line at the pro shop to pay for my round this woman approaches the desk (cutting the line), asks the staff member behind the desk if he could ‘squeeze her in’, then slips him some money! I find out after checking in with the starter that she ends up playing ahead of my group. My group ends up teeing off 30 min later than originally scheduled. Such crap! Word on the street 4 years ago was that ‘squeeze plays’ are a regular thing.
So today my friend and I went to Saxon and we went to the pro shop to pay roughly 15 minutes before our tee time. The guy in the shop was on some sort of phone call and he didn’t check me in for at least 10 minutes. I finally got a receipt and went to check in with the starter about 5 minutes before our scheduled tee time. The starter went on this tirade about how we had to check in well before the tee time and next time we’d be punished and sent to the back of the line… Meanwhile there was no line! The only two people behind us told us later they commended us for our patience regarding this tool of a starter.
Given my prior experiences with this place, with the pace of play and the squeeze plays, I could only ask myself, ‘Are you kidding?’. I won’t even get into my confrontation with the manager. Complacency and mediocrity clearly comes from the top.
The sad part is Saxon Woods is a beautiful course and has its challenges which makes it fun for golfers. But the staff sucks. If you ask me, go one one exit up the Hutchinson Pkwy and play Maple Moor. It’s just as challenging, more beautiful, and the staff is very nice.

After a long needed day on the golf course my buddy and I reserved a tee time at Saxon woods. Upon our arrival we checked in 10 minutes prior to our tee time with the starter. We would have checked in sooner had the employee at the pro shop not been on a personal phone call.
We then proceeded to be berated by the starter for «having the nerve» to only check in 10 minutes early. The starter then told us if we ever do this again we will be bumped from our start time and pushed to the «end of the line» and that we will see when we get on the course.
At the end of our round the group behind us applauded us for our patients in dealing with the starters tirade. We proceeded to attempt to speak with the manager of the course about our experience who dismissed our concerns and told us that «that starter works Tuesday’s and Fridays pick other days to play if you don’t like him»
If you want a pretty course with a moderate difficulty of play and don’t mind rude employees and absent minded management Saxon woods may be the course for you. Set aside 6 hours though as the average rate of play is well below most.

Fairly nice, decent layout with some interesting holes. The 10^th was odd as you hit perpendicular to the driving range and then ring a bell to drive across. Fast but receptive greens for April. Decent value.

Nice muni golf course in the heart of Scarsdale. This was the first time here for me, and I give it a solid 3.5 stars. Would be a 4 if not for a few instances, which I will list below.
The course itself was in very good shape for this time of year and is deceptively long. From the blues, about 6350 or so, which is long for us shorter hitters. Fairways were in good shape, as were the tee boxes. Greens rolled true. Not much break, but you have to get it to the hole, which I did on a few bombs.
The only minor problem was that as my foursome teed off, we were basically followed by the guys from the grounds crew with leaf blowers. I appreciate keeping the leaves off the fairway, rough and greens but guys, when a group is teeing off, shutdown the blowers! It was like having a hand dryer from a men’s room right next to your ear as you line up your shot.
We had a nice meal afterwards in the small but lively restaurant. Philly cheese steak with melted American and red peppers and onions. Moist, well cooked and served on a great crunchy hard roll.
I will come back for sure. Took only 35 or so minutes from Queens. I didn’t pay, but greens fees I think were 60 or so with a cart. Well worth it.

Just a review of the restaurant — surprisingly good! Casual fare, well executed, wonderful spot to grab a burger and brew and sit outside on a summer day.

Having played this course over 50 times I can truly give you the right opinion. There was a time when it was maintained well and the greens were pretty quick, well they still are but not readable nor consistent. The 6^th hole was under renovation for over a year and they completely made a mess of it. On weekends it’s super slow — mostly beginners or people who are pissed off at their local taxes and want to divot their way around otherwise fine county property. Yeah, now I know what happened, the economy went sour. Anyway, there really are better placed to play and I“m saying it even though it’s pretty much across my house.
Besides the course, the restaurant is a great place to hang out and Phil will take good care of you — what a nice guy! On thursday evenings in the summer — starting in May, there are bbqs with live music and there’s always a good band (i just upped this to 3 stars).
The Good:
— Easy to play
— Great Summer BBQs with live music
— Twilight rates
The Bad:
— Can be in bad shape at times
— Hole 6 is terrible
— No real balls on the range
The Ugly:
— The condition of some holes

Lived a mile and half from this golf course and me, my dad, and my brother would golf every other weekend. Not the greatest of golf courses but not bad for a public one.
Great place to go for a meal right after a long day on the course
I always have fond memories of Saxon Woods