Back in the summer of 2016, we described the Jay Peak Championship Golf Course as a “Greens Machine” and honestly, not much has changed besides maybe the number of balls sacrificed to Hole 15.
This piece from the archives follows former snow reporter and events director Bryan Smith through the course’s elevation swings, brutal bunkers, mountain winds, and deceptively scenic ways of humbling golfers. Equal parts love letter and warning label, the article leans into what’s always made golf at Jay distinct: incredible views, zero flat lies, and the understanding that your scorecard may suffer for the scenery.
Now, as the Championship Course heads into its 20th season beginning May 22, it feels like a good time to revisit one of the earlier stories that captured the strange beauty of trying to play golf on the side of a ski mountain.
What does it take to become the (Nine) Iron Man of Jay Peak’s Championship Golf Course? For one superhuman, it requires negativity. As in, negative six under par. As in, the number 66: the course record held by golfer Bryan Smith, Jay Peak’s former snow reporter and events director who’s as adept at calling fore as forecasting flurries.
By Sarah Tuff Dunn
It takes above-average powers, indeed, to master the 6,874-yard, par-72 championship golf course, designed by Graham Cooke and celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Both Golf Digest and Golf Weekly have called Jay Peak’s fairways the best public course in Vermont. Similar kudos have come from Golfweek, which proclaims it to be “for serious golfers only.”
But really, Jay Peak’s golf course is simply a lot of fun, says Smith. Here, the record-holding Iron Man shares some secrets on what else to stuff in your bag beyond irons and woods to elevate your game. (Hint: “You’ll use every club and face a great challenge,” he says.)
Remember Visine to keep your eyes clear for the vistas. “First and foremost is the setting. Tremendous views,” says Smith. But crisp vision also helps with deceptive slopes and tricky design features.
A sense of direction is key. “When you’re out on the front nine, everything moves away from the mountain,” explains Smith, “so you can have a putt that looks like it’s breaking six inches, but it’s probably going to break more. On the back nine, the West Bowl affects your play. It’s pretty crazy and very unique.”
“First and foremost is the setting. Tremendous views.”
“You’ll use every club and face a great challenge.”
A FitBit could earn you some bragging rights after it measures your mileage. “The Jay Peak Golf Course has length,” says Smith, “and also elevation and wind. The ski mountain is about 70-percent blue and black runs, and you could use that same ratio on the golf course.” Stay patient though for treats like the granite formation that sticks out on the 15th hole, a favorite for Smith, who loves the risk-to-reward factor of Jay Peak.
Lastly, dig into some humble pie. “With golfers, there’s a lot of pride, but at Jay Peak, your ego is diminished by the time you turn and grab a hot dog,” he says. “You’ve got to respect it from the start.”
A lot can change in ten years.
Back when this story originally ran in 2016, Bryan Smith’s 66 stood as the course record and felt just about untouchable. Since then, the course has humbled plenty of golfers and rewarded a select few, but eventually another name found its way onto the top line of the scorecard.
The current course record now belongs to Evan Russell, who carded a 65 to take over the top spot.
