Vesper Hills Golf Club

Vesper Hills Golf Club sits on rolling ground in Tully, about 20 minutes south of Syracuse, with sweeping views over Otisco Lake. The club credits its front nine to the Canadian-born architect Geoffrey Cornish, one of the most prolific designers in the Northeast; directory listings date his design to 1973. A course listing carried by AARP says the holes came in two phases, with the front nine opening in 1980 and the back nine following in 1996, and golfers still notice the contrast: a flatter opening side with forced water carries, then a hillier, more scenic closing stretch. The signature island green is the hole most players remember. The club today pairs public golf with The Loft, a lakeview restaurant.