Burlington Country Club

The rolling terrain of Vermont's Champlain Valley creates natural amphitheaters for golf, and this Donald Ross gem from 1926 maximizes every elevation change with greens that demand both precision and imagination. Ross's signature crowned putting surfaces reward accurate approach shots while punishing anything offline, particularly the treacherous downhill par-3 16th that plays longer than its yardage suggests. The mature maples and oaks frame fairways that tighten considerably in autumn, but the real test comes from reading these sloped greens that have confounded golfers for nearly a century.