When the Villa Roma opened in 1987, local golfers were amazed at the immaculate course conditions. In fact, the word was you had to go to Westchester to find fairways as perfect as the Villa’s. Quite remarkable considering the course was built on the side of a hill a few miles off Route 97, essentially in the middle of nowhere. But owner Marty Passante wasn’t afraid to invest in the course and modern upkeep – an automatic irrigation system was installed, extra-wide cart paths built to protect the turf on wet days and a sizable maintenance staff employed. The mission was clear then as it is now – the Villa will not be outdone in these parts when it comes to course conditions.

When you add panoramic mountain views, attentive service and a spacious clubhouse to the mix, it’s no secret the Villa Roma is one of the more popular places to play golf in the Sullivan County area. It didn’t take long for area tournaments and outings to move their events from other venues to the Villa, and for traveling golf groups from Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, northern New Jersey and Binghamton to find their way to the Callicoon hillside as well.

Outside of the plush fairways and views, the Villa Roma is memorable for its sloping, sometimes tantalizing greens. In fact, there are several spots where putts can roll completely off the greens or they break in the opposite direction of what they appear. As Golf Digest panelists who rated Villa Roma 3 ½ stars commented: “beautiful layout with tough, tricky greens.”

Though it’s not long at just over 6,500 yards from the back tees, the course record is a surprisingly high, seven-under par 64 shot by Sean Semenetz in 2006. What seems to hold back the low numbers are, of course, the greens, but also the sidehill lies and most importantly, the need for ball control and positioning. The fairways are wide and generous, but in order to score at the Villa, you have to be on the right side of the fairway in relation to where the pin is on the green. Otherwise, you will have little chance of getting close to the hole on your approach shots. This is especially true for holes 3, 4, 5 and 6 – the front nine loop which usually determines the fate of your round – as well as the staunch closing holes. Those include the optically difficult, links-style 16th hole, the pesky, water-guarded, par-three 17th and the treacherous 18th, a 435-yard uphill par-four which requires two solid, accurate shots to a narrow green flanked by out of bounds left and three bunkers.

A nifty short game, especially a deft lob shot, is a must to scoring at the Villa. More than any course in the area, approach shots that miss greens will more than likely be short-sided and have to come over a bunker or bulging mound.

The fact that low handicappers are challenged by the subtleties of the course, mid-handicappers can make their share of pars, even birdies and beginners and high handicappers have room to drive off the tee is what makes the Villa Roma appealing for all golfers. Architect Dave Postelthwaite cleverly created a versatile course that reflects the comfortable environment of the family resort. And Director of Golf Matt Kleiner, the only pro the Villa has ever had, sees to it that the service and atmosphere complement the friendly nature of the course.

Top three reasons to play the Villa Roma Country Club:
1. Spectacular scenery and views
2. Best-conditioned fairways in the Catskills
3. Will test your short game