Saratoga Golf & Polo Club

Overview: Saratoga Golf & Polo Club is a private historic golf property in Saratoga Springs, New York, centered on a Victorian-era nine-hole course at 301 Church Street. The club’s own history identifies the course as nine holes and traces the club to 1896. Its parkland setting sits within a compact historic landscape, with mature trees, open lawn and the Adirondack-facing character of old Saratoga. The directory row currently says 18 holes, but the primary club source and current Golf Digest listing both identify the exact property as a nine-hole course, so this profile follows the primary identity evidence.

History: Saratoga Golf & Polo Club was founded in 1896, and golf has remained the focal activity of the property since that beginning. The Victorian-era course predates the current clubhouse: the Colonial-style mansion known as Hylande was built in 1914 and became part of the club after its purchase in 1968. The club has maintained the historic nine-hole format while adding tennis, swimming and other amenities. Golf Digest lists J.S. Mott as the designer, although the club’s own history does not name an architect and other secondary references differ, so that attribution is explicitly qualified.

Did You Know? In 2020, Golf Magazine ranked Saratoga Golf & Polo Club number 11 among stand-alone nine-hole courses. That recognition fits the property’s compact identity: it is not a shortened version of a championship resort, but a historic nine-hole course that has remained central to the club since the nineteenth century. The course and its Victorian setting are best understood together, as part of the same long-running Saratoga institution.