It’s definitely golfing season. The absolute perfect time for a long day of putting on the green with good friends, cold beer on the cart and not a worry in the world (unless your handicap is especially embarrassing).
The Berkshires are ideal—150 miles out of NYC and an easy drive into quiet, rollicking hills and serene sunsets it’s the best location for a last minute weekend golf getaway. The Cranwell Resort & Spa is an oasis in the Berkshires, a historic property with world class golf and accommodations on 380 acres of picture-perfect greens.
Renowned for its outstanding natural beauty, Cranwell Resort’s historic 18-hole Massachusetts golf course combines spectacular views with a challenging course that allows intermediate players and advanced pros to come together for a really fun day out. The wide open spaces and hush of the Berkshires makes every hole that much more rewarding, and the history here is present in every swing and putt. It’s a par 69 course that you can speed through on a high energy day or just enjoy at a leisurely rate with the sun on your back and the escape of the city in your lungs.
You can grab a great pub style lunch at Sloane’s Tavern but save room for dinner…after an amazing day on the course baked in the sunshine you’ll want to drive the 1.5 miles from Cranwell to the Church Street Café for one of the most memorable evenings of your life.
The Church Street Cafe is a laid-back unpretentious restaurant with a wonderful little outdoor patio complete with fairy lights and never ending champagne. With a farm to table attitude and a fresh approach to nouveau American/Italian cuisine everything here is super fresh, classic dishes with a real modern twist. The Crispy Calamari is out of this world with a delectable lime & tequila aioli and a perfectly fried thin slice of fried lemon to complete each bite. Vegetarian, vegan and no-GMO friendly this place is really about serving farm fresh ingredients without too much muss or fuss—the dishes shine without pretense or pomp.
Organic Misty Knoll Farm Chicken Statler with indulgent mac and cheese or Patti’s homemade cheese and pesto lasagna are both surprising light dishes, leaving you incredibly satisfied but without that ‘oh I hate myself I can’t move for two hours’ food coma that typically occurs. Fresh seafood in the classic Church Street Cioppino (salmon, cod, clams, and calamari in a spiced tomato fennel broth) tastes just like Maine and even the Farm Girl Vegetable Stir Fry is a stand out dish and not a ‘last minute’ vegetarian friendly add-on.
The only problem is the apps and entrees are so good you might not save room for dessert…but you must. All that swinging and hitting (or missing) the golf balls on the course works up a certain appetite and you can’t leave Church Street without a Chocolate Kiss Godiva martini and a bite of the chocolate molten cake, crème brulee of the day or housemade gelato or sorbet.
One weekend at the Berkshires and you’ll return to Manhattan sun kissed with a grass covered set of clubs and a satisfied stomach.
