Golf at Turning Stone Fuels Record-Breaking Tourism Numbers for the Region By Brian Weis

Golf at Turning Stone Fuels Record-Breaking Tourism Numbers for the Region

Increase of 45% Overnight Stays by Golfers in 2021

By Brian Weis

As the 2021 golf season wraps up, Turning Stone announced today that it has set a new record for the number of guests traveling to Upstate New York to experience its world-class golf courses. The premier destination resort saw a nearly 50% increase in golfers visiting this year, with 45% more golfers booking overnight visits and traveling from 41 different states.

This record-breaking year for golf tourism coincides with a historic level of investments made by the Oneida Indian Nation in the region, including The Cove at Sylvan Beach, a new $25 million vacation destination opening next summer, and significant upgrades at Turning Stone such as an all-new Showroom.
2021 Turning Stone Golf Season by the Numbers:

* Golfers from 41 states visited Turning Stone this year;
* Nearly 50% increase in rounds of golf played;
* 45% increase in overnight stays by golfers;
* Visits from Mid-Atlantic golfers (PA, MD, VA) tripled;
* Visits from Tri-State golfers (NY, NJ, CT) doubled;
* Visits from Southeast golfers doubled.

Turning Stone opened its first 18-hole course - Shenendoah - more than two decades ago and continues to evolve the golf experience. Now with more than 70 golf employees, including many who are PGA Professionals, five golf courses, a state-of-the-art Golf Dome with one of the only indoor short game practice facilities in the country and an expansive Golf Superstore that offers the newest apparel and custom golf fittings, Turning Stone's golf experience has been touted among the best in the country.

"The massive increase we experienced in guests coming from around the county to our region to play golf is more than just a one-year anomaly," said Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter. "We have learned from decades of experience that after visiting Upstate New York and seeing everything our region has to offer, guests return year after year. Golf has been a catalyst for transforming Turning Stone into the world-class destination resort it is today and has played an integral role in bringing visitors from all around the world to the region."

Golf at Turning Stone has been attracting new visitors to the region for decades, from the days of the Turning Stone Championship, a four-year PGA Tour event where Dustin Johnson celebrated his first PGA victory, to several years of the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge that brought thousands of golf fans to Upstate New York to watch golf legends like Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Annika Sorenstam and Natalie Gulbis.

"Our record-breaking golf season is an outstanding accomplishment for our employees and regional partners who are all dedicated to ensuring our region is a top golf and tourist destination," said Director of Golf and Recreation Miles Blundell. "Many of our new guests have already rebooked golf trips for next year. Once they visited Turning Stone and saw all of the remarkable recreational activities in our region, guests knew they no longer needed to travel west or overseas to have an exceptional golf experience."

Turning Stone has been recognized by several industry leaders this year for its golf experience, including Golf Digest's Editors' Choice Award for Best Golf Resorts in the Northeast; Golf Channel's Golf Advisor rating Turning Stone's three 18-hole courses as the top three courses in New York; Casino Player Magazine awarded Turning Stone the #1 Best Golf Course in New York; and Northeast Golf Magazine awarding Turning Stone with three of its Best in Golf Awards for Best Travel Resorts & Destinations, Best Public Golf Courses and Best Instructors in New York.

Revised: 10/13/2021 - Article Viewed 10,638 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.