Sleepy Hollow has every conceivable amenity, including one that is precisely aimed at its purpose

There are places in the golf world that are so alluring and compelling that you can forget about the course itself, at least for a while – even if it is, for example, the 77th largest course in the world, like Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Westchester County, NY

One of those places is Sleepy’s clubhouse, a former Vanderbilt mansion with a beautiful view of the Hudson River. Another is located in the woods behind the clubhouse: the Skeet and Trap Shooting Lodge.

The log cabin’s rustic exterior appears to come straight from a central casting, and so does the wood-paneled interior. Decorated with trophy holders, plaques, vintage books and the like, you will feel at home on the prairie. A roaring fire warms the hands, and the club’s famous soup and chili warms the belly. It is a perfect meeting place in cold weather and the place for festivities ranging from birthdays to special club events.

Golf may make you want to pick up a gun, but it’s safer to keep it off course during the off-season. The Lodge is the perfect place to relax. From October through the end of March, members are encouraged to come out and scratch that itchy trigger finger under the watchful eye and guidance of a handful of sleepy old hands, with both clay pigeon and trap shooting ranges. (Fun fact: Of the three main clay shooting disciplines, Sleepy Hollow only misses the sporting clays, which are often described as “shotgun golfing” because you go to different shooting locations spread out over natural terrain.) No matter how good you are at hitting your targets, everyone will have a good time.

But that applies everywhere on site, across the club’s remarkable range of activities: athletic, culinary and even equine. There are two pickleball courts, four platform tennis courts, four squash courts, 10 clay tennis courts, an adult pool and a children’s pool, a beautiful fitness center, an outdoor pizza grill and an indoor and two outdoor riding arenas for equestrians. It’s almost enough to make you forget that spectacular golf course… and also the short nine-hole course, ideal for practice and for younger or less advanced players.

Oh, and in the clubhouse – which is certainly one of the best in the world – members and their guests can stay overnight in one of 18 beautifully decorated and unique rooms or suites.

Suffice to say, if you ever get an invite to Sleepy Hollow, pull the trigger.