It's tough to stay inside when we are the recipients of a string of perfect days like this - it's been sunny and in the 70's during the day and cool at night for well over a week in the Adirondacks!

So far during this beautiful spring I've dusted off my road bike, started up the BBQ grill and gone on some trail runs. And this weekend, I contemplated doing yard work. But the appearance of the bright spring greens coerced me into playing my first round of golf for the season instead. I mean, who doesn't like to hang out on a giant manicured lawn on a gorgeous sunny day?

I loaded my clubs and my sister into the car and headed for

Craig Wood Golf Club in Lake Placid. Craig Wood is a par 72 municipal course, and was designed by Seymour Dunn in 1925. There are a bunch of championship golf courses in the area, and even with so many options, I still find myself playing my hometown course in Westport most often. But Craig Wood is a local (and visitor) favorite, and I haven't played a whole round here in a couple of years.

 We arrived just in time to meet the new golf pro, Jeff Estes on the porch of the newly-renovated club house. The work is not quite complete, but the new entrance and facility looks great!

As it is even in the midst of summer, we were able to jump in a cart and tee off on the first hole immediately - with no waiting. The trees on the mountainsides that surround the course were just beginning to show the emergence of new green leaves. This day provided sun, shaded by just enough fluffy cloud cover to ensure that it wasn't TOO much sun, and I couldn't blame the negligible wind for my misdirected drives.

The first hole is a long par 5, so I took out my trusty 50 year-old 5 wood, which holds significant sentimental and strategic value to me. It was given to me by my neighbor when I was young. We called him Uncle Ernie, and he was in his 70's when he gave me his set of old golf clubs in a dusty leather bag. He lived to be 100 and has been gone for a while, so 50 years is probably a conservative estimate of my club's age. The 5 wood is the only Uncle Ernie club that remains in my bag - it has withstood time well. It's my go-to for drives since I tend to slice, and I am superstitious that it is the ONLY club that will allow me to successfully hit straight. Of course, every pro I've consulted disagrees.

We spent the first nine reminding our golf muscles how to play, and enjoying the excuse that it was our first round of the season. As expected, I managed to test many of the sand traps, and somehow lost one golf ball over the edge of one of the greens - even on this fairly open layout, with holes zig-zagging back and forth.

We were playing behind a group of three, a father, son and grandson combo. They moved right along, though we hoped for the opportunity to take a break and clean off our golf balls. At every tee, though, the ball washers were devoid of water. This is an Adirondack High Peaks spring thing, it turns out. Though it is 70 degrees during the day, the temperatures can still dip below freezing during the night - so the maintenance crew hasn't added the water yet!

The back nine begins with an elevated tee with a great view of where your ball is supposed to go. Mine went, of course, into the trees to the right of that location. But the most insane tee box was yet to come.

Their website notes the 18th hole as one of those that will leave a lasting impression on golfers because of the ravine that we must hit our drive over. I'd say the 13th takes the cake on impressions and challenge for me - with a tricky tee shot that if missed on the left will leave the ball on a sandy tree-dotted slope and if one hits too far to the right can head off into the trees. My ball didn't go into the trees.

We had taken a cart instead of walking, thank goodness as the course is quite hilly and apparently 6,554 yards long, but on this first time out for the year my arms were tired by the second half of the back nine. I rallied with a par on my new favorite 17th hole, a par three that is their "signature" hole with a water feature in the pond near the green.

We finished up all 18, packed up Uncle Ernie's 5 wood and returned the cart, speaking quickly with the guys at the pro shop about the weather - EVERYone's favorite subject these perfect Adirondack spring days!

Check out all of the Lake Placid golf courses!

 -Kim Rielly is the director of communications for the Lake Placid CVB, and a long-time mediocre golfer