Golf in North East

North East is the heart of Pennsylvania's Lake Erie Grape Belt, a narrow band of land along the lake's south shore where the moderating influence of Lake Erie's thermal mass extends the growing season and protects vines from the killing frosts that strike the surrounding uplands. The same lake effect that shortens the golf season to the west, near Erie, works differently here in grape-growing terms — the lake delays autumn frost by weeks, allowing varietals to ripen that would fail just a few miles inland. Wineries and tasting rooms line the approaches to North East, giving the borough a tourism infrastructure unusual for a small Erie County community. Golf here is played against a backdrop of vineyard rows and lake views, with courses positioned on the gradual slope from the lake bluff down toward the shore. The seasonal nature of both wine tourism and golf compresses activity into summer and early fall.