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National Golf Links of America is set to host the 2030 Curtis Cup, a match between the best amateurs from the United States and their Great Britain and Ireland counterparts. NGLA, as you may know, is one of the best courses on the planet. No. 5, according to GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World. 

Set on the shores of the Great Peconic Bay, and running inland to border against its neighbor Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links was designed by legendary architect C.B. Macdonald, and finished in 1911. It’s about as exclusive as exclusive gets. But in eight years, it will let down its barriers to the public for one of the best ways to experience high-level golf.

“The club has been such an integral part of Walker Cup history, so for its leadership to offer to host a Curtis Cup speaks volumes about their commitment to the amateur and women’s game. We cannot wait to work with their leadership in the effort to stage another memorable match.”

Courses

Adding to the course’s exclusivity is the fact that it has only twice before hosted premier golf events. Never a major championship, never a singles event. Strictly two Walker Cups, back in 1922 and most recently in 2013. The Americans, led by future Tour stars like Justin Thomas and Max Homa, won in 2013, 17-9.

The main reason for your interest as golf-obsessed fans is that amateur events like the Walker and Curtis Cup are low-frills. They’re casual, all the while being two of the biggest amateur events in the world. And as a result, they make for the best access to elite courses and up-and-coming elite talent. Take last week, for example. 

Understanding Southern Hills, last week’s PGA Championship host course, only comes from outside the ropes. There are course marshals all over the property telling you when you can and cannot walk, where you can and cannot roam. Getting close to Tiger Woods is nearly impossible. But getting close to Justin Thomas back at the 2013 Walker Cup? That’s no issue at all. 

That intimacy extends to the intricacies of the course, too. And there might not be a better golf course in all of America. GOLF’s architecture editor, Ran Morrissett, captured its brilliance well here:

“NGLA, or ‘National,’ as it’s known, brought Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald together for the first time and what they created still stands as a marvel of strategic design. Some of its template holes, including the Alps 3rd, the Redan 4th, the Short 6th and the Leven 17th, are arguably superior to their namesake holes in the United Kingdom that Macdonald copied. 

“Legendary golf writer Bernard Darwin summed it up nicely when he opined, ‘The National Links is a truly great course; even as I write I feel my allegiance to Westward Ho!, to Hoylake, to St. Andrews tottering to its fall.’”

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New York golf by the numbers:

Number of courses and U.S. rank: 832 (5)*
Number of golfers per capita rank: 23*
Average public-course greens fees: $$ out of $$$*
Average daily temp and rank: 45.4 (37)
Annual precipitation and rank: 41.8 in. (25)

*Source: National Golf Foundation

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Best New York golf courses (2020/2021)

1. Shinnecock Hills (Southampton) [1, 2]

Venue for five U.S. Opens since 1986, most recently in 2018, this is William Flynn’s undisputed design masterpiece. Apart from being handed a magnificent piece of land upon which to work, Flynn was given something else nearly as valuable: time. Work commenced in 1928 and the course didn’t open until 1931. True, the Great Depression commenced during construction but the grace with which the holes flow across the property is a tribute to the hands-on, slow-build process.

2. National Golf Links of America (Southampton) [1, 2]

NGLA, or “National,” as it’s known, brought Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald together for the first time and what they created still stands as a marvel of strategic design. Some of its template holes, including the Alps 3rd, the Redan 4th, the Short 6th and the Leven 17th, are arguably superior to their namesake holes in the United Kingdom that Macdonald copied. Legendary golf writer Bernard Darwin summed it up nicely when he opined, “The National Links is a truly great course; even as I write I feel my allegiance to Westward Ho!, to Hoylake, to St. Andrews tottering to its fall.”

3. Fishers Island (Fishers Island) [1, 2]

Accessible by ferry or air, this exclusive retreat off the Connecticut coast is populated by the oldest of the Old Money crowd, many of whom still enjoy hoofing it. Why wouldn’t they, given the classic Seth Raynor design that tracks along the island’s northeast edge, the delightful tumbling terrain and the spectacular views of Long Island Sound. Are the 3rd, 4th and 5th holes as intoxicating as any three consecutive holes on this list? It’s a question worth considering.

4. Friar’s Head (Riverhead) [1, 2]

Tree-dotted dunes, open meadows and bluff-top views of Long Island Sound highlight play at this 2003 Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design. Phil Mickelson opined that it is his favorite modern course. Holes such as the par-5 14th call to mind an East Coast version of Cypress Point. Constant refinements, no matter how small, have helped this course continually power up the rankings. From a presentation perspective, few courses are as dialed-in.

5. Winged Foot – West (Mamaroneck) [1, 2]

Hale Irwin survived the 1974 “Massacre at Winged Foot” U.S. Open to win at seven over par. Geoff Ogilvy didn’t fare much better in 2006, when his five-over total took home the trophy. Mark Brooks, 1996 PGA champion, summed up this Golden Age A.W. Tillinghast design this way: “There are probably six hard holes, six really hard holes and six impossible holes.” Frighteningly contoured, pear-shaped greens, cavernous bunkers and a procession of rugged par-4s define the trouble here. On a “difficulty” scale of 1 to 10, Jack Nicklaus once rated the West course a 12. That said, Gil Hanse’s recent, stunning expansion of all the green pads has brought back an element of creativity with which few parkland courses can contend, all of which was on display at the 2020 U.S. Open won by Bryson DeChambeau.

6. Garden City (Garden City) [1, 2]

Devereux Emmet and Walter Travis share credit for this old-school design that plays across Hempstead Plain on Long Island. The water is 10 miles both north and south, so sea breezes are a frequent companion. Laurie Auchterlonie won the 1902 U.S. Open here with record scores, owing to the debut of the longer, more durable Haskell ball. Garden City’s tilted greens, like the 10th and 15th, are lay-of-the-land architecture at its highest form.

7. Maidstone (East Hampton) [1, 2]

Recently restored by Coore & Crenshaw, Maidstone’s glorious edge-of-the-Atlantic location is once again fully evident. Maintaining coastal dunes is an art form: expose too much sand and it blows away; cover it up and you lose a sense of place. Maidstone has struck the perfect balance. Adding to the pleasure of its romantic location is an exceptional set of Willie and John Park greens, many of which feature dramatic false fronts. A dream course to play on a regular basis.

8. Bethpage – Black (Farmingdale) [1, 2, P]

The Black intimidates golfers with a sign at the 1st tee that recommends the course “only for highly skilled golfers.” Among the highly skilled? Tiger Woods, who won the 2002 “People’s Open,” as that U.S. Open came to be known. Woods was the only golfer to break par for 72 holes, owing to rugged, uphill par-4s, massive bunkers and the wrist-fracturing rough found on this Rees Jones-restored A.W. Tillinghast layout. The Black is one of the great routings, highlighted by the masterful way Tillinghast placed the fairways and greens from the 2nd hole in a valley all the way through the dogleg left 9th. The par-5 4th and its iconic cross-bunkering is a world-beater.

Book a tee time at Bethpage Black.

9. Sleepy Hollow (Briarcliff Manor) [1, 2]

This Westchester County course has always enjoyed a spectacular component to it, courtesy of breathtaking views of the Hudson River. What it lacked was playing interest from 50 yards and in to its greens. That changed in 2016 when Gil Hanse embarked on a two-year project to imbue the greens with a C.B. Macdonald flair that, well, even Macdonald would appreciate.

10. Quaker Ridge (Scarsdale) [1, 2]

This quiet club across the street from Winged Foot has counted Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye as admirers. Its outstanding cluster of gently rolling par-4s, notably the 6th and the 11th, provided a terrific canvas for amateurs such as Justin Rose and Jason Gore in the 1997 Walker Cup. Dating to 1916, the course was made over by A.W. Tillinghast in 1926 and Gil Hanse’s restoration this past decade has the course at peak. The par-3 9th is one of the hidden gem one-shotters in the Northeast, though it may take a few rounds to figure out why.

11. Oak Hill – East (Rochester) [1]

This classic parkland layout has hosted multiple majors and a Ryder Cup. A recent renovation made the suburban Rochester marvel even better, bringing it back in line with Donald Ross’s original design. Architect Andrew Green overhauled the 5th, 6th and 15th holes, cut back trees and re-worked greens throughout the course. The new drainage system allows for faster putting surfaces — expect higher scores (and better sightlines) at the 2023 PGA Championship.

12. Winged Foot – East (Mamaroneck) [1]

Neither as long nor as tough as its illustrious West sibling, the East enjoys its own devoted fanbase for its variety and the encouraging manner in which ground game options are now presented. Great attention has been paid to the mow lines, with short tight fairway grass on the high side of the entrance to all the greens. The dirty secret at Winged Foot is that more than a few consider the 13th and 17th as the best par-3s on the property, an outlandish claim until you play them.

13. Piping Rock (Locust Valley) [1]

Fresh off his work at National Golf Links of America, C.B. Macdonald started adding to his repertoire of template designs at this golf-meets-Gatsby Long Island club. The Biarritz and Knoll holes made their debut here, for instance. Among architecture buffs, Piping Rock’s Knoll 13th with its raised green that falls off starkly on all sides remains its finest iteration. The front nine wraps around a former polo field while the back heads into the hillier portion of the property. The course is also home to one of Macdonald’s finest par 5s, the 6th, which features a bedeviling back plateau ringed by trouble.

14. The Creek (Locust Valley) [1]

An epic combination of parkland and seaside golf, this McDonald-Raynor classic serves up a greatest hits of the duo’s favorite design elements. After a solid but sedate tree-lined opening five holes, the course explodes into glory at the spectacular 6th, which plays into a famous reverse Redan green. From there, players hit down to Long Island Sound. Hole Nos. 10 through 14 wind through sand and water, an unforgettable trip to the beach highlighted by a massive island Biarritz green.

15. Glens Falls (Glens Falls) [1]

With so much content and information available in 2020, stumbling across a “hidden gem” has become progressively more difficult. Yet, this Ross course 30 minutes north of Saratoga Springs was off the radar as recently as five years ago. Situated between the Adirondacks and Green Mountains, the short par-4 5th with its “top hat” green through the par-3 9th to a Volcano green complex are as good a series of Ross holes as you’ll find. The excitement doesn’t let up with the course finishing with its penultimate hole across hilly land to a green in a saddle and a par-3 finisher played across the edge of a lake.

16. Sebonack (Southampton) [1]

In a pairing of unique talents, Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus teamed up to build this high-end, private course in one of the world’s most hallowed golf zip codes, next door to National Golf Links and Shinnecock Hills. The design reflects each man’s influence, including boldly contoured greens and rough-cut sandy hazards. While there’s no ignoring the prime locale, which offers several sweeping views of Great Peconic Bay, the elegance of holes like the uphill par-5 9th underscore the fact that Sebonack’s artistry could hold up anywhere.

17. Whippoorwill (Armonk)

18. St. George’s (Setauket)

19. Atlantic (Bridgehampton)

20. Wykagyl (New Rochelle)

21. Fenway (Scarsdale)

22. Oak Hill – West (Rochester)

23. Westchester – West (Westchester)

24. Monroe Golf Club (Monroe)

25. Hudson National (Croton-On-Hudson)

26. Century (Harrison)

27. Westhampton (Westhampton Beach)

28. Southampton (Southampton)

29. The Bridge (Bridgehampton)

30. Engineers (Glen Head)

SYMBOL GUIDE

1 = GOLF Top 100 Course in the U.S.
2 = GOLF Top 100 Course in the World
3 = GOLF Top 100 Resort
P = Resort/public golf course

Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.

Course spotlight: Atlantic (Bridgehampton), ranked No. 19 in New York. In one of the toughest markets in the world, Rees Jones set out to create an artificial golf course in a potato field. How many routings did the course have in the first few years? Bobby Ranum, the recently retired superintendent, could be the best I have ever seen. Bobby, along with the head pro and Rees, slowly evolved Atlantic over time, removing artificial mounding and adding central hazards that greatly increased strategy. Atlantic can now hold its head high in that very high-rent neighborhood. — GOLF Top 100 Course Rater

How we rank America’s best golf courses

For the newly released 2020-21 U.S. list, each panelist was provided a list of 489 courses. Beside that list of courses were 11 “buckets,” or groupings. If our panelists considered a course to be among the top three in the country, they ticked that box. If they believed the course to be among Nos. 4-10 in the U.S., they checked that box, followed by 11-25, 26-50, and so on.

Panelists were also free to write in courses that they felt should have been included on the ballot (we had fewer than a handful of such additions in the U.S. vote).

Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly. It is an intentionally simple and straightforward process. Why? Because it invariably produces results that are widely lauded. Like the game itself, there’s no need to unnecessarily overcomplicate things.

For much more on how we rate courses, click or tap here.

Meet our course raters

We empower and hold accountable a group of 97 well-traveled — and well-connected — golfers/aficionados, each capable of expressing their own sense of design excellence at the highest level. The group is seasoned and experienced — we look for raters who know what’s out there, what’s changing and what’s coming down the pike. And from judging posts across four continents, our panelists are positioned to place courses from different regions around the globe into proper context, one of the main reasons GOLF’s Top 100 Courses rankings are the most esteemed in the game.

Other ranking outlets employ thousands of raters. Our less-is-more approach creates a more meaningful and thoughtful list. Think about it: When you plan a golf trip, do you call every golfer you know for their take? No. You contact a handful of people whose opinions you value most.

Meet our full crew of panelists here.

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The Appeal of Golf in the Northeast | By Gil Hanse

The Northeast is where golf took root in this country and where so many of its historic moments took place: Bobby Jones’ grand slam, Francis Ouimet’s heroics in Brookline, Hogan’s 1-iron at Merion, the Massacre at Winged Foot. Are we Northeast golfers a touch stuffy, maybe a bit arrogant? Perhaps! But only because we have the greatest collection of courses in the country.

It started with the glaciers, which left behind heaving, golf-ready ground, rock outcroppings and sand — beautiful sand. The result, all these centuries later, is a rich and diverse collection of the finest examples of golf course architecture anywhere, from the parkland courses around New York, to the scruffy windblown coastal courses of Long Island, to the New England coast, to the pine barrens of New Jersey, to the farm fields of Pennsylvania 

When I close my eyes and think of golf in the Northeast, it is a crisp fall day, the leaves are changing and native grasses blowing in the wind. It is the idyllic American golfing landscape. 

The top 50 golf courses in the Northeast

1. Pine Valley — Pine Valley, N.J. (George Crump/H.S. Colt, 1918)

2. Shinnecock Hills — Southampton, N.Y. (Howard Toomey/William Flynn, 1931)

3. National Golf Links of America — Southampton, N.Y. (C.B. Madonald, 1911)

4. Oakmont — Oakmont, Pa. (Henry Fownes, 1903)

5. Merion — Ardmore, Pa. (Hugh Wilson, 1912)

6. Fishers Island — Fishers Island, N.Y. (Seth Raynor, 1926)

7. Friar’s Head — Baiting Hollow, N.Y. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2003)

8. Winged Foot (West) — Mamaroneck, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1923)

9. The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel) — Brookline, Mass. (TCC Members/Willie Campbell, 1899)

10. Somerset Hills — Bernardsville, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1918)

11. Garden City — Garden City, N.Y. (Devereaux Emmet, 1899/Walter Travis, 1906)

12. Maidstone — East Hampton, N.Y. (John Park/Willie Park Jr., 1922)

13. Bethpage Park (Black) — Farmingdale, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1935)

14. Sleepy Hollow — Scarborough, N.Y. (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1913/A.W. Tillinghast, 1929/Gil Hanse, 2017)

15. Quaker Ridge — Scarsdale, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1926)

16. Oak Hill (East) — Pittsford, N.Y. (Donald Ross, 1921/Andrew Green, 2020)

17. Myopia Hunt — So. Hamilton, Mass. (H.C. Leeds, 1898)

18. Winged Foot (East) — Mamaroneck, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1923)

19. Old Sandwich — Plymouth, Mass. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2004)

20. Eastward Ho! — Chatham, Mass. (Herbert Fowler, 1922)

21. Piping Rock — Locust Valley, N.Y. (C.B. Macdonald, 1911)

22. Plainfield — Plainfield, N.J. (Donald Ross, 1916)

23. Kittansett — Marion, Mass. (William Flynn/Fred Hood, 1922)

24. Pikewood National — Morgantown, W. Va. (J. Robert Gwynne/John Raese, 2009)

25. The Creek — Locust Valley, N.Y. (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1923)

26. Essex — Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. (Donald Ross, 1917)

27. Baltusrol (Lower) — Springfield, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1922)

28. Ridgewood (W/E) — Paramus, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1929)

29. Baltimore (Five Farms East) — Baltimore, Md. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1926)

30. Hollywood — Deal, N.J. (Walter Travis, 1915)

31. Newport — Newport, R.I. (William F. Davis, 1899/A.W. Tillinghast, 1924)

32. Glens Falls — Queensbury, N.Y. (Donald Ross, 1920)

33. Aronimink — Newton Square, Penn. (Donald Ross, 1928)

34. Mountain Ridge — West Caldwell, N.J. (Donald Ross, 1929)

35. Sebonack — Southampton, N.Y. (Jack Nicklaus/Tom Doak, 2006)

36. Baltusrol (Upper) — Springfield, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1922)

37. Philadelphia Cricket (Wissahickon) — Flourtown, Pa.

38. Fox Chapel — Pittsburgh, Pa.

39. Lancaster — Lancaster, Pa.

40. Whippoorwill — Armonk, N.Y.

41. Boston — Hingham, Mass.

42. St. George’s — East Setauket, N.Y.

43. Wannamoisett — Rumford, R.I.

44. Atlantic — Bridgehampton, N.Y.

45. Wykagyl — New Rochelle, N.Y.

46. Sankaty Head — Nantucket, Mass.

47. Pete Dye — Bridgeport, W. Va.

48. Congressional (Blue) — Bethesda, Md.

49. CC of Fairfield — Fairfield, Conn.

50. Huntingdon Valley — Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

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Maidstone, which takes its name from the original name of East Hampton, debuted as a beachy golf escape for high-society Manhattanites back in the late 1800s. All these years later, not much has changed. The golf holes are still sand- and wind-swept, and the club is still harder to get into than a supermax prison is to get out of. As the story goes, Groucho Marx was denied membership. So, too, was Diana Ross, even though her then-husband, a Norwegian shipping magnate, was an upstanding dues-payer.   

The great paradox of Maidstone, however, is that for all its Gatsby-grade exclusivity, it’s actually remarkably accessible to public eyes by way of the roadway that bisects it. I kind-of-sort-of remembered this from a long-ago visit but my memories of the place and its setting had faded. So, on a steamy morning I popped in my AirPods and set out toward town, vaguely in the direction of the club.

The opening stretch of my run took me down Mill Hill Lane, an utterly charming road lined with thatched roofs and a dense canopy of leaves. That led me to Main Street, where I hung a left, crossed at a stop sign and came upon a couple dozen folks taking in a service on lawn chairs (and in masks) in front of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. I kept chugging west, now on James Lane, toward what I thought was the club entrance, on Maidstone Lane. A left turn there took me down a long path that did indeed lead to the club, only the wrong part of it. A few passers-by dressed head to toe in white should have tipped me off. I had arrived at Maidstone’s tennis club.

As I backtracked, sweat was now streaming down my brow and my legs were feeling heavy; the Pinot from the night before wasn’t helping. Back on James Lane, I hung a right and headed back east. The next street over was Dunemere. Worth a shot, I thought.

Another right turn. For another quarter mile, still no signs of the course — until…was it? Yes! A fairway! There she was! Mighty Maidstone, No. 64 on GOLF’s Top Courses in the World list. I pressed onward, energized by the dunesy masterpiece on either side of me. Who needs Red Bull when the handiwork of Willie and Jack Park (with a 2013 update from Coore & Crenshaw!) can fill the same role? With each stride I took, the course slowly unveiled itself. The 2nd green to my left, the 3rd tee to my right and, just beside that, the dogleg-right 16th, which curls around a pond. As I stopped for a photo-op, a smirking biker zoomed by and waved.

I ran on, past the 2nd tee and to the intersection of Dunemere and Highway Beyond the Pond, where the pinched-in 17th green sits across the street from the green at the 1st. The course was bustling with golfers of all ages. Up near the 1st tee, the beachside clubhouse was in plain sight. Just west of me was the 18th tee and, just beyond that, the far end of the practice range. You can’t see all of Maidstone from the byways that run through it — certainly not the cabanas up by the sea or the pool by which members sip their Southsides — but you can get a feel for the place.  

For a closer look, I was tempted to venture down one of the dirt paths that connect the course to the roads but the No Trespassing signs gave me pause. Plus, I was more than three miles from my starting point now and the mercury was quickly rising. My tired bones needed to make a move for home.

The return trip got me thinking about other running/hiking/biking trails that give you a peek at some of American golf’s most hallowed grounds and toughest tees times. Driving by these courses is, of course, also an option, but running or walking gives you more time to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells (that salty air!), and to digest the nuances of the landscape. At the top of the list, surely, is 17-Mile Drive, which winds past Monterey Peninsula Club, Spyglass Hill and even gives you a glimpse of the fabled Alister MacKenzie design at Cypress Point Club. Farther south, the roadway offers glimpses of the glories of Pebble Beach. The downside: Who wants to run 17 miles?

Ardmore Street and Golf House Road, which run by and through Merion Golf Club, are a much more manageable jaunt. On Google Maps, I charted a 2.25-mile route that would give you an unobstructed look at the 1st and 2nd holes, plus much of the back nine. Burning calories as you relive Justin Rose’s stirring U.S. Open win? Even your Peleton can’t offer you that. Another U.S. Open venue, Oakmont Country Club, is famously divided by the Pennsylvania Turnpike but has two strikes against it: (1) it’s no fun running with 18-wheelers, and (2) the thoroughfare offers no views of the course because it sits beneath it.  

A couple of roads and trails that run through renowned public courses also come to mind: navigating Round Swamp Road affords you a great look at one of the hardest holes in golf, the par-4 15th at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park. On the other side of the country, Bandon Dunes serves up six miles of hiking trails that meander through four of its much-heralded courses. The most taxing of those traverses, the 2.4-mile Dunetrail, within Bandon Trails, rewards hikers and runners with a diverse medley of flora and fauna, ranging from Port Orford cedars to pileated woodpeckers.     

This past week, resting comfortably on my couch, I polled my colleagues for more of golf’s most thrilling arteries. (Golf Road, which runs parallel to the 18th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews, is the game’s road de resistance but, for the purposes of this exercise, we’re keeping things stateside.) East End Road, on Fishers Island, offers a fantastic view of a golf course even more exclusive than Maidstone: the Seth Raynor gem at Fishers Island Club. At the historic Field Club of Omaha, golfers must cross a public street — Woolworth Avenue —  four times during their rounds. The club has unsuccessfully lobbied the city to close parts of the road, claiming it has hurt the club’s ability to attract new members. For shame! What fun would closing it be for us sneakered snoopers?!

Tuckahoe Road runs directly past Shinnecock Hills’ clapboard clubhouse and offers a peek of not only the course at Shinnecock but also of the design at its vastly underrated neighbor, Southampton GC. Take Tuckahoe until you hit Sebonac Road. A left turn there will lead you to Shrubland Road, which takes you smack-dab through the southern end of the National Golf Links of America with views to Sebonack Golf Club.

The whole loop is about 4.2 miles, a journey you’ll not soon forget. (My colleague Michael Bamberger told me that for a magazine piece he wrote about NGL in the 1980s, the photographer assigned to the story snapped all of his pictures from, yep … the road.)

As for Washington Road, the commercial thoroughfare that borders Augusta National? Sadly, a run up that street won’t reveal even an inch of Augusta’s verdant fairways. But if golf-road hunters know where to look, they can sneak a look at something even better: Magnolia Lane.  

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Tournaments

Crenshaw’s design tastes (in lockstep with his partner, Bill Coore) have birthed some of golf’s greatest modern gems, from Sand Hills to Friar’s Head. But, personal preference aside, Crenshaw’s top 10 courses in the world share a unique perspective into his history, his creative inspiration and of course, his love for the game.

Ben Crenshaw’s Top 10 Courses in the World

1. The Old Course at St. Andrews — St. Andrews, Scotland

2. Royal Melbourne — Melbourne, Australia

3. Augusta National Golf Club — Augusta, Ga.

4. Pine Valley — Pine Valley, N.J.

5. National Golf Links of America — Southampton, N.Y.

6. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club — Southampton, N.Y.

7. Kingston Heath — Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia

8. Cypress Point — Pebble Beach, Calif.

9. Chicago Golf Club — Wheaton, Ill.

10. Pinehurst No. 2 — Pinehurst, N.C.

To see how GOLF rated all of these courses, check out our definitive 2020-21 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the World.

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Many golf course enthusiasts argue that the more width a hole has, the more opportunity for strategy. While logic would suggest a “narrows” hole would go against that credo, most of the holes still have ample width to allow their strategy to shine through.

The hole’s namesake comes from two bunkers that pinch in from each side of the fairway, giving the hole a narrowing effect. There’s lots of variation with these bunkers, but the original comes from the par-4 15th at Muirfield in Scotland, and its “twin bunkers.” Not every hole that can be categorized as narrows plays quite like No. 15 at Muirfield or has two bunkers with the same design. There is perhaps more variance in this template than any other as it is also quite rare.

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The second important part of a narrows hole is deception short of the green. On the original at Muirfield and on Macdonald’s first attempt at NGLA, this is in the form of a centerline bunker 30-40 yards short of the green. From the view of the approach shot, it appears as though an aerial approach is the only option, as the bunker looks like it sits just in front of the green. But in reality, there’s plenty of room past the bunker to land a running shot short of the green. This deception isn’t always done with a bunker, but it is the most common way.

So, where is the original?

Well, that’s sort of a difficult question. In a 1906 edition of Outing Magazine, C.B. Macdonald described a narrows hole as, “composite first shot of the 14th at North Berwick, with green and bunker guards like the 15th at Muirfield.”

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In truth, most of the template seems to come from the 15th at Muirfield. Their website’s description of the hole tells you all you need to know about the strategy. “This is another hole where you want to hit a driver, but the smarter play is probably a long iron short of the bunkers which protect either side.”

If you go for it with driver, there is a slope that will give you extra distance. A little further down are the twin bunkers. Then, there’s a centerline bunker 30 yards out from the green. In his design, Macdonald took the elements of Muirfield’s hole and reimagined them to be an even stouter strategic test.

What strategy should I use?

Because there are so few narrows holes, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ strategy here. That being said, narrows holes typically demand a decision between taking on the bunkers by playing driver and laying back for a longer approach. Your decision should be made based on your driving accuracy. But remember, laying back might not be as bad a penalty as you first imagined.

Most narrows holes feature a green that slopes from back to front, so going long leaves you dead, while staying short makes for a much easier chance at getting up and down.

Where are some other narrows holes?

No. 15, National Golf Links of America

The staple of this template is, to no surprise, another C.B. Macdonald hole at National Golf Links of America. Macdonald built his version of the Narrows template as a 419-yard par-4 at the beginning of the finishing stretch. Macdonald shrunk the hole from the original so that players would have to contend with the twin bunkers on their tee shot. The hole is heavily bunkered on both sides in the fairway and around the green. The hole also features the centerline bunker 50-60 yards out from the green which slopes from back to front. Missing long here is a player’s worst nightmare with bunkers behind the hole and the green sloping away from you. Don’t let the centerline bunker deceive you into hitting too much club.

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No. 6, Metairie Country Club

An original Seth Raynor design in Louisiana, No. 6 on Metairie is another example of a narrows. Playing 370 yards at its longest, this hole also has bunkers on either side of the fairway, making driver a risky play. There are bunkers guarding each side of the green and some water comes into play as well. There is no centerline bunker short of the green, but the strategy of the hole is similar to all the others.

No. 2, Forsgate Country Club

One final rendition of a narrows hole is the second at the Banks Course at Forsgate Country Club. Designed by Charles Banks, this hole plays 420 yards from the back tees, mostly straight away. There is a fairway bunker on each side, slightly offset from one another. But instead of the centerline bunker, there is a big valley in the fairway before it rises back up to the green. The green is guarded on both sides by large bunkers, penalizing any miss left or right. While straying from the original, this hole makes great use of the template ideas.

Editor’s note: The photo in this story has been updated to show Muirfield in Scotland, not Muirfield Village in Ohio.

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The post Is this the perfect par 4? A coastal-clinger that tests your courage off the tee appeared first on Golf.

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Previous finalist spotlights: Todd Bramwell, Bryan Orellana, Trevor Hansen, Arno Kamphuis, Keith Maysley, Daniele Smith, Chance Williams, Tim Bailey

DESIGNER: GRANT LAU

Age: 18
Residence: Toronto, Canada
Occupation: Engineering science student at the University of Toronto
Handicap: Scratch
Been playing golf for: I started playing when I was 8; I played competitive junior golf and am now a member of the University of Toronto golf team.

Favorite course you’ve played: Cabot Cliffs. The scale is unbelievable but even the holes that aren’t set on cliffs have unique design features that make them equally as compelling.

Course you’d most like to play that you haven’t: National Golf Links of America. I’ve never played a MacDonald and from looking at pictures and reading reviews I think it ought to be considered more seriously as the best in the U.S. with Augusta, Cypress and Pine Valley.

Ever designed a golf hole before? I’ve only ever done sketches of golf holes — but, yes, I’ve done many sketches over the past few years.

Time spent on your design? About six hours. I had the concept already as part of a larger nine hole plan. Most of the time was spent reworking the details and getting it on google earth.

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Please explain your creative process.

The original 9-hole concept (pictured above) was inspired by two videos, which you can watch below. Hole 7 seemed fairly apparent when looking at the coastline. I’m pretty comfortable drawing plan views but I’m not very good at doing perspective sketches so image overlay with elevation on Google Earth was a revelation. With Earth, you can move around and get a sense for how your designs will look/play. Additionally, because you can’t modify the elevation, the medium is essentially forcing you to take a minimalist design approach, which I like.

I became interested in golf course architecture through competitive golf and from playing different courses while on vacation. I’ve only ever done sketches of golf holes but would love to get involved in an actual design project in the future. I think course design could use some more radical concepts to guarantee the sport’s viability long term. I’m a fan of Tom Doak’s reversible course and the sub 18 holes stuff that Edwin Roald has been pushing.

My crazy idea would be to cut a continuous path/paths at fairway height and width and just insert pins onto the fairway in different locations. This results in massive setup flexibility would save maintenance costs on the greens and requires few bunkers. If you only have space for six holes, but they can all take three different forms then you have something that feels much bigger. Plus, we used to putt on slow greens anyways — the turf just needs to be contoured and firm enough to make the course strategic. Aside from that, being in Engineering Science, I am a proponent any software/math integrations into the golf design industry.

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NEWSLETTER

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The par-4 3rd at the National Golf Links of America. The tee box is in the bottom right of the photo.

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The tee shot presents multiple risk-reward options.

Tim Gallant

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Bolder tee shots are rewarded with a better look at the green.

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Those who successfully clear the large bunker guarding the right side of the fairway are rewarded with a shorter approach shot. But there is still ample room for the rabbit to play a safe shot to the left, and instead of having to ascend the hill — where scrub and rough await all but the purest of strikes — he or she can play safely around the hill in three shots and still have a chance at a par.

Once on the putting surface, the task is no less challenging, as the green has some of the best contours that can be found on a par-4 of this length. Simply sublime.

If you get over the bunker on your drive you are in luck, but the approach from here isn't easy either.

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The post The secret next door: One of Long Island’s most underrated courses abuts Shinnecock Hills appeared first on Golf.

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That’s because they’ve played Friar’s Head, a 2002 Coore-Crenshaw course with a 1902 vibe. (No distance markers, no cart paths, no hot-dog stands.) And the odd-couple Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus collaboration, Sebonack, with its million-dollar views of Peconic Bay — and its $1 million initiation fee. They of course know the C.B. Macdonald masterwork next to it, the National Golf Links of America. There’s the Westhampton Country Club in Westhampton Beach, the Maidstone Club in East Hampton and the Atlantic Golf Club in between them.

And then there’s the one the working locals know best, the unassuming Southampton Golf Club, which abuts Shinnecock, with a course built by Seth Raynor, design god and native Long Islander. Its fairways sweep and swoop, its bunkers are real hazards filled with heavy beach sand and its greens are wild, named (Redan, Biarritz) and alive. Shinnecock, to use two enduring catchphrases from the late Tom Wolfe, is a colony of “social X-rays” and “Masters of the Universe.” But it’s the folks at Southampton — the contractors, restaurant owners, volunteer firefighters and course superintendents — who keep eastern Long Island running.

Say what you will about greater Pebble Beach and greater Myrtle Beach, there’s no place in the United States with more golf-course magic per hectare than eastern Long Island. There’s one fundamental reason why Shinnecock and Southampton and these other courses are so good. Let me take a page here from Johnny Drama, the resident philosopher (and golf nut) in Entourage, who once noted that what makes the New York bagel is the water from Borough Park, in Brooklyn. What makes these East End courses is their soil, loamy and porous, about what you find on the East Coast of Scotland. (Take a good look at the divots at Carnoustie.) Yes, getting on these Long Island courses is a tricky business. But for the lucky few…

Enter Bruce Zabriski, 60, the son of a carpenter who learned the game as a caddie and range-picker at Southampton. He’s a local legend, the winner of four Long Island Opens. As a Florida club pro, his bosses have included Donald Trump, who once tried to buy the land on which Sebonack now sits, and Raymond Floyd, winner of the 1986 Open at Shinnecock. (Bruce was in the field that week.) Now he works at PGA National, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. It’s fine. It’s residential golf and resort golf. It’s cart golf. Once a year, for the Honda Classic, it’s golf-on-TV.

But in his Long Island boyhood, Bruce played the primitive, cross-country ball-and-stick game of our ancestors. That is, golf over rough terrain, through the wind, on foot. Here’s a verbal map of the 24-hole course that Bruce and his golf-nut friends invented for their Monday outings in the early 1970s:

“We’d start at Southampton and play one through six. Then we’d cut through a hedge, drop balls in the middle of 12 fairway at Shinnecock and play through 18, plus one and two. Then we’d walk a path past a few trees, wind up at National and play 10 through 18 there. My father would be there to pick us up. He’d be waiting at the entrance gate, in his blue Rambler station wagon, with his tools in the back. Sometimes he’d have cans of Orange Fanta for us.”

Butch Armusewicz, the president/czar of the Southampton Golf Club for the last 25 years, was playing with Bruce nearly four decades ago at Southampton when Bruce shot a course-record 61. Butch’s father, who got him started in the flooring business, joined the club in ’38. At Southampton, nobody cares if your ancestors arrived on the Mayflower. The common bond, Butch told me, has always been devotion to golf.

He gave me a tour of his course on a raw, windy Wednesday in April. Still, there was a group on almost every hole, most of the players were walking and carrying, and a few of them were wearing shorts.

“Gimme a call when you’re ready to play,” one golfer bellowed in Butch’s direction.

“I’ll call you if I need some money,” Butch bellowed back.

Later that day, I did drive-bys on Shinnecock and National. Shinnecock was a construction site, with the Open coming. The flagsticks were in at National, but the course was empty.

Years ago, on the European Tour, Bruce would sometimes room with an old boss of mine, Peter Teravainen. They were both broke. Bruce likes to say that Peter’s Dopp kit was a bar of soap. Bruce got it. They were workingman golfers. When I asked Bruce to name his favorite course on eastern Long Island, he didn’t hesitate: Southampton G.C. “The members there passed the hat to give me a shot on Tour,” he told me. “I played Jack Nicklaus there, every single night.”

Shinnecock Hills, he’ll tell you, is very good, too.

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