Golfing in the New York City area
If you’re coming to New York for a golf vacation, you probably got on the wrong plane. Unless you’ve got an in at the private clubs (the New York area probably has more great private courses than any place in the country), it’s not a great area for golf. But if you must play while you’re here and don’t know any members of Winged Foot or Shinnecock, here’s some suggestions:
Best Upscale Public
Centennial is a 27-hole semi private facility in Carmel, NY - about an hour drive from Manhattan in light traffic. It may sound far but it’s hard to find a decent public course without driving at least 30-45 minutes; at that point, the extra 20 minutes is worth it for a good course. Centennial is a great layout with good conditions and good management. With 3 nines and a location far enough from the city, it’s usually possible to get a tee time, even on short notice. The peak rate is up to $135 but they also have pretty reasonable twilight (which generously starts fairly early in the afternoon) and off-season rates.
Billed as the only public Jack Nicklaus-designed course in the area, Mansion Ridge is a very nice facility. It’s a semi-private course which actually tries to make its “members†feel like they’re getting something for their money and that feeling carries over to make you feel a bit like you’re at a private club; it’s a well-conditioned, well-run facility. The mountain-style layout is fairly challenging and the scenery is great. Like everything else it is about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, but close to the Woodbury Commons outlet Mall. Peak greens fees run about $140.
Good Mid-Priced Options
In 1939, Lido Golf Club was chosen by a panel of golf experts as the 41st greatest golf course in the world, ahead of such venerable sites as Carnoustie, Bethpage, Oakland Hills, Olympia Fields, MidOcean, Brookline and Maidstone. (By the way, Timber Point on Eastern Long Island was voted #12, wedged right between Augusta and Oakmont; it’s now a Suffolk County public which costs less than $50 to play). Today, Lido costs about $50 to play and it’s well worth it. Though it is very much a public golf course and certainly has “local flavor,†the layout is great. You get a Robert Trent Jones links style course with holes on the water on Long Island (without paying $650,000 to join Sebonac). The course could use a little TLC, but every time I play, I think, “God ain’t making any more of this.†Weekend afternoons can be slow. Only 45 minutes from Manhattan.
Berkshire Valley is one of the nicest municipal golf courses I’ve ever played (never played Torrey Pines, but I have played Bethpage Black), it’s simply one of the best courses (period) within an hour’s drive of New York. It’s a great layout with fantastic scenery and excellent conditions. Like one of the top courses at nearby Crystal Springs but ½ the price. The only problem is trying to get a tee time.
One of the best kept secrets in New Jersey, Skyview Golf has been voted the most scenic golf course in the state. On top of that, it’s an interesting mountain layout with excellent conditions for a public course and reasonable rates. The front 9 is very challenging (you’ll score better on the back) including the crazy par-5 4th, which you may hate but it’s only one hole.
The Closest
Rivervale Country Club (aka Bergen Hills Country Club)
Despite an identity crisis – I have no idea why it has two names), Rivervale Country Club is a good option if you have limited time. It is probably the closest, decent course to Manhattan. Rivervale is a bit pricey (peak rate is in excess of $100) but you’re paying for the proximity to the city; midweek afternoon rates are much more reasonable. It’s a tight, well-maintained layout which has the feel of some of the private clubs in the area.
Hey, it’s golf. Just over the border in Yonkers, this Westchester county public course is only a 20-minute drive from the Upper East Side. Though a bit on the short side, it is an interesting old-style layout on a great piece of property – bordered by water and in between the Northbound and Southbound lanes of the Sprain Brook Parkway. It’s quite inexpensive and is typically quite accommodating for last-minute tee times.
Pelham - Split Rock GC is New York City’s only 36 hole facility. Both courses are located in Pelham Bay Park (NYC’s largest park) in the Bronx, lying east of Co-Op City and just south of Westchester County. They’re ok. The Pelham Course was built in 1901 and is a links-style layout. Pelham’s sister course, Split Rock, is the “championship†layout and the better of the two. The courses are now managed by American Golf and there are plans underway to invest money in a new clubhouse and make other improvements. These courses are really close by, but it is still golf in the Bronx after all.
About our Golf Editor:
Jay Weiss is a lifelong New Yorker. He is an 8-handicap who lives in Manhattan. He is not a member of a private club, so he’s played most of the courses in the New York area.
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