NYC Golf Courses: Where To Golf In The Big Apple

August 25, 2017

 

For those visiting the Big Apple, Golf might not come to mind the same way that the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Broadway or Fifth Avenue do, but the scene there is better than you might think – especially when you get off the island of Manhattan and explore the surrounding boroughs and counties. No matter the situation, the best NYC golf courses have something to offer for everyone.

 

Of course, any discussion of New York City area golf has to begin on Long Island with Bethpage State Park, which offers five courses and is arguably the best municipal golf complex in the country. It starts with Bethpage Black, the venerable U.S. Open and PGA Tour course (and future host site for the PGA Championship in 2019 and Ryder Cup in 2024) renovated by Rees Jones prior to its first U.S. Open in 2002 and again in 2008. It’s also one the most difficult courses anyone can play. In fact, there’s a sign on the property that warns golfers who are not “highly skilled” to basically not play it – which is fine, because the other four courses on the property, particularly the Blue and Red, are also outstanding and share the same DNA of the great course architect A.W. Tillinghast.  And while the Black Course costs $165 for outsiders to play, the rest of the lineup is very affordable.

 

But Bethpage is hardly the only public option in the New York City area. Golfers can find an upscale links experience in the Bronx at Trump Ferry Point—located next to the Whitestone Bridge—with panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the course is certainly challenging and features a memorable finishing stretch. At upwards of $225 for visitors it’s a little pricey, but much easier to get on than Bethpage Black. Of course, Dyker Beach Golf Course (see pictured) is a great option in Brooklyn, with great views of the Brooklyn bridge.

 

To the north of the city is Westchester County, which is known more for its high-end private facilities like Winged Foot, Quaker Ridge, Trump National and Westchester Country Club, but there’s a good public golf scene as well. Hudson Hills Golf Course, located in Ossining in the northern part of the county, is the crown jewel. Designed by Mark Mungeam, the course was built on what was once grounds of the old private Pine Ridge and has a country-club feel to it. In fact, it draws a lot of private club golfers on Mondays when their regular clubs are closed. Others in the county include 114-year-old Dunwoodie Golf Course in the city of Yonkers, Maple Moor Golf Course in White Plains, Sprain Lake Golf Course in Yonkers, Saxon Woods Golf Course in Scarsdale, and Mohansic Golf Course in Yorktown Heights, which opened in 1925 and, like all these courses, has undergone extensive renovations over the years.

 

As for the boroughs, you could argue that Queens has the most public golf access with the best rates in the New York City region; there’s even a lighted par-3 course in Flushing Meadows. As for the championship layouts in Queens, they include Douglaston Golf Course, Forest Park Golf Course, Clearview Park Golf Course (the city’s busiest) and Kissena Golf Course, which is also located in Flushing Meadows next to Citi Field, home of the New York Mets baseball team.

 

Of course, there is no better place to be a well-connected golfer than in and around New York City. Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links and Fishers Island Golf Club are just a handful of over a dozen prestigious and private clubs. Best of all, when you’re finished exploring NYC golf courses, all you have to do is step out to explore all the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps.