From Court to Course: Great Golf Near the U.S. Open

September 8, 2014

The U.S. Open Tennis Championship is winding down in Flushing Meadows, New York, highlighted by a stellar women’s singles final on Sunday featuring Selena Williams defeating Caroline Wozniacki, and No. 10 Kei Nishikori and No. 14 Marin Cilic battling it out today in a surprising men’s singles final match-up. The New York area also offers a number of great golf courses, including these five found on GolfNow, to play after the on-court action is done.

Forest Park Golf Course (Woodhaven, N.Y.) – Set in the heart of Queens, Forest Park Golf Course designed by Tom Bendelo (1896) and redesigned by Stephen Kay (1995) is just over 6,000 yards and pretty tight with tree-lined fairways and some water. It gets a lot of play from area golfers, so it can show signs of wear. Still, Forest Park is a good play for higher handicappers while all levels can be challenged by some very sound holes.

 

Dyker Beach Golf Course (Brooklyn, N.Y.) – Near the site of the largest battle of the American Revolution, the Battle of Brooklyn and one of the oldest courses in New York, Dyker Beach Golf Course is built on relatively flat ground. At just about 6,400 yards, it lies in the middle of the city and in the shadows of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. While the layout is pretty straightforward, Dyker Beach is an enjoyable historical track that’s been around since 1890.

Lazy Swan Golf & Country Club Village (Saugerties, N.Y.) – Located just five minutes off exit 20 on the New York State Thruway, Lazy Swan Golf & Country Club was designed by Architect Barry Jordan, a Donald Ross enthusiast. Crafting the course in the spirit of the old master, golfers encounter roll-up greens, well-positioned bunkers, cascading reflection pools, rock outcroppings, elevation changes, an alpine garden and views of the Catskill Mountains. Lazy Swan’s country club holds many events in several attractive venues, including Vivo and Raw Bistro, featuring open verandas.

Pound Ridge Golf Club (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) – When it opened in 2008, GOLF Magazine named Pound Ridge Golf Club the “No. 1 U.S. Open-worthy Public Course.” Set in toney Westchester County, this course, a $40 million collaboration between Pete Dye and son, Perry, is carved out of rock and woods. Enormous boulders, sheer rock faces and 14,000 feet of stonewalls punctuate rolling fairways. It can play tough but for those looking for a high-end golf experience on a designer course, Pound Ridge is the one to play. Although the course is in an area of pricey estates, there are no hotels or houses lining the fairways. Pound Ridge is all about the game.

 

Patriot Hills Golf Club (Stony Point, N.Y.) – Stony Point Battlefield, the site of a hotly contended battle between the British and the Patriots during the Revolutionary War, is now the place where golfers battle for birdies on Patriot Hills Golf Club. Set on 195 acres and designed by Rick Jacobson (2003), Patriot Hills reveals magnificent views of the Hudson River and the Palisade Hills. Thick-grassed roughs and deep bunkers can be brutal and Bentgrass greens make for some lightning rides up and over the rolling surfaces. There are some sizable distances between holes and steep ups and downs, so don’t even think of walking. The front nine challenges long hitters while the back nine is crafted for target shooters.

 

Featured image of Arthur Ashe Stadium courtesy of Shutterstock.