The Best Golf Courses in New York: The Empire State's Best 18
New York's golf landscape is concentrated on Long Island — the flat glacial outwash plain that extends from Queens to Montauk contains more distinguished golf courses per square mile than almost any comparable area in America outside the Monterey Peninsula. The combination of historic private clubs, the most famous public course in the country, and the Southampton-Hamptons corridor creates a golf ecosystem unlike any other in the Northeast.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club — Southampton
Shinnecock Hills is the most architecturally significant golf course in America. Founded in 1891, it is one of the five founding clubs of the USGA and the site of the second US Open in 1896. The course plays across the rolling treeless terrain of Southampton with the Atlantic wind always a factor and natural fescue rough that punishes anything offline. It has hosted the US Open in 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004, and 2018. It is private and effectively inaccessible without a member connection.
National Golf Links of America — Southampton
Charles Blair Macdonald designed the National Golf Links in 1911 as his attempt to bring the great template holes of British golf — the Redan, the Alps, the Eden, the Road Hole — to American terrain. The course is one of the most historically important in American golf architecture and consistently ranks among the top ten courses in the country. It is one of the most exclusive private clubs in America.
Bethpage State Park Black Course — Bethpage
The most important public golf course in America. Bethpage Black has hosted two US Opens, a PGA Championship, and a Ryder Cup. It costs less than $100 to play on weekdays. It is the most significant demonstration that championship-quality golf can be public golf. See the complete guide for booking information.
Garden City Golf Club — Garden City
Garden City Golf Club is one of the oldest clubs in America, founded in 1899. The course, redesigned by Devereux Emmet, has hosted several significant USGA events. It is private but consistently cited among the best courses on Long Island outside the Southampton corridor.
Winged Foot Golf Club — Mamaroneck
Winged Foot Golf Club in Westchester County has two courses (East and West) designed by A.W. Tillinghast. The West Course has hosted six US Opens, including the 2020 US Open (Bryson DeChambeau). It is private and one of the most difficult championship layouts in American golf. The greens are among the most demanding in the US Open rotation — small, severely sloped, and requiring precise approach shot placement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous golf course in New York?
Shinnecock Hills is the most architecturally significant and historically important course in New York. Bethpage Black is the most famous public course. Winged Foot is the most famous US Open venue in the state.
Can you play Shinnecock Hills?
Shinnecock Hills is a private members club with no outside play available. Access requires a member invitation. It is among the most exclusive clubs in America.