There is no doubt that playing golf in New York has to be on most avid golfers’ bucket list. Am opportunity to play some of the best golf courses in New York would appeal to many golfers.
The famous courses create the opportunity to experience what the top players in the world encounter day after day.
Selecting the 10 best courses in New York has proved to be a very difficult assignment.
This task has been eased with a collaboration with TheGrint, our favorite mobile app that helps golfers track their handicap and stats. They have collected golf course reviews from millions of real golf rounds from real golfers.
Ranking in order 1 to 10
- Sebonack Golf Club
- Hudson National Golf Club
- Winged Foot Golf Club | West
- Bethpage State Park | Black
- Turning Stone Resort | Atunyote
- En-Joie Golf Club
- Engineers Country Club
- Peek n Peak golf Course | Upper
- Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club
- Saratoga National Golf Club | Saratoga National
1. Sebonack Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Southampton, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,887 meters off the Tips and 5,858 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
3 tees options available.
Signature Hole – The majestic 521-meter par 5 18th is the signature hole and runs along the sea.
7 bunkers are strewn within the hole with 4 green-side bunkers lurking for the stray approach to the kidney-shaped green.
The views can be a distraction.
The golf course is fashioned into the original wild terrain using the natural contours throughout the layout.
Rolling fairways, expansive bunkers, and waste dunes offer resistance on the course and the undulating greens are tricky.
A variety of challenging holes keeps the concentration level up.
The swales and burrows add interest to the putting surfaces.
The panoramic views of long island Great Peconic Bay and Cold Spring Pond are breathtaking.
2. Hudson National Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Croton on Hudson, New York.
- Par: 70
- Length: 6,537 meters off the Tips and 5,398 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
4 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 393-meter par4 5th is the signature hole on a course that many other holes could take the award.
The Hudson River stands at your back on the tee and this long 4 requires shot-placement if not attacking the green for the 2nd.
A layup area short of the large green offers a chance for an up and down.
Hudson National is a Golden Era traditional design course with great views of the Hudson River.
Magnificent holes are routed through the high elevation landscape with large granite outcrops adding to the scenic value and the challenge.
The sculpted bunkers and a variety of colored fescue grass frame the holes with large trees as the backdrops.
The vertical-faced bunkers are treacherous and the greens play true.
A fun course for all skill levels.
3. Winged Foot Golf Club | West
- Site Link
- Location: Mamaroneck, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,788 meters off the Tips and 6,350 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
2 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 177-meter par 3 10th is the signature hole and named the “Pulpit”.
Played to a sharply inclined green with deep bunkers, Ben Hogan’s famous remark rings true: It is a 3-iron into a house bedroom window”, referring to a house that sits just behind the green.
Winged Foot has a history of hosting national championship golf on both courses.
The parkland layout is as beautiful as it is difficult.
The green complexes are extremely testing and require accuracy on approach shots.
Leaving a ball on the wrong side of the hole will inevitably result in a 3 or 4 putt!
Doglegs both ways, double doglegs, and the strategically placed bunkers and trees will test the skill level of all who play here.
If given the opportunity to play, make sure you accept and enjoy an experience of a lifetime.
4. Bethpage State Park | Black
- Site Link
- Location: Farmingdale, New York.
- Par: 71
- Length: 6,752 meters off the Tips and 6,110 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
2 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 473-meter par 5 4th is the signature hole.
It plays uphill and is a double dogleg that has bunkers crisscrossing the tree-framed fairway.
Making par here is an achievement.
Bethpage Black is a public course rated near the top of the greatest 100 courses in the USA in 2019-20.
The track is not for the faint-hearted, with tough rough, sculpted bunkers, plateau greens, and narrow fairways.
It is a really difficult and penal course and even the good amateur should play from the front tees in order not to get “beaten up”.
5. Turning Stone Resort | Atunyote
- Site Link
- Location: Verona, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,140 meters off the Tips and 5,123 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
4 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 210-meter par 3 11th is the signature hole and plays over water to the green.
Hit it right and reload another ball. A bunker short and a stream running behind on the right must be avoided.
A lengthy par 3 for most.
A parkland layout on flat terrain with generous fairways, plenty of white sand bunkers, and water hazards.
Although flat there are no gimmicky holes on the course, just a solid test of golf skill throughout.
It is an easy walk and the waterfalls provide a picturesque setting.
6. En-Joie Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Endicott, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,033 meters off the Tips and 4,369 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
4 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 395-meter par 4 15th is the signature hole and solid play is required to make par.
The stroke index of 2 suggests an accurate 2nd shot to the sloping green, which will eliminate the dreaded 3 putts.
A tour tested championship course nestled between low rolling hills and the Susquehanna River.
An old-school type course where every hole presents a challenge and is a shot-makers dream.
This public track has no gimmicks and the green complexes are interesting, to say the least.
Severe undulations and slopes will test the putting nerves.
7. Engineers Country Club
- Site Link
- Location: Roslyn, New York.
- Par: 71
- Length: 6,220 meters off the Tips and 5,722 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 82-meter par 3 14th is the signature hole and named: 2 or 20.
The hole is surrounded by thick fescue grass and a miss on either side creates major difficulty to scramble par.
2 or 20 relates to the many shots recorded by some big names in the game.
The golf course was based on some fine Scottish Golf Courses over the years and presents a formidable challenge to all skill levels.
Doglegs, exceptional bunker configurations, and tree-lined fairways require all the clubs in the bag, and good shots are rewarded.
The beautiful large bold green complexes represent the largest putting surfaces on Long Island.
Talk to the flat stick!
8. Peek n Peak Golf Course | Upper
- Site Link
- Location: Clymer, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,452 meters off the Tips and 5,526 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 315-meter drivable par 4 3rd is my choice of signature hole and plays straight down the hill from the tee.
Bunkers protect the entrance to the 2-tiered green and the tree-lined fairway plays through the green.
Hit it straight or a big number is staring you in the face!
The course currently hosts a Nationwide Tour event every year and plays slightly shorter than the distance presents.
Shot placement is rewarded over brute strength and the rough is penal.
Massive elevation changes, creeks, and good bunker placement offer some attacking holes, but numbers can run high if inaccurate.
The undulating greens require pace management with the putter.
9. Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Clymer, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,413 meters off the Tips and 5,787 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
3 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 534-meter par 5 5th is the signature hole and the extremely narrow fairway requires accuracy off the tee.
Woods protect the left side and fescue grass the right.
A genuine 3 -shotter for most, lay up to the favorite distance and wedge it close.
Named to protect the presence of rare and protected Shellbark Hickory trees on site, the course meanders through a magnificent setting for golf.
The topography, mature trees and tranquil lakes, and native plants and grass create the challenge that all skill levels will enjoy and can play.
Open to the public for a daily fee play.
10. Saratoga National Golf Club | Saratoga National
- Site Link
- Location: Saratoga Springs, New York.
- Par: 72
- Length: 6,641 meters off the Tips and 5,194 meters off the Front.
PLAYER RATING
4 tee options available.
Signature Hole – The 177-meter par 3 15th is the signature hole and plays to a peninsula green, with a huge lake backdrop.
2 bunkers protect the front of the green which is 45-meters long and slopes from back to front.
Pull the right club!
To play Saratoga National well requires patience and accuracy off the tee.
Forced carries over streams and natural grasses will intimidate a few, but the driver is the key to success to score well.
Well designed bunkers line the tree-lined fairways and green complexes throughout the layout.
The sloping greens present a tough challenge.
Other Courses Outside the Top 10
1. Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Park
- Site Link
- Location: Bronx, New York.
PLAYER RATING
A Jack Nicklaus designed links-style course which encapsulates the dramatic and spectacular Manhattan skyline.
Won many awards and if links golf is your fancy, then this is a must-play.
2. Bristol Harbour Golf Club
- Site Link
- Location: Canandaigua, New York.
PLAYER RATING
A resort-type course situated along the shores of the Canandaigua Lake and in Finger Lakes wine country.
The layout offers two distinct 9s as the first displays lakefront views and the back 9 plays through the forest.
3. Turning Stone Resort | Shenandoah
- SiteLink
- Location: Verona, New York.
PLAYER RATING
A scenic landscape with tall sugar maples throughout the layout.
Water is ever-present on the course and doglegs, white sand bunkers, strategically placed, make for a great challenge for all skill levels.
Final Thoughts
Any opportunity to play some of the over 900 courses on offer in the State, should test the ability and skill of all golfers.
The fun and enjoyment elements will certainly be satisfied.
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Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
