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For every great course that made GOLF’s 2020-21 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S., dozens of more must-plays were left on the outside looking in — including at least a handful in your home state. Some of these designs just missed out on a Top 100 nomination, others finished deeper down the ranking, but all are worthy of your time. To shed light on the best courses in every state, we broke out the full results of our Top 100 Courses polling into state-by-state lists. Here’s a closer look at New York.

New York golf by the numbers:

Number of courses and U.S. rank: 832 (5)*
Number of golfers per capita rank: 23*
Average public-course greens fees: $$ out of $$$*
Average daily temp and rank: 45.4 (37)
Annual precipitation and rank: 41.8 in. (25)

*Source: National Golf Foundation

Best New York golf courses (2020/2021)

1. Shinnecock Hills (Southampton) [1, 2]

Venue for five U.S. Opens since 1986, most recently in 2018, this is William Flynn’s undisputed design masterpiece. Apart from being handed a magnificent piece of land upon which to work, Flynn was given something else nearly as valuable: time. Work commenced in 1928 and the course didn’t open until 1931. True, the Great Depression commenced during construction but the grace with which the holes flow across the property is a tribute to the hands-on, slow-build process.

2. National Golf Links of America (Southampton) [1, 2]

NGLA, or “National,” as it’s known, brought Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald together for the first time and what they created still stands as a marvel of strategic design. Some of its template holes, including the Alps 3rd, the Redan 4th, the Short 6th and the Leven 17th, are arguably superior to their namesake holes in the United Kingdom that Macdonald copied. Legendary golf writer Bernard Darwin summed it up nicely when he opined, “The National Links is a truly great course; even as I write I feel my allegiance to Westward Ho!, to Hoylake, to St. Andrews tottering to its fall.”

3. Fishers Island (Fishers Island) [1, 2]

Accessible by ferry or air, this exclusive retreat off the Connecticut coast is populated by the oldest of the Old Money crowd, many of whom still enjoy hoofing it. Why wouldn’t they, given the classic Seth Raynor design that tracks along the island’s northeast edge, the delightful tumbling terrain and the spectacular views of Long Island Sound. Are the 3rd, 4th and 5th holes as intoxicating as any three consecutive holes on this list? It’s a question worth considering.

4. Friar’s Head (Riverhead) [1, 2]

Tree-dotted dunes, open meadows and bluff-top views of Long Island Sound highlight play at this 2003 Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design. Phil Mickelson opined that it is his favorite modern course. Holes such as the par-5 14th call to mind an East Coast version of Cypress Point. Constant refinements, no matter how small, have helped this course continually power up the rankings. From a presentation perspective, few courses are as dialed-in.

5. Winged Foot – West (Mamaroneck) [1, 2]

Hale Irwin survived the 1974 “Massacre at Winged Foot” U.S. Open to win at seven over par. Geoff Ogilvy didn’t fare much better in 2006, when his five-over total took home the trophy. Mark Brooks, 1996 PGA champion, summed up this Golden Age A.W. Tillinghast design this way: “There are probably six hard holes, six really hard holes and six impossible holes.” Frighteningly contoured, pear-shaped greens, cavernous bunkers and a procession of rugged par-4s define the trouble here. On a “difficulty” scale of 1 to 10, Jack Nicklaus once rated the West course a 12. That said, Gil Hanse’s recent, stunning expansion of all the green pads has brought back an element of creativity with which few parkland courses can contend, all of which was on display at the 2020 U.S. Open won by Bryson DeChambeau.

6. Garden City (Garden City) [1, 2]

Devereux Emmet and Walter Travis share credit for this old-school design that plays across Hempstead Plain on Long Island. The water is 10 miles both north and south, so sea breezes are a frequent companion. Laurie Auchterlonie won the 1902 U.S. Open here with record scores, owing to the debut of the longer, more durable Haskell ball. Garden City’s tilted greens, like the 10th and 15th, are lay-of-the-land architecture at its highest form.

7. Maidstone (East Hampton) [1, 2]

Recently restored by Coore & Crenshaw, Maidstone’s glorious edge-of-the-Atlantic location is once again fully evident. Maintaining coastal dunes is an art form: expose too much sand and it blows away; cover it up and you lose a sense of place. Maidstone has struck the perfect balance. Adding to the pleasure of its romantic location is an exceptional set of Willie and John Park greens, many of which feature dramatic false fronts. A dream course to play on a regular basis.

8. Bethpage – Black (Farmingdale) [1, 2, P]

The Black intimidates golfers with a sign at the 1st tee that recommends the course “only for highly skilled golfers.” Among the highly skilled? Tiger Woods, who won the 2002 “People’s Open,” as that U.S. Open came to be known. Woods was the only golfer to break par for 72 holes, owing to rugged, uphill par-4s, massive bunkers and the wrist-fracturing rough found on this Rees Jones-restored A.W. Tillinghast layout. The Black is one of the great routings, highlighted by the masterful way Tillinghast placed the fairways and greens from the 2nd hole in a valley all the way through the dogleg left 9th. The par-5 4th and its iconic cross-bunkering is a world-beater.

Book a tee time at Bethpage Black.

9. Sleepy Hollow (Briarcliff Manor) [1, 2]

This Westchester County course has always enjoyed a spectacular component to it, courtesy of breathtaking views of the Hudson River. What it lacked was playing interest from 50 yards and in to its greens. That changed in 2016 when Gil Hanse embarked on a two-year project to imbue the greens with a C.B. Macdonald flair that, well, even Macdonald would appreciate.

10. Quaker Ridge (Scarsdale) [1, 2]

This quiet club across the street from Winged Foot has counted Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye as admirers. Its outstanding cluster of gently rolling par-4s, notably the 6th and the 11th, provided a terrific canvas for amateurs such as Justin Rose and Jason Gore in the 1997 Walker Cup. Dating to 1916, the course was made over by A.W. Tillinghast in 1926 and Gil Hanse’s restoration this past decade has the course at peak. The par-3 9th is one of the hidden gem one-shotters in the Northeast, though it may take a few rounds to figure out why.

11. Oak Hill – East (Rochester) [1]

This classic parkland layout has hosted multiple majors and a Ryder Cup. A recent renovation made the suburban Rochester marvel even better, bringing it back in line with Donald Ross’s original design. Architect Andrew Green overhauled the 5th, 6th and 15th holes, cut back trees and re-worked greens throughout the course. The new drainage system allows for faster putting surfaces — expect higher scores (and better sightlines) at the 2023 PGA Championship.

12. Winged Foot – East (Mamaroneck) [1]

Neither as long nor as tough as its illustrious West sibling, the East enjoys its own devoted fanbase for its variety and the encouraging manner in which ground game options are now presented. Great attention has been paid to the mow lines, with short tight fairway grass on the high side of the entrance to all the greens. The dirty secret at Winged Foot is that more than a few consider the 13th and 17th as the best par-3s on the property, an outlandish claim until you play them.

13. Piping Rock (Locust Valley) [1]

Fresh off his work at National Golf Links of America, C.B. Macdonald started adding to his repertoire of template designs at this golf-meets-Gatsby Long Island club. The Biarritz and Knoll holes made their debut here, for instance. Among architecture buffs, Piping Rock’s Knoll 13th with its raised green that falls off starkly on all sides remains its finest iteration. The front nine wraps around a former polo field while the back heads into the hillier portion of the property. The course is also home to one of Macdonald’s finest par 5s, the 6th, which features a bedeviling back plateau ringed by trouble.

14. The Creek (Locust Valley) [1]

An epic combination of parkland and seaside golf, this McDonald-Raynor classic serves up a greatest hits of the duo’s favorite design elements. After a solid but sedate tree-lined opening five holes, the course explodes into glory at the spectacular 6th, which plays into a famous reverse Redan green. From there, players hit down to Long Island Sound. Hole Nos. 10 through 14 wind through sand and water, an unforgettable trip to the beach highlighted by a massive island Biarritz green.

15. Glens Falls (Glens Falls) [1]

With so much content and information available in 2020, stumbling across a “hidden gem” has become progressively more difficult. Yet, this Ross course 30 minutes north of Saratoga Springs was off the radar as recently as five years ago. Situated between the Adirondacks and Green Mountains, the short par-4 5th with its “top hat” green through the par-3 9th to a Volcano green complex are as good a series of Ross holes as you’ll find. The excitement doesn’t let up with the course finishing with its penultimate hole across hilly land to a green in a saddle and a par-3 finisher played across the edge of a lake.

16. Sebonack (Southampton) [1]

In a pairing of unique talents, Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus teamed up to build this high-end, private course in one of the world’s most hallowed golf zip codes, next door to National Golf Links and Shinnecock Hills. The design reflects each man’s influence, including boldly contoured greens and rough-cut sandy hazards. While there’s no ignoring the prime locale, which offers several sweeping views of Great Peconic Bay, the elegance of holes like the uphill par-5 9th underscore the fact that Sebonack’s artistry could hold up anywhere.

17. Whippoorwill (Armonk)

18. St. George’s (Setauket)

19. Atlantic (Bridgehampton)

20. Wykagyl (New Rochelle)

21. Fenway (Scarsdale)

22. Oak Hill – West (Rochester)

23. Westchester – West (Westchester)

24. Monroe Golf Club (Monroe)

25. Hudson National (Croton-On-Hudson)

26. Century (Harrison)

27. Westhampton (Westhampton Beach)

28. Southampton (Southampton)

29. The Bridge (Bridgehampton)

30. Engineers (Glen Head)

SYMBOL GUIDE

1 = GOLF Top 100 Course in the U.S.
2 = GOLF Top 100 Course in the World
3 = GOLF Top 100 Resort
P = Resort/public golf course

Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.

Course spotlight: Atlantic (Bridgehampton), ranked No. 19 in New York. In one of the toughest markets in the world, Rees Jones set out to create an artificial golf course in a potato field. How many routings did the course have in the first few years? Bobby Ranum, the recently retired superintendent, could be the best I have ever seen. Bobby, along with the head pro and Rees, slowly evolved Atlantic over time, removing artificial mounding and adding central hazards that greatly increased strategy. Atlantic can now hold its head high in that very high-rent neighborhood. — GOLF Top 100 Course Rater

How we rank America’s best golf courses

For the newly released 2020-21 U.S. list, each panelist was provided a list of 489 courses. Beside that list of courses were 11 “buckets,” or groupings. If our panelists considered a course to be among the top three in the country, they ticked that box. If they believed the course to be among Nos. 4-10 in the U.S., they checked that box, followed by 11-25, 26-50, and so on.

Panelists were also free to write in courses that they felt should have been included on the ballot (we had fewer than a handful of such additions in the U.S. vote).

Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly. It is an intentionally simple and straightforward process. Why? Because it invariably produces results that are widely lauded. Like the game itself, there’s no need to unnecessarily overcomplicate things.

For much more on how we rate courses, click or tap here.

Meet our course raters

We empower and hold accountable a group of 97 well-traveled — and well-connected — golfers/aficionados, each capable of expressing their own sense of design excellence at the highest level. The group is seasoned and experienced — we look for raters who know what’s out there, what’s changing and what’s coming down the pike. And from judging posts across four continents, our panelists are positioned to place courses from different regions around the globe into proper context, one of the main reasons GOLF’s Top 100 Courses rankings are the most esteemed in the game.

Other ranking outlets employ thousands of raters. Our less-is-more approach creates a more meaningful and thoughtful list. Think about it: When you plan a golf trip, do you call every golfer you know for their take? No. You contact a handful of people whose opinions you value most.

Meet our full crew of panelists here.

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GOLF Magazine recently unveiled its 2020/2021 Top 100 Courses in the United States, and to showcase the country’s geographic diversity, GOLF has, for the first time, broken the country into four regions and ranked the top 50 in each. Each region is shockingly diverse — and overflowing with exquisite golf. To introduce each region, we called upon a star architect to help.

The Appeal of Golf in the Northeast | By Gil Hanse

The Northeast is where golf took root in this country and where so many of its historic moments took place: Bobby Jones’ grand slam, Francis Ouimet’s heroics in Brookline, Hogan’s 1-iron at Merion, the Massacre at Winged Foot. Are we Northeast golfers a touch stuffy, maybe a bit arrogant? Perhaps! But only because we have the greatest collection of courses in the country.

It started with the glaciers, which left behind heaving, golf-ready ground, rock outcroppings and sand — beautiful sand. The result, all these centuries later, is a rich and diverse collection of the finest examples of golf course architecture anywhere, from the parkland courses around New York, to the scruffy windblown coastal courses of Long Island, to the New England coast, to the pine barrens of New Jersey, to the farm fields of Pennsylvania 

When I close my eyes and think of golf in the Northeast, it is a crisp fall day, the leaves are changing and native grasses blowing in the wind. It is the idyllic American golfing landscape. 

The top 50 golf courses in the Northeast

1. Pine Valley — Pine Valley, N.J. (George Crump/H.S. Colt, 1918)

2. Shinnecock Hills — Southampton, N.Y. (Howard Toomey/William Flynn, 1931)

3. National Golf Links of America — Southampton, N.Y. (C.B. Madonald, 1911)

4. Oakmont — Oakmont, Pa. (Henry Fownes, 1903)

5. Merion — Ardmore, Pa. (Hugh Wilson, 1912)

6. Fishers Island — Fishers Island, N.Y. (Seth Raynor, 1926)

7. Friar’s Head — Baiting Hollow, N.Y. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2003)

8. Winged Foot (West) — Mamaroneck, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1923)

9. The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel) — Brookline, Mass. (TCC Members/Willie Campbell, 1899)

10. Somerset Hills — Bernardsville, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1918)

11. Garden City — Garden City, N.Y. (Devereaux Emmet, 1899/Walter Travis, 1906)

12. Maidstone — East Hampton, N.Y. (John Park/Willie Park Jr., 1922)

13. Bethpage Park (Black) — Farmingdale, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1935)

14. Sleepy Hollow — Scarborough, N.Y. (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1913/A.W. Tillinghast, 1929/Gil Hanse, 2017)

15. Quaker Ridge — Scarsdale, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1926)

16. Oak Hill (East) — Pittsford, N.Y. (Donald Ross, 1921/Andrew Green, 2020)

17. Myopia Hunt — So. Hamilton, Mass. (H.C. Leeds, 1898)

18. Winged Foot (East) — Mamaroneck, N.Y. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1923)

19. Old Sandwich — Plymouth, Mass. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2004)

20. Eastward Ho! — Chatham, Mass. (Herbert Fowler, 1922)

21. Piping Rock — Locust Valley, N.Y. (C.B. Macdonald, 1911)

22. Plainfield — Plainfield, N.J. (Donald Ross, 1916)

23. Kittansett — Marion, Mass. (William Flynn/Fred Hood, 1922)

24. Pikewood National — Morgantown, W. Va. (J. Robert Gwynne/John Raese, 2009)

25. The Creek — Locust Valley, N.Y. (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1923)

26. Essex — Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. (Donald Ross, 1917)

27. Baltusrol (Lower) — Springfield, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1922)

28. Ridgewood (W/E) — Paramus, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1929)

29. Baltimore (Five Farms East) — Baltimore, Md. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1926)

30. Hollywood — Deal, N.J. (Walter Travis, 1915)

31. Newport — Newport, R.I. (William F. Davis, 1899/A.W. Tillinghast, 1924)

32. Glens Falls — Queensbury, N.Y. (Donald Ross, 1920)

33. Aronimink — Newton Square, Penn. (Donald Ross, 1928)

34. Mountain Ridge — West Caldwell, N.J. (Donald Ross, 1929)

35. Sebonack — Southampton, N.Y. (Jack Nicklaus/Tom Doak, 2006)

36. Baltusrol (Upper) — Springfield, N.J. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1922)

37. Philadelphia Cricket (Wissahickon) — Flourtown, Pa.

38. Fox Chapel — Pittsburgh, Pa.

39. Lancaster — Lancaster, Pa.

40. Whippoorwill — Armonk, N.Y.

41. Boston — Hingham, Mass.

42. St. George’s — East Setauket, N.Y.

43. Wannamoisett — Rumford, R.I.

44. Atlantic — Bridgehampton, N.Y.

45. Wykagyl — New Rochelle, N.Y.

46. Sankaty Head — Nantucket, Mass.

47. Pete Dye — Bridgeport, W. Va.

48. Congressional (Blue) — Bethesda, Md.

49. CC of Fairfield — Fairfield, Conn.

50. Huntingdon Valley — Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

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Over the 4th of July weekend, I spent a couple of days and nights in East Hampton, N.Y., the tony seaside village on Long Island’s East End. There was no golf on the agenda, so on Sunday morning I thought I’d scratch the itch by lacing up my running shoes and heading out for a trot in the vicinity of the Maidstone Club, which was about a mile and a half from where my family and I were bunking.

Maidstone, which takes its name from the original name of East Hampton, debuted as a beachy golf escape for high-society Manhattanites back in the late 1800s. All these years later, not much has changed. The golf holes are still sand- and wind-swept, and the club is still harder to get into than a supermax prison is to get out of. As the story goes, Groucho Marx was denied membership. So, too, was Diana Ross, even though her then-husband, a Norwegian shipping magnate, was an upstanding dues-payer.   

The great paradox of Maidstone, however, is that for all its Gatsby-grade exclusivity, it’s actually remarkably accessible to public eyes by way of the roadway that bisects it. I kind-of-sort-of remembered this from a long-ago visit but my memories of the place and its setting had faded. So, on a steamy morning I popped in my AirPods and set out toward town, vaguely in the direction of the club.

The opening stretch of my run took me down Mill Hill Lane, an utterly charming road lined with thatched roofs and a dense canopy of leaves. That led me to Main Street, where I hung a left, crossed at a stop sign and came upon a couple dozen folks taking in a service on lawn chairs (and in masks) in front of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. I kept chugging west, now on James Lane, toward what I thought was the club entrance, on Maidstone Lane. A left turn there took me down a long path that did indeed lead to the club, only the wrong part of it. A few passers-by dressed head to toe in white should have tipped me off. I had arrived at Maidstone’s tennis club.

As I backtracked, sweat was now streaming down my brow and my legs were feeling heavy; the Pinot from the night before wasn’t helping. Back on James Lane, I hung a right and headed back east. The next street over was Dunemere. Worth a shot, I thought.

Another right turn. For another quarter mile, still no signs of the course — until…was it? Yes! A fairway! There she was! Mighty Maidstone, No. 64 on GOLF’s Top Courses in the World list. I pressed onward, energized by the dunesy masterpiece on either side of me. Who needs Red Bull when the handiwork of Willie and Jack Park (with a 2013 update from Coore & Crenshaw!) can fill the same role? With each stride I took, the course slowly unveiled itself. The 2nd green to my left, the 3rd tee to my right and, just beside that, the dogleg-right 16th, which curls around a pond. As I stopped for a photo-op, a smirking biker zoomed by and waved.

I ran on, past the 2nd tee and to the intersection of Dunemere and Highway Beyond the Pond, where the pinched-in 17th green sits across the street from the green at the 1st. The course was bustling with golfers of all ages. Up near the 1st tee, the beachside clubhouse was in plain sight. Just west of me was the 18th tee and, just beyond that, the far end of the practice range. You can’t see all of Maidstone from the byways that run through it — certainly not the cabanas up by the sea or the pool by which members sip their Southsides — but you can get a feel for the place.  

For a closer look, I was tempted to venture down one of the dirt paths that connect the course to the roads but the No Trespassing signs gave me pause. Plus, I was more than three miles from my starting point now and the mercury was quickly rising. My tired bones needed to make a move for home.

The return trip got me thinking about other running/hiking/biking trails that give you a peek at some of American golf’s most hallowed grounds and toughest tees times. Driving by these courses is, of course, also an option, but running or walking gives you more time to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells (that salty air!), and to digest the nuances of the landscape. At the top of the list, surely, is 17-Mile Drive, which winds past Monterey Peninsula Club, Spyglass Hill and even gives you a glimpse of the fabled Alister MacKenzie design at Cypress Point Club. Farther south, the roadway offers glimpses of the glories of Pebble Beach. The downside: Who wants to run 17 miles?

Ardmore Street and Golf House Road, which run by and through Merion Golf Club, are a much more manageable jaunt. On Google Maps, I charted a 2.25-mile route that would give you an unobstructed look at the 1st and 2nd holes, plus much of the back nine. Burning calories as you relive Justin Rose’s stirring U.S. Open win? Even your Peleton can’t offer you that. Another U.S. Open venue, Oakmont Country Club, is famously divided by the Pennsylvania Turnpike but has two strikes against it: (1) it’s no fun running with 18-wheelers, and (2) the thoroughfare offers no views of the course because it sits beneath it.  

A couple of roads and trails that run through renowned public courses also come to mind: navigating Round Swamp Road affords you a great look at one of the hardest holes in golf, the par-4 15th at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park. On the other side of the country, Bandon Dunes serves up six miles of hiking trails that meander through four of its much-heralded courses. The most taxing of those traverses, the 2.4-mile Dunetrail, within Bandon Trails, rewards hikers and runners with a diverse medley of flora and fauna, ranging from Port Orford cedars to pileated woodpeckers.     

This past week, resting comfortably on my couch, I polled my colleagues for more of golf’s most thrilling arteries. (Golf Road, which runs parallel to the 18th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews, is the game’s road de resistance but, for the purposes of this exercise, we’re keeping things stateside.) East End Road, on Fishers Island, offers a fantastic view of a golf course even more exclusive than Maidstone: the Seth Raynor gem at Fishers Island Club. At the historic Field Club of Omaha, golfers must cross a public street — Woolworth Avenue —  four times during their rounds. The club has unsuccessfully lobbied the city to close parts of the road, claiming it has hurt the club’s ability to attract new members. For shame! What fun would closing it be for us sneakered snoopers?!

Tuckahoe Road runs directly past Shinnecock Hills’ clapboard clubhouse and offers a peek of not only the course at Shinnecock but also of the design at its vastly underrated neighbor, Southampton GC. Take Tuckahoe until you hit Sebonac Road. A left turn there will lead you to Shrubland Road, which takes you smack-dab through the southern end of the National Golf Links of America with views to Sebonack Golf Club.

The whole loop is about 4.2 miles, a journey you’ll not soon forget. (My colleague Michael Bamberger told me that for a magazine piece he wrote about NGL in the 1980s, the photographer assigned to the story snapped all of his pictures from, yep … the road.)

As for Washington Road, the commercial thoroughfare that borders Augusta National? Sadly, a run up that street won’t reveal even an inch of Augusta’s verdant fairways. But if golf-road hunters know where to look, they can sneak a look at something even better: Magnolia Lane.  

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Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by Kevin Stadler who talks about how things went downhill at the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Roman is the official sponsor of this week’s episode of Subpar.  Go to https://getroman.com/SUBPAR for a free online visit and free two-day shipping.

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What’s the cost of the best round of your life? How much would you pay for the Midas Touch around the greens? The Morgan Hoffman Foundation for Muscular Dystrophy is hoping the answer is ‘a whole lot.’ The Hoffman Foundation, in conjunction with the virtual fundraising site Charitybuzz, is auctioning off some of golf’s most elite experiences to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy research.

The fundraiser features a handful of once-in-a-lifetime experiences across the golf spectrum. For the right price, you can land a round at the Bear’s Club with none other than Jack Nicklaus. Another Bear’s Club opportunity — this one with Justin Thomas and Morgan Hoffman — highlights the opportunities available with today’s stars. How about a round with Hoffman at one of GOLF’s favorite new courses, Ohoopee Match Club, or with Masters champ Charl Schwartzel at Dye’s Preserve?

News

The Hoffman Foundation fundraiser also features tee times available at many of the country’s top courses. Fans in New York can bid on slots at a pair of the area’s most exclusive tracks, Shinnecock Hills (the host of the 2018 U.S. Open and one of GOLF’s top 10 courses in the world) and Liberty National (right across the river from lower Manhattan). A foursome at Medalist Golf Club — Tiger’s home course and site of the Match II — is among the opportunities south of the Mason-Dixon.

Perhaps the crown jewel of the fundraiser is a literal crown jewel — a 24 karat gold Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter. The putter, which is engraved with the Hoffman Foundation logo, features a solid gold face to go along with a matte black finish and red detailing.

The Hoffman Foundation was founded in 2017 for Morgan Hoffman, a PGA Tour pro who was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Hoffman, who won the PGA Tour Courage award in 2020, played collegiately at Oklahoma State with Rickie Fowler and was a member of the 2009 Walker Cup Team. He played six years on Tour prior to his diagnosis and has continued to compete professionally under a major medical extension.

According to the foundation’s website, all the money raised will go toward the creation of the MHF Health and Wellness Center to provide better treatment options for those suffering from muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. You can view all of the items available through the auction by following the link here. The auction ends at 3:00 p.m. ET on July 9.

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The PGA Tour returns June 9 after a nearly three-month shutdown due to the spread of the coronavirus. It was quite the break, but golf is back long before other sports are returning. So, what was life like on Tour before the shutdown? Let this series remind you of where we left off.

Who do the majors align best for now?

In hindsight, 10 years down the road, we’ll look back on the 2020 year in golf and it will simply look odd. Zero majors in the first seven months, when there are normally four. Three majors — not four — in about 3.5 months, all of them held differently than previously imagined. This is our reality this year.

So what does it mean for the PGA Tour players who will tee it up in a frantic major chase? One player to consider will be Dustin Johnson. Johnson is unquestionably one of the best players on Tour, though he has dropped from the top 3 in the world ranking, where he sat for a very long time. In August, he’ll visit TPC Harding Park, a long course on which driving into tighter fairways will deliver a premium advantage. 

Sure, Johnson could have a tough driving week and flameout in San Francisco. He could also shine, just like he did in the summer heat at Oakmont, where he smashed driver everywhere en route to a three-shot victory. 

From there, we head to Winged Foot, a brutish, tough U.S. Open track. The rough will be grown high again and the greens will be wicked fast. Players will complain, like they do almost every year at the U.S. Open. Know who never complains and has dominated uber-tough golf courses? Dustin Johnson. He should have won at Shinnecock, had a helluva run at Bethpage Black and also should have won back at Pebble Beach in 2010. 

Lastly, our final major dance of 2020 will be the Masters, held in November. Will it play differently than in April? Undoubtedly. But few players have had a better overall performance at that course and NOT won in the last decade than DJ. Recall last year how he had a great chance to push Tiger Woods on the 18th hole. You could make an argument that Johnson was in great position to give Danny Willett a run for the green jacket back in 2016 as well.

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The post Golf community comes together to raise $100,000 for New York City COVID-19 Relief Fund appeared first on Golf.

The post Golf community comes together to raise $100,000 for New York City COVID-19 Relief Fund appeared first on Golf.

“How can I help?” is a question many have asked themselves since the COVID-19 pandemic began. That’s not an easy question to answer during what feels like a helpless time. For some, the answer never comes. For Eric Sedransk, it did.

Sedransk, a Jersey City, N.J. resident, made the decision like many others to flee the Tri-state area and went to South Carolina to move in with his mother in mid-March. A strong sense of guilt made the trip south with him. Friends were providing daily updates of life in the eye of the COVID-19 storm he left behind. One afternoon while staring out at the second tee box at Palmetto Hall in Hilton Head, where his mother resides, Sedransk had an idea.

As an avid golfer who has managed brand partnerships for nearly a decade, Sedransk formed a network of people with connections throughout the golf industry. Those relationships afforded him to play courses he once dreamed of over the years. Sedransk began sharing his adventures at exclusive clubs and Top 100 Courses on his @Member4aDay Instagram page. Golf became his true passion and he used social media to connect with like-minded avid golfers.

“I started @Member4aDay because I have been fortunate to play some of the greatest golf courses in the world and I wanted to take people along for the journey,” Sedransk said. ”Although nothing compares to being there and playing the course yourself, maybe just for a minute I can help give you a sense of what being a member for a day at this club would be like.

“So I decided to begin reaching out to my network of golf pros, directors of golf, friends with country club memberships, my social media following and people I’ve connected with on the course over the years to ask them if they would donate a round and/or point me in the direction of someone else who might. I thought if I could collect enough donations I could create a charitable auction for COVID-19 Relief.”

Before Sedransk could fine-tune his work-in-progress auction, courses began offering up donations without hesitation. Shinnecock, Friar’s Head, Medalist, Pete Dye Golf Club, Vahalla, Sleepy Hollow, Silo Ridge, Glen Oaks and Sweetens Cove are just some of the whos-who list of courses that offered up access. It was an embarrassment of riches and far surpassed Sedransk’s expectations.

*Note: All round donations are valid through 2021

The Dormie Network donated a one-year membership to its network of nation-wide courses. It was also a recommendation from a contact at Dormie that put Sedransk in touch with Project Frontline, a charitable organization he would ultimately team up with to create The @Member4aDay Auction.

Houston Astros pitcher Joe Smith and his wife Allie LaForce, a sideline reporter for TNT and CBS Sports, founded Project Frontline to help support COVID-19 Relief Efforts in Houston. Every donation to Project Frontline is used to purchase a meal from a local restaurant to be distributed to local hospital workers. This simultaneously helps to support small businesses and those on the front line of the pandemic. What started in Houston has expanded in cities across the country. All proceeds from the @Member4aDay Auction would support New York City restaurants and hospitals.

With a charitable partner and donations now in place, a goal of $50,000 was set and the auction went live. In the first 24 hours, $12,000 was raised. On top of that, Sedransk got bombarded with direct messages on Instagram from people wanting to get involved. “Next thing you know we went from 20 to 48 auction items by Day 2,” Sedransk said. “Strangers began messaging me to donate rounds to the clubs they belonged to or worked at. We’re talking about bucket list courses around the world. That really warmed my heart and that’s when I knew we were on to something special.”

The @Member4aDay Auction went on to raise a total of $101,186. To put that another way, Project Frontline will turn those funds into over 10,000 meals to support restaurants and frontline workers affected by COVID-19 in NYC. There’s no shot in golf that can feel as good as that.

To think, this all stemmed from the golf connections Sedransk made over the years. It goes to show that you truly don’t know where a round of golf or who you get paired up with might lead you.

“The relationships that I formed both in person and through Instagram have been instrumental in this initiative,” Sedransk said. “For example, last fall I got paired up with a guy, who I’ve remained in touch with, and that serendipitous meeting led to an $11k donation through my charity auction. It’s amazing to think that an encounter on the course is to thank for that.”

Given the overwhelming inaugural success, will there be a future @Member4aDay golf auction?

“The short answer is yes.”

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The post Ben Crenshaw reveals his top 10 courses in the world appeared first on Golf.

The post Ben Crenshaw reveals his top 10 courses in the world appeared first on Golf.

There may be no man more qualified to share his opinion on the worth of the world’s greatest tracks than Ben Crenshaw. The former major champion has aged into one of golf’s elder statesmen—a prolific player turned even-more-prolific designer.

Tournaments

Crenshaw’s design tastes (in lockstep with his partner, Bill Coore) have birthed some of golf’s greatest modern gems, from Sand Hills to Friar’s Head. But, personal preference aside, Crenshaw’s top 10 courses in the world share a unique perspective into his history, his creative inspiration and of course, his love for the game.

Ben Crenshaw’s Top 10 Courses in the World

1. The Old Course at St. Andrews — St. Andrews, Scotland

2. Royal Melbourne — Melbourne, Australia

3. Augusta National Golf Club — Augusta, Ga.

4. Pine Valley — Pine Valley, N.J.

5. National Golf Links of America — Southampton, N.Y.

6. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club — Southampton, N.Y.

7. Kingston Heath — Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia

8. Cypress Point — Pebble Beach, Calif.

9. Chicago Golf Club — Wheaton, Ill.

10. Pinehurst No. 2 — Pinehurst, N.C.

To see how GOLF rated all of these courses, check out our definitive 2020-21 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the World.

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The post The best hole I ever played: The intimidating 14th at Shinnecock Hills appeared first on Golf.

The post The best hole I ever played: The intimidating 14th at Shinnecock Hills appeared first on Golf.

Our knowledgeable crew of course raters have stuck pegs in the ground just about everywhere. But which holes stand out as the greatest they’ve ever played? We asked them, and they replied with love letters about their faves. This offering comes from Bob Ranum, who has been a GOLF Magazine rater since this year and has played 57 of the Top 100 Courses in the World.

I’m hard-pressed to think of a more compelling hole than the 14th at Shinnecock, a stunning and intimidating par-4. Named Thom’s Elbow, in honor of the late Charlie Thom, Shinnecock’s golf pro for more than 50 years, it has an aura of history to match its artistry.

As you cross the public road from the 13th green to the 14th tee, the vista of the entire golf course unfolds before you. The longest par-4 on the course, the 14th winds in and out to a beautiful, natural green set in the distance. Because its tee is elevated, the hole creates an optical illusion that makes it look even longer than it actually is. One might expect to strategize by following the bend in the fairway and targeting the ball to the right. In actuality, though, the fairway slopes to the left and creates a much smaller and challenging landing area. As a former greens chairman at Shinnecock once told me, “Thom’s Elbow has a healthy portion of trompe l’oeil hidden in its genes.” This French art term means “deceives the eye,” generating an illusion of depth. That’s the essence of the 14th hole.

A view of the green of the 14th hole at Shinnecock Hills.

Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour

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The post Phil Mickelson | U.S. Open Heartbreak appeared first on Golf.

The post Phil Mickelson | U.S. Open Heartbreak appeared first on Golf.

The five-time major champion has never won a U.S. Open, finishing runner-up a record six times in his career.

The post Phil Mickelson | U.S. Open Heartbreak appeared first on Golf.