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The 50 best golf courses in the Northeast, according to GOLF Magazine’s expert raters

By: James Colgan
shinnecock hills golf club scenic

GOLF Magazine recently unveiled its 2022-23 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. But why stop there? To better illuminate the scope of epic golf around the nation, we’ve broken the country into four regions and ranked the top 50 in each. The takeaway: whatever part of the U.S. you call home, you don’t lack for world-class options. Below, you’ll find the top 50 courses in the West.

Other regional rankings: Top 50 in the Southeast | Top 50 in the Midwest | Top 50 in the West

The newest Top 100 ranking features courses from every corner of our great country, a collection of grades from our expert raters that spans from sea to shining sea (and even beyond that). And while a significant chunk of the U.S. is represented in our list, no list of the greatest courses in the country would be complete without a robust showing from the sport’s North American homeland: the Northeast.

By landmass, this area might be less than one-fifth of America, but by influence, it’s far larger. Many of the United States Golf Association’s “founding clubs” can be traced back to this corner of the United States, and many more of the best courses in the world, by our raters’ standards, live within its borders. The top course on GOLF’s list (and six of the top 10 selections) hail from this tiny corner of the world, including such blue blood selections as Shinnecock, National and Oakmont and newer additions to the list like Baltusrol and Congressional.

In short, our raters agree that there’s a lot to love from the Northeast.

READ THE FULL LIST HERE | Read more about our raters’ methodology here

The 50 best golf courses in the Northeast

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

Pine Valley is No. 1 on most world and national lists, and for good reason. George Crump’s design remains in a league of its own worldwide. Jon Cavalier

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

There may be more enjoyable tests of one’s golf mettle than Shinnecock, but there are none better. Joann Dost
National is Shinnecock’s fun younger brother, the sort of test that captures and captivates you from first to 18th. William Tyler Smith

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

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

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

Hop on the Fishers Island ferry and you’ll soon understand why this golf course is one of the world’s most beloved. Larry Lambrecht

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

There may be no course built in the last 20 years as good as Friar’s Head — a simply stunning mix of beauty and mettle. Channing Benjamin

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)

When Devereux Emmet designed Garden City in the direct center of Long Island, little did he know his design would stand the test of time. Patrick Koenig

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

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

Bethpage Black is America’s most celebrated municipal golf course, and one needn’t spend more than a few hours on it to understand why. Getty Images

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

The punchbowl 16th hole at Sleepy Hollow earned new life in 2017 when Gil Hanse completed his restoration of the course. Patrick Koenig

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

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

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

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

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

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

Old Sandwich hides behind some of its other New England siblings, but make no mistake, it’s just as heart-stopping. Evan Schiller

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

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

The Creek Club is the Old Money haven of western Long Island, but the course more than lives up to the billing. Larry Lambrecht

23. Congressional (Blue) — Bethesda, Md. (Devereux Emmet, 1924/Andrew Green, 2020)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hollywood Eric Sedransk/Member For A Day

35. Fox Chapel — Pittsburgh, Pa.

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

37. Mountain Ridge — West Caldwell, N.J.

38. Boston Golf Club — Hingham, Mass.

39. Sebonack — Southampton, N.Y.

Sebonack Larry Lambrecht

40. Baltusrol (Upper) — Springfield, N.J.

41. Sankaty Head — Nantucket, Mass.

42. Lancaster Country Club — Lancaster, Pa.

43. Blind Brook Golf Club — Purchase, N.Y.

44. Whippoorwill — Armonk, N.Y.

45. Wannamoisett — Rumford, R.I.

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

47. Salem Golf Club — Peabody, Mass.

48. CC of Fairfield — Fairfield, Conn.

49. Atlantic — Bridgehampton, N.Y.

50. Wykagyl — New Rochelle, N.Y.

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