Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in New York, also known as the Empire State
1. SHINNECOCK HILLS, Southampton
The site of five U.S. Opens with a sixth on the way in 2026, its 18 stern and captivating holes unfurl dramatically across rolling, golf-perfect terrain, culminating at an iconic hilltop clubhouse.
2. NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA, Southampton
C.B. Macdonald’s links-like masterpiece, incorporating replicas of Scottish holes, grabbed the golf world by its knickers when it opened in 1911 and has only improved with age.
3. FISHERS ISLAND, Fishers Island
Accessible only by ferry or private plane—and actually closer to Connecticut than New York—it combines a spectacular setting (water views on every hole) with what may be Seth Raynor’s best work.
4. BETHPAGE (BLACK), Farmingdale
A.W. Tillinghast designed it, Rees Jones restored it, and when the U.S. Open came in 2002 only Tiger Woods bettered par on it. Set on rugged, constantly ebbing and flowing land, this public course is always booked solid but will make room for the Ryder Cup in 2025.
5. WINGED FOOT (WEST), Mamaroneck
Even the word “venerable” may not do justice to this club that has hosted 13 USGA events, including six U.S. Opens with a seventh coming in 2028. Towering trees, cavernous bunkers, and fiendishly sloped greens are the hallmarks of Tillinghast’s test.
6. FRIAR’S HEAD, Baiting Hollow
Coore & Crenshaw worked their wiles on this challenging Long Island site—a combination of wooded dunes and farmland—with a routing that weaves seamlessly through the two environments.
7. GARDEN CITY, Garden City
Set on generally flat, tree-lined terrain, this is an understated, old-school course, evocative of England’s heathland layouts, known for two rarities: a par-three final hole and an all-male membership.
8. OAK HILL (EAST), Rochester
The only course to hold the U.S. Open, Senior Open, PGA Championship, Senior PGA, Ryder Cup, and U.S. Amateur, it will again host the PGA this May after a major renovation by Andrew Green that has restored much of its original Donald Ross character.
9. MAIDSTONE, East Hampton
Few courses play closer to the Atlantic Ocean than this century-old Willie Park Jr. design on Long Island’s eastern tip, with several holes set in seaside dunes that provide as genuine a links experience as may be found in America.
10. SLEEPY HOLLOW, Scarborough
For decades, this Macdonald design remained veritably sleepy, known mostly for its spectacular Hudson River views. Then, in 2016, a major two-year restoration by Gil Hanse produced a course with a challenge as prodigious as its charm.
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