National Golf Links of America
Course Date
Location New York, America
Yardage 6935 yards Par 72
Course Rating 74.3
Playing Date September 17, 2016
Designer Charles B. McDonald
Opened 1909
Caddie Yes
Golf Cart No
Rating
Overall Rating
5.65
Course Layout
6
Difficulty Level
4
Greens Condition
5
Fairways Condition
6
Landscaping & Views
6
Level of Satisfaction
6

A seaside Links style course overlooking the Peconic Bay. Charles B. McDonald, known as the father of the American golf, started planning to build the ideal course in 1902. After visiting famous links courses in England and Scotland several times, he selected the ideal 18 holes from these existing courses to build the National Golf Links of America in 1909. While not a perfect copy, the essence of the original holes was adopted, such as Redan, Alps, Cape, Punchball, Sahara, Short, Eden, Long St. Andrews, And Home. This also includes a well-balanced combination of long and short holes, many strategic holes offering various attacking routes, blind holes, tee shots that require forced carry, as well as verities of excellent green complex. Overall, this has been blemished to become a super-class course.

view from clubhouse

view form 2nd hole


course view from 5th tee

"Road Hole" bunker on 7th green

view from 14th fairway

Due to the originality of C.B. McDonald's designs, all 18 great holes are wonderfully combined in a harmoniously rhythmic routine that offers an exciting play. The course has one loop, and players will not return to the clubhouse after Hole 9. The greens are fast, the fairways are firm and the maintenance is very well kept.


view from 17th tee

view from 18th green

windmill, the course symbol

Scorecard
 
Hole 2 Par 4 330 yards

Hole 2 Par 4 330 yards (2)

Hole 2 Par 4 330 yards (1)
“Sahara” A short & uphill par four with a dogleg to the left. The tee shot will overpass a big bunker called Sahara and encounter an ever-narrowing landing area on the fairway. Players will also see a windmill, known to be the symbol of the course, which is located on the left side. This will require a right to left ball to avoid it. Players will have to decide whether to use a driver (or fairway wood) off the tee shot or lay up with an iron. The green slopes to the left, with an additional slope descending towards the back of the green. (This hole was inspired off the design of the 3rd hole of Royal St. George.)
 
Hole 3 Par 4 426 yards

“Alps” A par four with a slight dogleg to the left. A long and narrow cross bunker divides the fairway and a carry of 200 to 210 yards will be required to overcome it. Players will notice the approach shot will be semi-blind. The green is wide and two-tiered with a higher right tier. There are three bunkers that guard the front and left sides of the green. If players land the ball in those bunkers, it will make a strong uphill bunker shot to the green, making a par save extremely difficult. This hole was selected in the US Golf Magazine as World's 500 Best Holes in 2000 (latest edition). (This hole was inspired off the design of Prestwick No. 17.)

 

Hole 3 Par 4 426 yards (3)

Hole 3 Par 4 426 yards (2)

Hole 3 Par 4 426 yards (1)
 
Hole 4 Par3 195 yards

“Redan” The redand green is diagonally long starting from the front right extending to the back left. The green slopes sharply from front right to back left, and are protected by deep bunkers on its front and back. This hole was selected by the US Golf Magazine as part of the World's 500 Best Holes in 2000 (latest edition). (This hole was inspired off the design of North Berwick No. 15.)

 

Hole 4 Par3 195 yards (3)

Hole 4 Par3 195 yards (2)

Hole 4 Par3 195 yards (1)
 
Hole 6 Par 3 141 yards

Hole 6 Par 3 141 yards (2)

Hole 6 Par 3 141 yards (1)
“ “Short” A short par three with a large green surrounded by seven bunkers of various sizes. It plays with a slightly downhill. The green has complex slopes. (This hole was inspired off the design of the Royal West Norfolk No. 4.)
 
Hole 7 Par 4 478 yards

“St. Andrews” A long par four with a dogleg to the right. The tee shot will require players to overpass rough and a large bunker area. The approach is gently downhill. The green is long, narrow, and surrounded by a pot bunker to the left and a long bunker to the right. (This hole imitates the 17th hole of St Andrews Old Course.)

 

Hole 7 Par 4 478 yards (3)

Hole 7 Par 4 478 yards (2)

Hole 7 Par 4 478 yards (1)
 
Hole 8 Par 4 400 yards
“Bottle” A relatively straight par four. Off the tee shot, the fairway is splits to the left and right and runs along seven small bunkers. Approaching the green offers quite a challenge as two deep bunkers guard the front and an additional two guard the left. The right side of the green steeply slopes downhill. The origin of the hole’s name is based on the idea that the fairway is wide, like a body of a bottle, and the green is narrow like a bottle stopper. (This hole was inspired off the design of the Sunningdale Old Course No. 8.)
 

Hole 8 Par 4 400 yards (3)

Hole 8 Par 4 400 yards (2)

Hole 8 Par 4 400 yards (1)
 
Hole 9 Par 5 540 yards

“Long” A straight par five. The tee shot is slightly downhill, and players should be careful of bunkers to the left and trees to the right. A horizontally wide bunker makes inroad into the fairway from the left at around 70 yards in front of the green, so players will be forced to choose either to cross the bunker or lay up in front of it. The landing area off the second shot is narrow. The green is slightly elevated and is surrounded by four bunkers. (This hole was inspired off the design of the 14th hole of St Andrews Old Course)

 

Hole 9 Par 5 540 yards (3)

Hole 9 Par 5 540 yards (2)

Hole 9 Par 5 540 yards (1)
 
Hole 11 Par 4 432 yards

“Plateau” A dogleg to the left. Off the tee shot, players will notice trees to the right side and a total of six bunkers on both sides. The hole is characterized by the green, as it is concaved near the center and a plateau on the left front half. The green is also guarded by three pot bunkers. (This hole is a designer's original).

 

Hole 11 Par 4 432 yards (3)

Hole 11 Par 4 432 yards (2)

Hole 11 Par 4 432 yards (1)
 
Hole 12 Par 4 469 yards

Hole 12 Par 4 469 yards (2)

Hole 12 Par 4 469 yards (1)
"Sebonack" An almost straight par four. The elevated green is guarded by an effective bunker to the front left. The green slopes from back to front with a bump in the middle.
 
Hole 13 Par 3 174 yards

Hole 13 Par 3 174 yards
“"Eden" A downhill par three with a horizontally wide green which is surrounded by an elongated bunker starting from the right continuing all the way to the back. There are three small bunkers that guard the front of the green. (This hole was inspired off the design of the 11th hole of St Andrews Old Course.)
 
Hole 14 Par 4 393 yards

“Cape” A par four with dogleg to the right. The tee shot requires the ball to hit over a pond and avoid two deep fairway bunkers to the right. If players safely hit towards the left side of the fairway to avoid the bunkers, the approach shot will become much longer. The green is circular with two large bunkers to the back and left. (A designer's original, which is also used in the 14th at Chicago.)

 

Hole 14 Par 4 393 yards (3)

Hole 14 Par 4 393 yards (2)

Hole 14 Par 4 393 yards (1)
 
Hole 16 Par 4 415 yards

“Punchbowl” A relatively straight par four. With a downhill tee shot, a carry of 280 yards will be required to carry the right fairway bunker. With the semi-blind approach shot, the green is Punchbowl consisting of higher surrounding edges and lower putting surfaces. Punchbowl green is indicates a massive bowl or hollow that funnels shots toward the center. Players can see the symbolic windmill again, which is located to the left side of the green. (The hole is a reference to the characteristics of many Scottish links holes in which the green isn’t visible on the approach shot.)

 

Punchball green

Hole 16 Par 4 415 yards (2)

Hole 16 Par 4 415 yards (1)
 
Hole 17 Par 4 375 yards

"Peconic" A par four with a slight dogleg to the left. Off the tee shot, players will notice four bunkers to the left and right, as well as a small cross bunker placed at around the 260 yards from the teeing ground that comes into play. The approach shot will require the ball to hit over the dune's mound. The green slopes from back to front and is surrounded by bunkers. The hole was selected by GOLF Magazine as part of the World's 500 Best Holes in 2000 (latest edition).

 

Hole 17 Par 4 375 yards (3)

Hole 17 Par 4 375 yards (2)

Hole 17 Par 4 375 yards (1)
 
Hole 18 Par 5 502 yards

Hole 18 Par 5 502 yards (1)
““Home” A double dogleg par five that first bends to the left before turning back to the right. The fairway is undulating. On the tee shot, there are two large bunkers side by side to the left that come to play, and a carry of 230 yards is needed to surpass them. If players succeed, they can try to hit the green in two shots. For the average players who’ll hit the second shot from the fairway next to the bunker, they’ll notice that another wide bunker on the right side at about 135 yards in front of the green comes into play. The green is long and strongly sloped with a ridge running across the center. Players will be able to see the wonderful ocean view from the green. The hole was selected by GOLF Magazine as part of the World's 500 Best Holes in 2000 (latest edition).
 

Hole 18 Par 5 502 yards (4)

Hole 18 Par 5 502 yards (3)

Hole 18 Par 5 502 yards (2)
 
19th hole

It is a two-hour drive to the east from New York City to the course, and less than a two hours’ drive from LaGuardia Airport. Visitors must be accompanied by a member to play. This course is in the vicinity to both Shinnecock Hills GC and Sebonack GC.



caddie

lounge

restaurant

Top 100 Golf Courses ranked this course (top100golfcourses.com) as no.2 in 2018 in its category of top 70 courses in New York State that has nearly 1000 golf courses. Top 100 Golf Courses ranked no.4 in 2020 in its category of top 100 US courses. The course was ranked 5th on the 2020 World Top 100 golf courses by GOLF Magazine.

The National Golf Links of America is a masterpiece of Charles B. McDonald. He also designed Sleepy Hollow CC, and co-designed with Seth Raynor The Creek Club, Piping Rock Club, The Course at Yale, Old White TPC Course, and Bermuda Mid-Ocean Club.

CB McDonald's dismantled the windmill from the Netherlands and delivered it to the golf course about 100 years ago after several founding members mentioned that it would be an interesting addition to the course if a windmill was available. The members didn’t expect it would come true. Apparently, the cost of the endeavor was evenly divided among those members.