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http://tinyurl.com/rpq6qBest Private Club Experience
Westchester/Fairfield Counties
Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
No explanation is needed.
The Stanwich Club, Greenwich, Conn.
Perfect mix of traditional and modern; demanding course rewards precise approach shots.
Country Club of Fairfield, Fairfield, Conn.
Connecticut’s Somerset Hills—with abundant views of Long Island Sound.
Quaker Ridge Golf Club, Scarsdale, N.Y.
In terms of pure golf and cuisine, it doesn’t get much better than this Tillie design.
Westchester Country Club, Harrison, N.Y.
A course considered among the best on tour,
and it has an on-site hotel for guests.
Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Scarborough, N.Y.
C.B. Macdonald course with Hudson River views
and a Stanford White clubhouse.
Fenway Golf Club, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Highly regarded among Tillinghast cognoscenti;
warm clubhouse with first-rate spread.
Hudson National Golf Club, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Hudson River views from the clubhouse,
course and even the practice range.
Brooklawn Country Club, Fairfield, Conn.
Tillinghast course with signature deep,
steep-faced bunkers and well-contoured greens.
Century Country Club, Purchase, N.Y.
Often overlooked—just the way the members like it.
Long Island
National Golf Links of America, Southampton
C.B. Macdonald design, lobster lunch, old-school locker room, library—need we say more?
Fishers Island Club, Fishers Island
Seth Raynor classic on limited-access island with
water views from every hole.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton
Four-time U.S. Open venue is a golf club in the truest sense of the word.
Maidstone Club, East Hampton
America’s most natural, and perhaps windiest,
links course.
Garden City Golf Club, Garden City
Jackets still required in the clubhouse; from holes five to 16, a golf shirt is not.
The Creek, Locust Valley
First nine holes in the trees before heading out
toward Long Island Sound for the finale.
Atlantic Golf Club, Bridgehampton
Understated clubhouse featuring haute cuisine
and a fashion-conscious golf shop.
Piping Rock Club, Locust Valley
C.B. Macdonald course, enormous practice range, memorable halfway house.
Friar’s Head, Baiting Hollow
Coore/Crenshaw design has no yardages on scorecard (wind is too much of a factor).
Deepdale Golf Club, Manhasset
No lunch or dinner menus; members order as they please.
New Jersey
Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus
Three distinct Tillinghast nines and the Met Area’s best beer mugs.
Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield
Clubhouse’s outdoor terrace overlooks two of the best finishing holes in golf.
Somerset Hills Country Club, Bernardsville
Great par 3s; no air conditioning in clubhouse is part of its charm.
Essex County Country Club, West Orange
Tillinghast, Raynor and Banks all contributed to a course featuring superb inward nine.
Plainfield Country Club, Edison
Donald Ross design with perched, contoured greens and formidable opening holes.
Hollywood Golf Club, Deal
One of the Met Area’s best secrets, with a Walter Travis design in a relaxed Jersey Shore atmosphere.
Canoe Brook Country Club, Summit
Family-oriented club with two contrasting designs; women enjoy South, men prefer North.
Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell
Ross design features some of the finest—and quickest—greens in the state.
Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Gladstone
Sprawling property houses dramatically bunkered Highlands Course and par-3 Hickory Course.
Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster
Club’s immaculate grounds hope to attract a major with the addition of a second course.
Best Public Courses
Bethpage State Park (Black)
Farmingdale, N.Y.
Hominy Hill Golf Course
Colts Neck, N.J.
Richter Park Golf Course
Danbury, Conn.
Montauk Downs State Park
Montauk, N.Y.
Ballyowen Golf Club
Hamburg, N.J.
Pine Barrens Golf Club
Jackson, N.J.
Bethpage State Park (Red)
Farmingdale, N.Y.
Charleston Springs (North)
Millstone, N.J.
Long island National Golf Club
Riverhead, N.Y.
Spook Rock Golf Course
Suffern, N.Y.
Best Courses Built in the Last 10 Years
Friar’s Head, Baiting Hollow, N.Y.
The Bridge, Bridgehampton, N.Y.
Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Gladstone, N.J.
Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, N.J.
The Ridge at Back Brook, Ringoes, N.J.
Manhattan Woods Golf Club, West Nyack, N.Y.
Ballyowen Golf Club, Hamburg, N.J.
Pine Barrens Golf Club, Jackson, N.J.
Laurel Links Country Club, Laurel, N.Y.
Charleston Springs (North), Millstone, N.J.
Most Difficult Courses
Bethpage State Park (Black)
Farmingdale, N.Y.
Winged Foot Golf Club (West)
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Southampton, N.Y.
The Stanwich Club
Greenwich, Conn.
Trump National Golf Club
Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.
Atlantic Golf Club
Bridgehampton, N.Y.
The Bridge
Bridgehampton, N.Y.
Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower)
Springfield, N.J.
Quaker Ridge Golf Club
Scarsdale, N.Y.
Trump National Golf Club
Bedminster, N.J.
SIX-FIGURE SIGNATURES
Long Island
East Hampton G.C., East Hampton
($260,000 initiation fee)
Sebonack G.C., Southampton ($550,000)
Friar’s Head, Baiting Hollow ($250,000)
The Bridge, Bridgehampton ($550,000)
New Jersey
Trump National G.C., Bedminster ($200,000)
Hamilton Farm G.C., Gladstone ($300,000)
Liberty National G.C., Jersey City ($500,000)
Bayonne G.C., Bayonne ($150,000)
Westchester County
Hudson National G.C., Croton-on-Hudson
($210,000)
Trump National G.C., Briarcliff Manor ($200,000)