Top 10 Golf Cities per Links Golf Magazine

[Mark Saltzman]

I played a small sampling in Chicago this summer and am heading to Philly this October.  I'll make the call when I'm done.  Either one will likely be #1 as NYC does not include LI.

But, JC, I think a pretty strong argument could be made for Southampton as the no. 1 golf city in America!

[Rick Shefchik]

Its a bit of a stretch calling NGLA part of NYC.  I mean, don't folks with second homes on LI have them to get away from the city?  It must be a 2 hour drive in good traffic from NGLA to Central Park.  Thats just about the same thing as saying Sandwich is part of London.  I don't know of any person who would consider this to be true.

Ciao

Exactly, counting Shinny and National as NYC is like making CPC as SF. 

These are fair quibbles, but quibbles nonetheless. As someone living 1500 miles from either NYC or SF, if I were planning a trip to either city I'd consider Long Island and Monterey within the respective radii.

[Tim Martin]

Even if you strip NYC of the Long Island courses and take strictly Westchester County NY and Bergen and Essex Counties in New Jersey which are certainly considered suburbs it probably still wins. The amount of good/really good/great courses is startling.

[Dan Herrmann]

Philly has a really nice cathedral too.  I don't know why that's a factor.

[Kevin_D]

Southampton is an hour and a half from NYC, less without traffic.  (I am writing this from Southampton and live in NYC)

NGLA, Sebonack and Shinnecock and are just as valid for NYC as Galloway for Philly.  (Also - many members get out here by helicopter, which takes a half hour)

But, even if you did remove them, you would still have to keep/add the Long Island courses that are truly suburban NYC:
Garden City
Bethpage Black
Piping Rock
The Creek
Deepdale
Bethpage Red

and not on the list you also have, off the top of my head:
Sleepy Hollow
Bayonne
Plainfield
Somerset Hills
Winged Foot East
Westchester CC West
Fenway
Siwanoy

You also have some nice courses in CT in areas that are still suburbs of NYC (and yes, people live as far as Fairfield and commute to NYC):
Country Club of Fairfield
Wee Burn
Stanwich
Round Hill Club

New York wins hands down.  It's not even close.

And "Long Island" taken alone would probably take the #1 spot too.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Monterey is not a city of comparable size to the others on the list and should not be included. Columbus is borderline but in its defense it's the state capital and can claim one franchise among the four major pro sports leagues.

[Brian_Ewen]

Philly has a really nice cathedral too.  I don't know why that's a factor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_status_in_the_United_Kingdom

[Sean_A]

Its a bit of a stretch calling NGLA part of NYC.  I mean, don't folks with second homes on LI have them to get away from the city?  It must be a 2 hour drive in good traffic from NGLA to Central Park.  Thats just about the same thing as saying Sandwich is part of London.  I don't know of any person who would consider this to be true.

Ciao

Exactly, counting Shinny and National as NYC is like making CPC as SF.  

These are fair quibbles, but quibbles nonetheless. As someone living 1500 miles from either NYC or SF, if I were planning a trip to either city I'd consider Long Island and Monterey within the respective radii.

Its more than a quibble.  Do folks stay in Manhattan and commute out to LI each day for their golf trip?  Jeez, I bet there are very few people that do that even in London and that is a far more managable to hit the heathland greats from the swank Savoy on The Strand.  

Ciao

[Jud_T]

If Chicago is number 2, I'll eat JC's hat.  Exactly 1 Doak 8, which is impossible to access for the unwashed, in a city of 10mm.  Bandon has more to offer with a population of 3,055...

[David Harshbarger]

You don't have to drive to the Hamptons to find great golf in the metro area:

Winged Foot & Quaker Ridge, for instance, are just a short distance from the city.
Garden City, Engineers, Piping Rock and many others are in the near Eastern suburbs.
Baltusrol is nearby in NJ.

Thats pretty strong on the merits w/o the Hamptons.

[Ian Andrew]

For anyone disputing New York over scope, be careful what you wish for. If you begin to break it down into smaller regions, the scope and quality will still have Southhampton on top and Westchester in the top three or four. The elite courses are great, but it's the quality after that that is surprising the more you explore.

New York is miles ahead of anywhere else. For that matter, so is the New Jersey region looking into New York City. I would put that up against half the cities on the list and choose Jersey.

The quality of golf around New York, beyond what you here about, is outstanding.

[JC Jones]

If Chicago is number 2, I'll eat JC's hat.  Exactly 1 Doak 8, which is impossible to access for the unwashed, in a city of 10mm.  Bandon has more to offer with a population of 3,055...

1.  Bandon doesn't have a cathedral and none of those courses at Bandon are as good as CGC.
2.  The Doak scale is meaningless and regardless, he is off on that ranking.
3.  Did you just call me washed?
4.  I think you can make a strong case that 1-10 of Chicago competes against Philly's 1-10 and NYC's 1-10.

Like I said, I've played 3 of Chicago's top 10 and have played 2 of Philly's top 10.  I'll be adding a couple more from Philly this October and will be able to make a better comparison.  You have to think of depth, not just the top 2 or 3.

[Tim_Weiman]

I don't understand why Monterey is on the list. Some nice golf courses, but certainty not a city.

[Sam Morrow]

I don't understand why Monterey is on the list. Some nice golf courses, but certainty not a city.

Maybe they should consider Mullen and Bandon cities too.

[Jim Nugent]

4.  I think you can make a strong case that 1-10 of Chicago competes against Philly's 1-10 and NYC's 1-10.

I'd love to see you make that case, because as Ian's post right above yours suggests, New York is loaded.  

none of those courses at Bandon are as good as CGC.

 

While rankings are entirely opinion, I'd still like to hear your reasoning on this as well.  

[Tim Rooney]

Mark,how large is Columbus-----1.7M.
Winding Hollow is the best Cols public not Cooks Creek.

[Carl Nichols]

4.  I think you can make a strong case that 1-10 of Chicago competes against Philly's 1-10 and NYC's 1-10.

I'd love to see you make that case, because as Ian's post right above yours suggests, New York is loaded.  

none of those courses at Bandon are as good as CGC.

 

While rankings are entirely opinion, I'd still like to hear your reasoning on this as well.  

I agree. I have an anti-NY bias, but I'd love to hear how the top ten in Chicago or Philly could compete with the top ten in NY.  Please suggest lists.