Better golf: Hamptons or Monterey Peninsula?

[Bill_McBride]

This is a truly funny thread.  Why do we have to do all this ranking of region vs region, particularly these two.  Anyone on this board would kill to play either line up.

Bill,
I've got you on NGLA and Shinny tomorrow at 9 am-enjoy
I'll take the peninsula for the next 3-4 months

Well yes, the weather can be a factor!   .  I'll be playing out in Santa Barbara next week, eat your heart out!   

[jeffwarne]

This is a truly funny thread.  Why do we have to do all this ranking of region vs region, particularly these two.  Anyone on this board would kill to play either line up.

Bill,
I've got you on NGLA and Shinny tomorrow at 9 am-enjoy
I'll take the peninsula for the next 3-4 months

Well yes, the weather can be a factor!   .  I'll be playing out in Santa Barbara next week, eat your heart out!   

The weather is unseasonably warm where I'm headed Tuesday, leaving behind record snowfall here in the northeast.
The problem is I'm headed to Vail!

[Bill_McBride]

This is a truly funny thread.  Why do we have to do all this ranking of region vs region, particularly these two.  Anyone on this board would kill to play either line up.

Bill,
I've got you on NGLA and Shinny tomorrow at 9 am-enjoy
I'll take the peninsula for the next 3-4 months

Well yes, the weather can be a factor!   .  I'll be playing out in Santa Barbara next week, eat your heart out!   

The weather is unseasonably warm where I'm headed Tuesday, leaving behind record snowfall here in the northeast.
The problem is I'm headed to Vail!

Whatever you do, don't play Eagle Vail!   

[abmack]

I didn't think there would be much debate here but I guess we're not all of like mind on this debate.

Having played all of the main attractions and most of the secondary attractions in both places, I don't think it even comes close. Golf on eastern Long Island is untouchable in the U.S. I'll take SHGC and NGLA any day over CPC and Pebble, though I like Cypress most of the lot, Pebble has a lot more hat than it has cattle in the golf course department.

Pasatiempo can hardly be considered Monterrey, but since my two trips there originated in Pebble Beach, I am willing to include it. As much as I love Pasatiempo (it's in my all time top 20), Maidstone is just as special after even adjusting for the surroundings.

Okay, at this point, you could make a good argument that it's a toss up. Now consider:

Hamptons                                                              Monterrey
Friars Head                                                            Spyglass Hill
Sebonack                                                            Monterrey Peninsula CC
Southampton GC                                                  Poppy Hills (I haven't seen the renovation)
Atlantic (if you like this type of course)                       Links at Spanish Bay
Gardiner's Bay (gem)                                              Pacific Grove
Westhampton                                                       Tehama?
Montauk Downs
Addition: East Hampton GC
and since we included Pasatiempo
St. George's G&CC (45mins from Southampton)

In my mind, it's not a fair competition. At the top, it's somewhat close, but the depth of the offerings around the Hamptons does not merit comparison. I have eastern L.I. winning in both categories.

Disclaimer: Apart from the golf, I don't much care for the Hamptons.

[Chuck Glowacki]

Andrew, you forgot the Goat

[BCowan]

Andrew,

   Is your LI list in order?  I heard great things about Montauk Downs from a Michigander.  How would you say it stacks up with Atlantic? 

[DFarron]

Sorry it is Monterrey 6 and 5 over Hamptons.... Cypress over Shinnecock, Pebble over National, Spyglass over Maidstone. MPCC Shore equal to or better than both Sebonac or Friar's Head and we haven't even factored in the weather.

And I love Shinnecock and the National!

DF,

Monterrey is in Mexico.



Bob

Thanks for the correction, that's what happens when you don't proof read!

[Tim Martin]

I didn't think there would be much debate here but I guess we're not all of like mind on this debate.

Having played all of the main attractions and most of the secondary attractions in both places, I don't think it even comes close. Golf on eastern Long Island is untouchable in the U.S. I'll take SHGC and NGLA any day over CPC and Pebble, though I like Cypress most of the lot, Pebble has a lot more hat than it has cattle in the golf course department.

Pasatiempo can hardly be considered Monterey, but since my two trips there originated in Pebble Beach, I am willing to include it. As much as I love Pasatiempo (it's in my all time top 20), Maidstone is just as special after even adjusting for the surroundings.

Okay, at this point, you could make a good argument that it's a toss up. Now consider:

Hamptons                                                 Monterey
Friars Head                                                          Spyglass Hill
Sebonack                                                            Monterey Peninsula CC
Southampton GC                                                  Poppy Hills (I haven't seen the renovation)
Atlantic (if you like this type of course)                      Links at Spanish Bay
Gardiner's Bay (gem)                                              Pacific Grove
Westhampton                                                       Tehama?
Montauk Downs
and since we included Pasatiempo
St. George's G&CC (45mins from Southampton)

In my mind, it's not a fair competition. At the top, it's somewhat close, but the depth of the offerings around the Hamptons does not merit comparison. I have eastern L.I. winning in both categories.

Andrew- I think you are getting outside the geographical scope of the comparison. Friars Head, Gardiner's Bay and Montauk Downs are not in the Hampton's. If you want to extend the area to even Suffolk County then I agree that LI wins in a landslide although I think LI wins just with Hampton's courses alone.

[V. Kmetz]

Hello,

Even given the silly fiction of "ranking regions"...the pitting of:

NGLA & Shinnecock

vs

Pebble and CPC

has got to me the most difficult comparison of two great true, "neighbor" courses that can be made. there will never be an answer to that one, and a  diligent judge of this question may tilt this way and that over a lifetime.

cheers

vk

[abmack]

Andrew,

   Is your LI list in order?  I heard great things about Montauk Downs from a Michigander.  How would you say it stacks up with Atlantic?  

No, both lists are in the order in which I thought of them. I've not played Montauk Downs but have also heard great things.

I've played Atlantic several times and it doesn't do much for me. I can't think of many strategic quandaries that the golfer faces on that course. It encourages only one strategy, "rip it" and it has about as much subtlety as an anvil. Additionally, Atlantic has no secrets. It's spread out right in front of you so that one or two times playing it is all you need to know the course well.

[abmack]

I didn't think there would be much debate here but I guess we're not all of like mind on this debate.

Having played all of the main attractions and most of the secondary attractions in both places, I don't think it even comes close. Golf on eastern Long Island is untouchable in the U.S. I'll take SHGC and NGLA any day over CPC and Pebble, though I like Cypress most of the lot, Pebble has a lot more hat than it has cattle in the golf course department.

Pasatiempo can hardly be considered Monterrey, but since my two trips there originated in Pebble Beach, I am willing to include it. As much as I love Pasatiempo (it's in my all time top 20), Maidstone is just as special after even adjusting for the surroundings.

Okay, at this point, you could make a good argument that it's a toss up. Now consider:

Hamptons                                                 Monterrey
Friars Head                                                          Spyglass Hill
Sebonack                                                            Monterrey Peninsula CC
Southampton GC                                                  Poppy Hills (I haven't seen the renovation)
Atlantic (if you like this type of course)                      Links at Spanish Bay
Gardiner's Bay (gem)                                              Pacific Grove
Westhampton                                                       Tehama?
Montauk Downs
and since we included Pasatiempo
St. George's G&CC (45mins from Southampton)

In my mind, it's not a fair competition. At the top, it's somewhat close, but the depth of the offerings around the Hamptons does not merit comparison. I have eastern L.I. winning in both categories.

Andrew- I think you are getting outside the geographical scope of the comparison. Friars Head, Gardiner's Bay and Montauk Downs are not in the Hampton's. If you want to extend the area to even Suffolk County then I agree that LI wins in a landslide although I think LI wins just with Hampton's courses alone.

Tim,

"The Hamptons" is a very vague term. In the very strictest/outdated sense, "The Hamptons", refers to the area between Southampton and East Hampton (and probably does not include Westhampton/Hampton Bays). The South Fork saw a period of tremendous growth between 1996-2008 and an equivalent influx of golfers. Because the old-line clubs could not handle the steeply increased demand for additional rounds, new courses were built. Atlantic (Bridgehampton), Sebonack (Southampton), The Bridge (Sag Harbor), Friars Head (North Fork) and East Hampton GC (Amagansett) were built, specifically intended as Hamptons clubs. Noyac GC has also absorbed some of this excess demand.

I would say that now the term encompasses everything from Westhampton and Quogue to Amagansett (or even Montauk depending on whom you ask). Friars Head is definitely part of the Hamptons because the majority of its play starts and finishes on the South Fork and the volume of play is at its highest during the peak of Hamptons-season.

I included Pasatiempo because others in this post seem to think that it's part of the Monterrey golf collection, which I think is reasonable. Two courses which are within similar range of the Hamptons are St. George's and Gardiner's Bay.

Andrew

[BHoover]

Not sure about the golf because I haven't played in either place, but my wife said yesterday that if we could live anyplace in the world, we'd be hard pressed to find a better spot than Monterrey.

[jeffwarne]

Andrew,
Westhampton is in the Hamptons-hence the name.
Have no idea what you mean when you state that "the majority of Friars Head's play starts and ends on the south fork"
given that its on the NORTH SHORE and isn't even east enough to be on the north FORK I'll assume you mean the players begin their schlep from the Hamptons.
Have you played Atlantic lately?

[Chuck Glowacki]

I am sure the fine folks of Montauk would not consider it the Hamptons, surely it is the un-Hampton.

[David_Tepper]

The weather was ridiculous here today in San Francisco, with blue skies and temps at or above 75F. We would be lucky to have a day this nice here in July.

[abmack]

Jeff,
Sorry. I see I wasn't very clear. I think the point I am trying to make is that the perception of what the term 'The Hamptons' means has changed considerably overtime. A few decades ago, it referred only to area between South and East Hampton now the term encompasses much of the surrounding area. Westhampton and Quogue have changed a lot, becoming much more like South and East Hamptonthan they used to be. The same seems to be happening to Montauk.

I played Atlantic either two or three years go. I can't recall. How did you like it? It's not a bad course, by any means... I just do not have an affinity for it.

[Tim Martin]

Andrew-I see the point you are trying to make which is fine. That said I can't imagine you will get many Suffolk County residents to buy into the notion that East Setauket/St. Georges is part of the Hampton's.

[abmack]

Andrew-I see the point you are trying to make which is fine. That said I can't imagine you will get many Suffolk County residents to buy into the notion that East Setauket/St. Georges is part of the Hampton's.

No, definitely not. I just threw it in because its proximity to SHGC and NGLA is similar to Pasatiempo's proximity to CPC and Pebble.

[David Davis]

I absolutely love Shinny and NGLA, Maidstone next and the others to a lesser extent I suppose. However, there is absolutely no golf going on in Long Island for the coming months and this is a yearly thing.

Give me Cypress (my personal favorite and world #1 and Pebble which is good enough for an off day as long as your first out) and 12 months of daily golf and being on the West Coast a heart beat away from 5-10 weekends in Bandon and there is no contest here at all.

In fact I might even relocate back from Europe to the US just for that.

[Chuck Glowacki]

Is the question better weather or better golf courses?

[Bill_McBride]

The weather was ridiculous here today in San Francisco, with blue skies and temps at or above 75F. We would be lucky to have a day this nice here in July.

My last week in SF in August 2013 we nearly froze from the fog and wind.  Luckily as former residents we were prepared!

[SteveOgulukian]

Is the question better weather or better golf courses?

Thank you, Chuck.  This was never supposed to be about weather.  If it were, then we would be comparing any muni in the San Diego area to NGLA and the muni would win.