Hey everyone,
It sounds like I wasn’t the only member of the treehouse taking a trip to Long Island this August for some spectacular golf. In a span of four days we played Friar’s Head, Creek, Sands Point, and St Georges for a well rounded tour of Long Island golf. Friar’s Head should have all of the superlatives imaginable, but The Creek really touched all the right spots for me. I wanted to open up a discussion on a seemingly lesser talked about course.
// Out of respect to our host, who asked for no photos shared on socials, I won’t be sharing any //
Architects: Macdonald, Raynor (? The card doesn’t list him, maybe someone can chime in)
Restoration: Gil Hanse 2017
“The Creek doesn’t start until 6”
The first 5 holes play on the south side of the clubhouse on the more benign piece of land and while I understand the above quote from our host, I thought it had some lovely holes including the par 4 Redan green 1st, the Eden 4th, and the skyline 5th.
“You’re taking pictures of the boring holes”
Our caddie said when we took photos of the Eden, little did we know the reveal we would get on the 6th tee.
“Punchbowl Pack”
I contend the Punchbowl 6th to be the best hole on the course and the best Punchbowl template I’ve played. The scale of the property, the views of the Long Island Sound, the dramatic descent of the 6th fairway are hard to portray in any photos I’ve seen online. The double punchbowl green has this great saddle/false front that you have to carry in order to gain entry. Someone in our group remarked that might be the best hole in the Met area – I’d be hard pressed to think of a better one!
“Beach Club”
More on holes 6-8 later, but shuffling up ahead to the par 4 10th and the holes near the beach club. The short par 4 10th has a great Cape style tee shot with the wetland/creek to carry on the right and some light dunes/LI Sound on the left. The closer you hug the wetlands the better view you get of this fun green. I ended up on the far left of the fairway and hitting a semi blind wedge over a dune. Hidden directly behind that dune and eating into the front left of the green is a cavernous bunker. The island Biarritz 11th is an unforgettable hole and I quite enjoyed the short par 4 12th and dogleg right par 4 13th. The long par 4 14th “Water Gate” tees off on the water gate and leaves the beach club area. The trek back up towards the clubhouse begins now.
“The Soul of The Creek”
One day I’ll write a thread about the CBM/Raynor style false fronts, but today’s not that day! Indeed 5 of the last 7 holes have dramatic false fronts.
Holes 6-8 and 15-18 occupy the toughest part of the land and I am floored at how well routed they are. The property is dramatic, steeply canted, uphill/downhill/sidehill, and I can imagine really difficult to find great holes. They are challenging, leaving 40y pitches to tabletops if you misjudge an approach, but are also equally thrilling. These holes are ELECTRIC and where I found the Soul of the golf course. They are what I remember most about the course.
The mid length par 4 15th plays uphill to a heavily canted fairway, before dipping down and then back up to a double plateau green. A great drive can leave a short wedge off a hanging lie and don’t come up short!
The long par 4 16th plays into a valley and then back up to a green with, you guessed it, another dramatic false front.
“The Short / You Killed That Drive!"
A cemetery from the 1700s sits behind the thumbprint Short 17th and right beside the 18th tee. It’s quirky and memorable and just not something you’d see on a modern course. Back to the golf, I’m a sucker for a Short where just hitting the green doesn’t grant you an easy 3. The thumbprint dissects this green into 3 or 4 sections, possibly more. A member of our group ended up on the back left of the thumbprint to a pin middle right and his putt was exacting. Ride the crest at the perfect pace for it to die right and release towards the hole, anything less than perfect would ride the crest too long (…and off the green we found out) or too short and stay in the thumbprint! Simply perfect for my taste.
The Home hole plays up the same hill you played down for the Punchbowl. It’s a short 443y par 5 from the Member’s tees, but can be a monster up that hill. From the tips you actually tee off over the cemetery! Once again a big false front and the green itself has an upper tier 2/3rds of the way up. I felt for the caddies double bagging their way up that hill for sure.
“Conclusion/ Odds and Ends”
The Creek may be short on the card, but it is long on memorability (I may have lifted that from the Confidential Guide.) The property has 3 distinct sections and is routed beautifully through them. CBM/Raynor greens are so much fun to play and I’m sure repeat loops will highlight some incredible pin positions. I love the false fronts, the interior knobs and spines, and the highly engineered look.
Best Hole: Punchbowl 6th
One Hole To Play Again: I’d love another crack at the par 4 9th. We played it off the card on some ~500y tee and my short and crooked hitting didn’t get to fully appreciate the hole
Weakest hole: par 4 3rd. It’s not a bad hole per se, but I found it to be the weakest of the set. The Principal’s nose is too close to the tee to be a real threat and flanking bunkers off the tee, 50y short of the green, and green side are a little uninspired. Perhaps a Road hole green would spark more interest?
The new driving range was just rebuilt with a handful of template greens (Thumbprint, Biarritz, Redan, a few more) and they will open it up in the afternoons as a short course. Can’t wait to see that!
Overall I have The Creek in the same tier as nearby Sleepy Hollow. Similar courses over some dramatic terrain with wonderful CBM/Raynor templates. Sleepy gets enough social media love for the two combined and the membership’s may want it that way! Our group had a wonderful time at The Creek and I can’t wait to tee it up there again.