National Golf Links of America (NGLA) - A Photo Tour

[Jon Cavalier]

National Golf Links of America
Southampton, NY

"There are no more beautiful golfing vistas in all the world than those from the National Golf Club . . ."
- C.B. Macdonald


For me, this is sacred ground.

As a devout member of the church of MacRaynor, and indeed, as one who owes his very interest golf course architecture and history to the golf courses these men left behind, playing a round of golf at the National was my pilgrimage, my Mecca.  Charles Blair Macdonald's masterpiece did not disappoint.

Windmill at Dawn


I will not belabor the history of this place, as most of you are surely and intimately familiar with it, and far better writers than me have chronicled it (See Scotland's Gift, by C.B. Macdonald and The Evangelist of Golf, by George Bahto for examples).  Suffice it to say, for these purposes, that National Golf Links was the brainchild and baby of Charles Blair MacDonald, who endeavored to built the premier American golf course by utilizing architectural templates adopted from the great golf holes of the British Isles.  Having found a suitable location on Long Island, Macdonald set about implementing and integrating these templates into the natural features of the property.  What remains today is the result of his lifelong association with the Club and the Course.

Valley Green


My day at National came early in the season, and with the long grasses not yet in bloom, the architectural features of the golf course were on full display.  Otherwise, with a temperature in the low 70s and a stiff breeze blowing, it was a picture perfect day.

Peconic


Despite being over 100 years old, the National is still intensely studied and of great architectural interest today.  For confirmation, one need only look at this discussion board, where at the time of this tour, no fewer than three of the topics directly involve the National.  With this in mind, it is my hope that these photos will provide a reference to those who have not seen the golf course, a refresher (or simply pleasant memories) to those who have, and an enjoyable way to pass the time for all.

Sunrise over the Home Green


I hope you enjoy the tour.


National Golf Links of America
"This property was little known and had never been surveyed.  Every one thought it more or less worthless.  It abounded in bogs and swamps and was covered with an entanglement of bayberry, huckleberry, blackberry, and other bushes and was infested by insects."
- C.B. Macdonald


Few would quarrel with the statement that C.B. Macdonald, and his faithful engineering sidekick, Seth Raynor, turned an unpassable wasteland into the greatest golf course yet built in America.  Playing today to a very reasonable Championship yardage of 6,935 and a Regular yardage of 6,505, the course stands as an enduring testament to Macdonald's belief that "as bad as too short a course may be, too long a course is infinitely worse."  Macdonald would be pleased that the club has resisted adding length for length's sake and has instead focused on keeping the course playing the way Macdonald intended -- firm, fast and fun.



The golf course is a strategic masterpiece that provides players of all levels with an enjoyable and exciting experience.  More's the pity that this seemingly obvious concept has become novel over the past 100 years.  Every hole on the golf course provides options for the skilled player and the hack, and every hole provides challenges that expertly balance risk and reward.




Getting There
National Golf Links sits on rolling land northwest of the town of Southhampton, bordered in part to the north and east by Peconic Bay and Bullhead Bay, respectively.  It's a heady neighborhood for a golfer, as the course is bordered to the South by Shinnecock Hills and, more recently, to the west by Sebonack Golf Club.


As with several other great classic golf courses, getting to National is an experience in itself.  The long drive eastward on Long Island highways ends abruptly, and once the left onto Shrubland Road is made, the rest of the world just sort of fades to background noise.  After passing Cold Spring Pond and the ornate gates to Sebonack Golf Club, the player gets his first glimpse of the National as the road bisects the course at the eighth and eleventh holes.  The Road hole green is visible to the left . . .


...and Bottle to the right:


A bit farther up the road, Shinnecock Hills and its famous clubhouse come into view . . .


Past Shinnecock, after a left is made onto Sebonac Inlet Road, the National reemerges, with the Eden hole visible to the left. . .


. . . if if lucky, a beautful sunrise over Bullhead Bay to the right.


And ahead, the famous windmill first comes into view.


At last, the player reaches the famous gates, and is already filled with anticipation resulting from the early glimpses of the course.


And once through the gates, with the gorgeous Peconic hole immediately to the left, the player knows beyond doubt that this day will be a special one.



The Clubhouse
When the Shinnecock Inn, which served as the National's original clubhouse, burned to the ground in 1909, C.B. Macdonald called it "most fortunate, for to-day we have an unexcelled site."  And he was right.  


I talk a lot about clubhouses in my tours, largely because I believe that the clubhouse is an extension of the golfing experience.  When done right, the clubhouse amplifies the ambiance and the setting of the golf course.



Some of the best golf courses in this country are identifiable by their clubhouses alone, and often these clubhouses become iconic in their own right.  No two are the same -- the imposing fortress of Sleepy Hollow is as different from the yellow-sided farmhouse of Myopia as the stone mansion at Winged Foot is from the manorhome at Merion.  But all share one key trait -- they suit their environs perfectly.  The National is no exception.

The North Face of the Clubhouse, as seen from the eighteenth fairway


The East Face


National's Fountain


Impeccable Detail


Inside, the clubhouse features a large statute and portrait of C.B. Macdonald.





The Windmill
No tour of National Golf Links would be complete without at least a brief mention of its famous windmill.  


As chronicled in George Bahto's excellent book, the Evangelist of Golf, the story goes that a member, Dan Pomeroy, suggested to C.B. Macdonald that the club's water tower was unsightly, and suggested that a windmill be built around it.  Macdonald obliged, and then stuck the member with the bill.  At least he got his name on the plaque.


The National's windmill is a central feature of the golf course visible from more than half the holes, and provides a unique an memorable emblem for the club.



Practice Areas
The range at the National is one of the more picturesque in existence, as it sits between the Home hole and Peconic Bay.  The range is on the former site of the three hole "practice course" that Macdonald built and which contained replicas of the three par-3 greens present at the National - Redan, Short and Eden.  The practice course is visible on the course map below.


The National also provides a practice green, which sits between the clubhouse and the first tee, and a beautiful short-game area tucked into the far northwestern corner of the property, which affords gorgeous views of the Bay.


Nature
"When playing golf you want to be alone with nature."
- C.B. Macdonald


It bears mentioning here that during my visit, I was quite pleased to find the National teeming with wildlife.  As a city boy, I wholeheartedly agree with Macdonald's sentiment. In addition to the ospreys inhabiting the nest near the beach (kindly provided by the Club), National is home to deer and many other species of birds (including Turkeys, but alas, our scorned national bird refused to be photographed).



The Golf Course
As mentioned above, National Golf Links plays to a "Championship" yardage of 6,935 and a "Regular" yardage of 6,505 and a modern-day par 72.  


As was Macdonald's practice, each of the holes at National is named (a practice I very much endorse) and those names are listed on the exceptionally simple scorecard the club provides.


The course is laid out in a true links style out-and-back routing running generally from north to south on the front and south to north on the back.  As a result, the player confronts opposing winds on each nine.  Green-to-tee walks are pleasantly short (strikingly so by modern standards) and there is little on the course to distract or detract from the golf experience.

[Jon Cavalier]

Hole 1 - 330/315yds - Par 4 - "Valley"
This beautiful little opener gives the player an idea of what he will confront constantly during his round -- choices.  Playing left to right, the choice of tee shot could be anything from a mid-iron to driver.


Overly timid or indifferent tee shots will catch this string of bunkers laid out short of the fairway.  Note that the carry to the left is significantly farther than it appears from the tee.


While the aggressive line over these bunkers makes the green reachable for longer players, these bunkers will extract a severe price from an overly ambitious tee-shot hit by an overly confident player.


The green is elevated, obscuring parts of the putting surface and surrounding area from view on the approach.  A severe false front will repel shots that come up short.


Balls missed left will find the bunkers in the foreground, while those right will encounter the series of random humps and mounds visible in the background.


The first green is rife with undulations and ridges, placing added importance on an accurate approach.


Missing left is no picnic . . .


. . . nor is missing right.  This view from right-rear shows the large ridge bisecting the green.  Being on the wrong side of this ridge is a recipe for a three-putt.


As seen from above: the bold internal contours of the first green at National.


Simply put, this is one of the best openers in golf.



Hole 2 - 330/290yds - Par 4 - "Sahara"
Another gem of a short two-shot hole, the second again confronts the golfer with a decision from the tee -- be aggressive, hug the left side, carry the Sahara bunker and try to drive the green, or be safe, play out right and attempt what should be an easy par.


Though most of it is hidden from view from the tee, the Sahara bunker presents a formidable hazard.


An aggressive ball that carries the Sahara bunker is rewarded with a fairway that slopes directly into the putting surface.


While bailing out to the right to shorten the carry over the Sahara bunker might be considered the safe play, it is not entirely free of danger, as a ball too firmly struck on this line will carry down into a deep hollow, resulting in a difficult and blind approach.


The green is open across its full length, permitting balls to be run on to the surface, whether struck from the tee or the fairway.  The Narrows, Redan and Alps are visible behind.


As this view back up the fairway shows, Macdonald provided an ample reward for players that successfully negotiated the risk of an ambitious line.  Note that long is perhaps the worst miss of all, as the green drops immediately straight down some dozen feet, and can shed balls for some distance.


Sahara as seen from Alps -- note the fall off from the rear of the green and the deep hollow to the left of the frame.  Along with the Alps, one of my favorite holes on the course, and as can also be said for the Alps, it will forever remain a mystery as to why such holes are no longer made.



Hole 3 - 426/407yds - Par 4 - "Alps"
One of my favorite holes in all of golf, Macdonald's rendition of the Alps is a magnificent and challenging two-shot hole.  In opposition to the first two holes, which are shorter with fairways tending right to left, the Alps is a long, uphill hole with a fairway moving from left to right.


The first choice the player must make is to pick an appropriate line off the tee.  The farther right the line, the longer the carry over the bunker, but the shorter and better the angle for the approach.


Once safely in the fairway, the player confronts another choice -- challenge the Alps hill and aim for the green (marked by a bell tower), or bail out up the right side and play for the green in three.  Each route to the hole presents its own set of challenges.  For what its worth, I agree with Ran Morrisett's assessment of the second shot as the finest blind shot in golf.


One of the primary difficulties of the second shot here is that, although Macdonald built the second green very large, he also ringed it with trouble, including the crossbunker fronting the green.  A player can't "get away with one" on this hole -- it is a true test that must be met with a true golf shot.


Few thrills in golf can match hitting the third green at the National in two well-struck shots, and walking away with par or better here reminds the player of why he took up golf in the first place.  Certainly, Alps is one of the finest par-4s in the world.



Hole 4 - 195/181yds - Par 3 - "Redan"
If the third hole at National is to be counted among the best two-shot holes in the game, certainly the fourth is among the best of the one-shot holes.  The iconic American Redan, this hole is as beautiful as Redan's get, and plays as all Redan's should, which is to say, difficult.


The front right framing bunker is out of play for all but the most indifferent of shots, but the lefthand bunker presents a true hazard and makes direct approach to this green foolhardy.


The severity of the slopes built into this Redan are unique among Macdonald's versions of this hole.  Piping Rock's third, with its elevated green and deep front bunker, is likely the closest comparison.


The kickslope here is substantial enough to propel the ball to all potential hole locations on this large green, which, along with its right to left / front to back slope, contains its own set of undulations.


Shots missing long will find the back bunker, which is an extremely difficult recovery (as your author learned from experience).


Putting from above the hole is a supreme challenge.


The finest Redan in American golf, and one of the best par-3 holes in the world.



Hole 5 - 478/451yds - Par 4 - "Hog's Back"
The third of three difficult holes, the fifth at National asks for a tee shot over a formidable cross bunker cut into the hill to a fairway humped down its spine so as to shed balls to either side.


The fairway's natural ripples provide added visual and playing interest.


Longer drives will contend with this unique trench bunker that bisects the fairway.  The green sits in the middle of this frame.


The wide, downsloping fairway leads straight into the green and will carry running approach shots a long way, allowing even shorter hitters to reach this long par-4 in two shots.


The approach at the fifth practically begs for a running shot.


These two bunkers left of the green strongly suggest that the player use the sloping right-to-left fairway to access the green.



Hole 6 - 141/123yds - Par 3 - "Short"
A Macdonald original as fun as it is maddening, the sixth is the shortest hole at National and has one of the largest and wildest greens on the property.  From the tee, the greens for Sebonack and Eden are visible to the right.


To say this green is heavily contoured is to understate the matter substantially.  The large mound in the center of the green (on which today's pin sits) sheds balls in all directions, as does the larger green itself.


Any ball that fails to find (or hold) the putting surface is likely to end up in a bunker -- some more penal than others, like this little beauty here.


The degree of elevation change in this green, as seen from the right side, is quite striking and adds a wonderful element of challenge to an otherwise short hole.



Hole 7 - 478/467yds - Par 5 - "St. Andrews"
The first three shot hole at National is Macdonald's tribute to the Road Hole at St. Andrews.  A blind tee shot over a waste area is the first order of business.


The bunkering down the right must will catch any tee shots that stray that way.  These bunkers are largely invisible from the tee.


The National is replete with interesting and unique terrain features, like this slash of a bunker and fronting mound.


These two small bunkers in the area short of the green are so flat that they are invisible from a distance, adding to the uncertainty and challenge of the approach.  The road bunker looms to the left of the elevated green.


The large green is elevated by a mere two feet or so, but this small feature adds exponentially to the difficulty of judging and hitting an approach shot.  A brilliant feature.


The most formidable Road Hole bunker that Macdonald ever created, this monster has allegedly been softened over time.


Quite simply . . .


. . . avoid at all costs.


The green, while largely flat, slopes away on all sides and is harder to hold than it appears.


A large, deep bunker runs down the entire right side of the green, ready to catch those who decline to challenge the Road bunker.


An exceptional three-shot hole in every respect.



Hole 8 - 400/385yds - Par 4 - "Bottle"
Another template that has been largely lost with time, Macdonald's "Bottle" hole presents the option to take the straightforward tee shot down the right side, or attack the left side of the fairway and challenge the bunkers in return for a better view and angle into the green.


The tee shot on the eighth crosses Shrubland Road for the first time.


The Bottle bunkers that bisect the eighth hole are unique in design and formidable in their defense of the hole . . .  


. . . and they play bigger than they look.


Between the Bottle bunkers and the green, Macdonald installed a Principal's Nose bunker complex.


The green is substantially elevated with steep drops on three sides.  Missing right is particularly penal.


The view from behind the classic Bottle hole.

[Jon Cavalier]

Hole 9 - 540/534yds - Par 5 - "Long"
The aptly named ninth is the longest hole at the National, which is perhaps surprising to some, since it measures only 540 yards.  But what this hole lacks in length, it more than makes up for in other ways.


The ideal line off the tee is to remain as far right as possible while still carrying the short set of bunkers.  Shots hit down the left will run through the fairway and feed into the "Hell's Half Acre" complex.


Once past Hell's Half Acre, a large green defended by steep bunkers short left and long right awaits.


Today's pin forces the player to challenge these right bunkers and the side slope of the green, which will shed balls up to 25 yards away.


The view back toward the ninth tee.


Hole 10 - 450/420yds - Par 4 - "Shinnecock"
Aptly named, the tenth at National borders Shinnecock Hills and turns the player back northward toward the clubhouse.  It is a hole that ranks as a favorite among many.


Two low profile cross bunkers encroaching into the fairway from either side add challenge to the tee shot.


What looks like a rather straightforward approach shot from the safer, right side of the fairway is soon revealed to be . . .


. . . more challenging than it first appears.


Again, Macdonald maps the terrain to allow approaches to the green along safer, if at times less rewarding routes.  Here, if the proper angles are played, no hazards need be crossed.  A wonderful green complex, to be sure.


The magnificently routed tenth at National.



Hole 11 - 432/418yds - Par 4 - "Plateau"
A blind tee shot awaits the golfer at the eleventh hole, and care should be taken to avoid the left side . . .


. . . as gathering bunkers collect shots hit in this area.


The approach on eleven crosses back over the road, obscured here by a berm.


A second Principal's Nose bunker complex sits short of the green.


Macdonald's exceptional Double Plateau green speaks for itself.


As seen here from the right side of the green, the small bunkers arrayed around this green have a much larger footprint than their actual size.  It's very possible to putt into some of these bunkers.


This large bunker behind guards the lower portion of the green and will catch balls that skirt through the middle of the plateaus.



Hole 12 - 459/427yds - Par 4 - "Sebonac"
This two-shotter calls for a tee shot to an ample but angled fairway. . .


. . . guarded by deep bunkers down the lefthand side.


Approach shots confront a small, slightly elevated green fraught with hazards on all sides.


The lack of any background makes gauging distance difficult.


The green runs hard away to the right and rear.


The twelfth as seen from behind.  A truly original and enjoyable hole.



Hole 13 - 174/159yds - Par 3 - "Eden"
The second of the National's three one-shot holes, Macdonald's tribute to Eden is fronted by the famous pond, which prevents players from having a go at the green with a putter.  The result is a gorgeous hole.


The Hill, Strath and Shelley bunkers are all present and accounted for, as is the Eden bunker wrapping behind the green . . .


. . . though the Strath bunker is particularly menacing.


Tucked into a corner of the property, the Eden green is one of the most peaceful, and beautiful, spots in golf.



Hole 14 - 393/341yds - Par 4 - "Cape"
Perhaps Macdonald's most famous original design, the fourteenth plays out over a pond to a fairway running right to left along its far banks.


The undulating fairway is guarded by a deep pot bunker left and the pond along its right flank.


This green offers no easy access from any angle.  Players attacking the left side must contend with a series of small bunkers short left and deeper bunkers left and rear of the green . . .




. . . while those approaching from the right must tackle the hazard.


The gorgeous Cape . . .


. . .  a hole as challenging as it is scenic.



Hole 15 - 417/368yds - Par 4 - "Narrows"
Perhaps the most beautiful hole at National, the fifteenth plays out to a fairway flanked with bunkers on all sides.  


Missing the fairway into the left bunkers cut into the hillside all but guarantees a missed green.


The fifteenth fairway winds its way between Macdonald's strategic bunkering, including this bunker in the middle of the fairway some 60 yards short of the green.


The green is offset slightly to the left and is surrounded by bunkering.  This is the most heavily bunkered hole at National.


The green slopes substantially from back to front, aiding with approaches but making putting difficult.


This view from the right greenside bunker reveals the steepness of the slope in this challenging green.


Long is a brutal miss here, as the player must not only confront the deep bunker, but the slope of the green running away.


Once again, Macdonald gave the player no close background for reference, and the horizon green only adds to the challenge.


Exceptional.  Note the Redan in the right of frame.



Hole 16 - 415/394yds - Par 4 - "Punchbowl"
An Alps and an Alps/Punchbowl -- this surely must be heaven.  The sixteenth hole begins with a tee shot up a rising fairway, ideally reaching the level portion of the ground beyond the first crest.


Straying too far to the right, however, will lead a ball to this deep hollow, similar to the feature on the second hole.  While all shots to the sixteenth green are blind and uphill, an approach from the bottom of the hollow is doubly so.


The sixteenth also shares a Sahara-like bunker feature with the second hole, as seen here short of the green.


The green itself is a tiny, although the surrounding punchbowl features contain shots that miss.


Having cleared the fronting bunkers, the player must still contend with the ridge running from the back of the hazard to the front of the green, which will deflect balls on to, or away from, the putting surface.


These two bunkers set high into the face of the left hill provide a formidable hazard for shots that are far enough offline to deserve such a fate.


An incomparable hole.



Hole 17 - 375/342yds - Par 4 - "Peconic"
"The view over Peconic Bay is one of the loveliest in the world."
- Bernard Darwin


Indeed.  The penultimate hole at the National is gorgeous in every respect, but it is also a world class short par-4 hole.  From the tee, the player is forced to lay up short of the two fairway bunkers or drive over them to the left.  This hole is reachable for longer hitters.


On approach from the right, the player confronts this odd sandy berm that runs the length of the green and hides parts of the putting surface.


The berm also hides the small pot bunkers, which stand ready to catch any shot left short.


This defense is a unique feature, and one that I do not recall seeing elsewhere.


One of the many standout holes at the National.



Hole 18 - 502/483yds - Par 5 - "Home"
"Finally there is, I think, the finest eighteenth hole in all the world."
- Bernard Darwin


Playing far longer than its listed yardage, the three shot eighteenth hole plays back up to the clubhouse with full views of Peconic Bay.  


From the shadow of the clubhouse, one appreciates what Bernard Darwin meant when he wrote of the beauty of golf along Peconic Bay.


In approaching the green, the left side affords the better view, the right the better angle of play.


The green provides ample room for a ground approach but falls away rather steeply on all sides.


Long does not work well here.


The view of the Home green, with Peconic Bay behind.


The view looking back down the 18th hole.



Conclusion
As you can no doubt tell, I adored this golf course.  It is no less than the finest golf course that I have ever played, as well as one of the most enjoyable.  For a MacRaynor fan, a round at National Golf Links is like a tour through a living museum, and my round there will surely remain a highlight of my golfing life.



I must mention here that I owe a debt of gratitude to GCA'er Chuck Glowacki, who caddied for us on our trip around these legendary links.  Chuck is a wonderful looper, extraordinarily knowledgeable about the National, and outstanding company to boot.  His presence added immeasurably to my enjoyment of the round.  And I likewise owe thanks to GCAer Nigel Islam, who was with me at National during this round and whose fine play and enjoyable camaraderie made the round that much more special.



National Golf Links is a truly special place, and a golf course that should be treasured and preserved for all time.  A day at National is a throwback in time that will refresh your spirits, restore your hopes, and remind us all why we took up this game in the first place.




Past Tours:
Fishers Island Club
Sleepy Hollow CC
Somerset Hills CC
Eastward Ho
Myopia Hunt Club
Old Town Club
Whippoorwill Club
Ballyhack
Bandon Dunes Resort
Garden City Golf Club

[Frank Sekulic]

WOW!!

[Tom_Doak]

Jon:

Of all your pictures, the best is the view up toward the windmill from #17 green.

However, the photo that resonated with me this time was the aerial.  It was the first time it had registered that CBM didn't just look for a ridge setting for his Redan green ... he also looked for one that would play downwind, like the original hole at North Berwick.

[Keith OHalloran]

Great photos as usual. One question, did you get a sense of the date that CBM dropped the real estate component of his plans?  

[Daniel Jones]

A round a National Golf Links is like a tour through a living museum, and my round there will surely remain a highlight of my golfing life.

Magnificent... Well done, Jon!

[Jeff Fortson]

Thank you Jon.  This brings back some of my fondest memories playing golf.  For those that haven't had the good fortune to have played NGLA this photo tour is about as close as you can get to the experience of playing there.

[Peter Pallotta]

1. Absolutely top flight work, Jon. Thank you.
2. Only so that this wonderful document is not marred with a typo, note that you list the championship yardage incorrectly as 6300 and not 6900.
3. I've marvelled at and praised and fallen for about a dozen course I've seen on here, classic and modern. But only TOC and NGLA strike me as being alive, and alive as if eternally and perenially in some now-moment  of spiritual reality.
4. I'm very glad you were able to make the pilgrimage to such a centre/loci, and grateful that you recorded it with such care and devotion.
Peter

[Eric Smith]

And just like that I do not care that I won't be playing golf for another month.

Wonderful tour, Jon. Thank you for your post.

[Ronald Montesano]

I'll disagree with Mr. Doak and cite Dorothy in Jerry Maguire: You had me at hello.

That first photo, the one from beyond the practice area, or whatever that is to the right of the entrance road, is epic. It was a vista we did not have at the Walker Cup, since there were USGA tents in that region. To me, it defines the property as well as any shot might.

At the Walker Cup, I remember that a delivery truck drove into the gates and obliterated a good part of the stone. It is nice to know that the masons have returned the entrance to its former stature.

I am so glad that Chuck was your looper. I have been very fortunate to interact with him via GCA on so many occasions and hope to get to meet him one day.

The greatest golfing stretch in the world: Sebonack to National to Shinnecock to Southampton. Unbroken. Unequalled.

[JESII]

Jon - that is a Tour de Force...

[Peter Pallotta]

Jim, Jeff, others - this seems like just about the best thread ever to share your NGLA memories, so please do so if you get a chance.

Thanks
Peter

[JESII]

Driven through a couple times but never set foot. It's on the top of my list for sure, along with St Andrews.

[Peter Pallotta]

Driven through a couple times but never set foot. It's on the top of my list for sure, along with St Andrews.

Take me with? I promise, I won't talk or beard pull.

Peter

[Sean Leary]

This is the first photo tour of yours that I have seen clouds. Sorry you didn't get your typical weather for your round.

[JESII]

Driven through a couple times but never set foot. It's on the top of my list for sure, along with St Andrews.

Take me with? I promise, I won't talk or beard pull.

Peter

You're in...but your talking and beard pulling is what I want to travel with. Along with a very few others, it's why I tune in most days.

[Jason Way]

Thank you for another great tour Jon.  It's tough to capture the magic of NGLA, as it is that great, but you have come as close as possible here.

Brings back fond memories of watching my friend Peter hit 3 of the best bunker shots of his life, from 3 different bunkers on #7, with only the final one holding the green.  He then holed a 20 footer for one of the better bogeys I have ever seen. 

Cannot wait to go back...

[Nigel Islam]

Thanks Jon for letting me re-live a very special day, and thanks again to Chuck for looping for us. I'll gladly claim credit for the tee ball on the Strath photo

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jon,

Quite simply, there's no place like National.

It's magnificent.

Great photo essay.

[Steve Lang]

However, the photo that resonated with me this time was the aerial.  It was the first time it had registered that CBM didn't just look for a ridge setting for his Redan green ... he also looked for one that would play downwind, like the original hole at North Berwick.

and for those interested in which way the wind really blows, a wind rose (9 years of data, ISLIP)


Jon, loved the pics!

[Richard Choi]

Jon,

Truly an outstanding photo tour. It is an absolute dream to study this course as an architecture junkie. This is probably as close as I am going to get to studying it and you do it justice. Thanks.

[Jeff Fortson]

Jim, Jeff, others - this seems like just about the best thread ever to share your NGLA memories, so please do so if you get a chance.

Thanks
Peter

Jim, Jeff, others - this seems like just about the best thread ever to share your NGLA memories, so please do so if you get a chance.

Thanks
Peter

I was fortunate enough to play NGLA multiple times from 2001-2004 when I lived in NY working as a golf pro on Long Island.  Most of the opportunities I had to play NGLA were in the afternoon after a morning round at Shinnecock.  I know it's rather belt notching of me to mention that but NGLA always provided a welcome reprieve after the championship-level challenge Shinnecock provides.  Not to say that NGLA is less difficult or easy, it's just different. And I say that without meaning to downplay or disrespect shinnecock. In fact, Shinnecock is in my personal top 5.

NGLA is a very special place that drives you inward and asks you all sorts of questions internally that nearly no other courses do. That inward look at oneself as it relates to what drives you to play golf is unanimously expressed in the most outward of ways, as seen many times on this website from those that have played it.  It is the only course that I have seen drive people to take pen and pencil to tablecloths to discuss the inherent strategies and ideals encompassed on each hole. Gib Papazian and I most definitely tagged a tablecloth at Pasatiempo at the 2nd Kings Putter discussing the course with a few that hadn't been there.  No other course has driven me to share my experience of a golf course that desperately.  Only TOC could compare in that way for me.

I could recount all the nuances and experiences NGLA provides but much have them have been covered repeatedly on this website so I'll spare those that read this from redundancy.  I'll share three specific moments playing NGLA that stick out from my rounds that I directly experienced. Keep in mind there was very little in the way of these types of photo tours of courses over ten years ago so I didn't really know what I was in for at first.

1.  When I summited the hill on Sahara (#2 basically right near the windmill) on my first round at NGLA and saw the Alps splayed out in the distance before me, I had as close to a spiritual moment as one can have in golf.  It was on par with walking onto the 1st tee at TOC for the first time.  When I got to the tee on #3, I took a conservative play and drove it up the left portion of the fairway. I cannot adequately describe how ominous the hill you have to play your 2nd shot over is.  It gives you a sense of feeling small and inconsequential compared to its larger than life appearance. You're the gnat, it's the thoroughbred.  I proceed to play a shot I thought might actually be good only to find myself in the upper cross bunker short of the green on the backside of the hill.  It terrifies me to this day, that hill on Alps.  So much so, that I feel more comfortable challenging the "caped" style angled bunker down the right to get a look at the green.  If I hit it in the right fairway bunker than I'm forced to lay up down the right anyway.  Either way, the hill plays a smaller role and eases my anxiety of havin to deal with it.

2. Playing #8 for the first time was such an eye opener of what great strategy looks like.  After hitting my approach from the virtually blind angle of the right fork of the fairway, I walked over and saw the payoff of an expertly driven tee shot down the left fork.  The complete opposite feeling exists up there as to the right side.  Up on the left I feel confident with club selection and virtually none of the anxiety the right side provides.  I still think it is one of the most unheralded holes on the planet.  I know it gets some love on here but it has none of the name recognition that the Redans, Biarritzs, Edens, Alps, etc. of the world receive.  That's a disservice to golf IMO.

3.  Making birdie on 3 & 4 back to back and also on 18 to shoot 69 in 20mph winds has to be one of my top 5 experiences in golf as it relates to my golfing skill.  It made me realize how far I'd come as a complete golfer from childhood.



I could go on, but then I'd sound way more blowhardy than I've already done in this post.  NGLA is very special.  If you ever lucky enough to have the chance to play there, do not hesitate. Go and find out for yourself.  I have yet to hear of someone underwhelmed. 

[Jim Nugent]

At the Walker Cup a few years ago, the top amateurs did not take apart NGLA.  I'm wondering how the pro's would do -- in a fantasy U.S. Open, say -- keeping the rough and fairway lines as normal, but making the course play very F&F, with diabolical pins each day.  Maybe they add several back tees, to stretch the course out a bit. 

Jon -- another grand slam home run photo tour. 

[Benjamin Litman]

Before viewing this tour, I had never seen NGLA in the morning light. When I walked the course during the 2013 Walker Cup, I did so in the afternoon. And when I walk my dogs on the public beach below the cliff on which NGLA and Sebonack sit, I always do so in the early evening. Jon's stunning tour, replete with the perfect amount of poignant prose and expertly achieving comprehensiveness without in any way sacrificing quality of the highest order, proves once and for all--to me at least--that no course in the world better absorbs and reflects natural light in all its wondrous intensities. Thank you, Jon.