Our series on America’s best golf courses continues with a look at the three best modern courses in the Northeast U.S., as determined by Golfweek magazine’s handpicked panel of 385 course raters. The raters, who are students of architecture, attend national workshops and each evaluate 15 to 20 courses per year.
Here’s what distinguishes the Northeast’s top modern courses, according to Golfweek architecture editor Bradley S. Klein. We’ve also included information on the most convenient places to land your business jet near each course.
Look for a report on the best modern courses in the north central U.S. in our next issue.
Old Sandwich Golf Club, Plymouth, Mass.
What’s with these guys, Coore and Crenshaw? Now they’ve got their links-style golf going on a rolling piece of inland (actually heathland style) between Boston and Cape Cod. The wind howls here, and you will, too, if you get too aggressive for your own good. Old Sandwich ranks 31st on Golfweek’s modern-course list.
Airport
Plymouth Municipal (PYM),
4,349-ft runway, 14-mile drive.
FBO: Plymouth Airport,
(508)746-2020.
Friar’s Head, Baiting Hollow, N.Y.
Most of the great links-inspired Long Island courses are on the South Shore, but this Bill Coore- and Ben Crenshaw-designed gem sits on the North Shore and overlooks Long Island Sound. Friar’s Head–which debuted in 2003 and now ranks third on Golfweek’s list of America’s best modern courses–boasts lots of elevation and some wild and woolly green contours. It also features an amazing 210-yard par-3 hole No. 10 with its huge natural sand dune up front that makes for a partially blind tee shot.
Airport
Francis S. Gabreski (FOK),
9,000-ft runway,
11-mile drive. FBOs:
Long Island Jet Center,
(631) 288-9866;
Malloy Air East,
(631) 288-5410.
Galloway National Golf Club, Galloway National Township, N.J.
There’s no real estate, just golf, on this flawlessly manicured, Tom Fazio-designed set of holes just up the coast from Atlantic City. You start and end along the marsh, then turn inland, with the par-3 17th hole offering an inspired view of the downtown casinos. Galloway ranks 36th on Golfweek’s modern-course list.
Airport
Atlantic City International (ACY),
10,000-ft runway,
nine-mile drive.
FBO: Midlantic Jet Aviation, Inc.,
(609) 383-3993; (800) 633-4211.
'The Best Modern Golf Courses in the Northeast U.S.' PDF
