10 must-play courses within 50 miles of NYC

New York City has some great golf courses you can book and play within easy reach of Manhattan. Here’s our guide. In terms of private clubs where members and their guests can play, the city is close to some legendary venues such as Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links of America, Winged Foot and Oak Hill Country Club. For those visiting the city, you can also get to some world-class public-access courses easily within a couple of hours. Here’s what we think are the best.

Bethpage State Park: Black & Red

Located in Long Island close to New York City, Bethpage is home to five of the best public golf courses in the United States including the world famous Bethpage Black, one of the most notoriously difficult courses in the country. Black has hosted the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship and will host the 2025 Ryder Cup.

The best of the other courses, Yellow, Green, Blue and Red, is probably the Red course. More suited to a higher handicap than Black, this course deserves to step out of the shadow of its illustrious neighbour with many believing it to be just as good.

Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point

Jack Nicklaus Signature Design links course in the Bronx which was built on top of an old garbage dump. Formerly known as Trump Golf Links and opened in 2014, this is anything but trash. There’s stunning views of the famous New York skyline and it’s just minutes from Manhattan. At the foot of the Whitestone Bridge, where New York’s East River meets the Long Island Sound, this is a tournament worthy links with rolling mounds of fescue alongside pristine fairways and greens with a state-of-the-art 20,000 square foot clubhouse.

Pound Ridge Golf Club

A Pete Dye design 40 miles northeast of Manhattan with perfectly manicured undulating fairways and greens. One of the most beautiful courses in the state, there’s woods, wetlands, water hazards, rocks and boulders with expansive views of the surrounding countryside from the highest points. Though it’s public-access, it feels and plays like a high-end private club and it’s a tranquil escape from the big city.

Neshanic Valley Golf Course

Just within the 50 miles from New York City radius, this championship course was designed by Hurdzan & Fry Golf Course Design, the duo behind 2017 U.S. Open site Erin Hills Golf Course in Wisconsin. Made up of two nines, Ridge & Lake, it runs over 350 acres of rolling New Jersey countryside with undulating fairways, plenty of tees and bentgrass greens guarded by large bunkers. Fescue adorns the course and the local wetlands come into play throughout. The conditioning here is more like a private club and there’s five sets of tees with the 18-hole combinations ranging from 5,050 to 7,108 yards.

Rock Spring Golf Club

Less than an hour from the city in New Jersey, this Seth Raynor-designed 6,600-yard par-71 parkland course sits on a rolling, tree-lined track and boasts highly creative green complexes. An historic course founded in 1925, it has hosted several state PGA and USGA qualifying events. Located just 15 miles west of Manhattan, this highly playable and manicured course also features a clubhouse with incredible sweeping views of New York’s skyline, Cable Lake and Second Mountain which are worth the visit alone. It’s a hidden gem with a growing reputation as one of the best public courses in the state.

Harbor Links

This fine links-style course was laid out on a former sand mine and stands out due to several unique features including split fairways and a huge rocky bluff, while holes 12 and 13 look similar to a western style desert course. Perfect for golfers visiting the city, it’s conveniently located just west of New York City in Port Washington. There’s wetlands, tall fescue and beautiful panoramic vistas. There’s also five sets of tees so it’s enjoyable for players of all abilities and there’s a fun nine-hole course for beginners.

The Golf Club At Mansion Ridge

This one might be a mile or so outside the 50-mile radius from the city, but it’s worth a mention as it’s a Jack Nicklaus Signature design built on a 220-acre estate about an hour outside New York. It’s semi-private and managed by Troon Golf which in recent years reinvigorated the course and restored the 18th Century clubhouse. Set at the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in the highlands of the Hudson Valley, it has huge rocky outcroppings lining a few holes, excellent conditioning, wetlands and a varied layout with some nice undulations.

Patriot Hills Golf Club

A gorgeous and secluded upscale parkland course in Stony Point with elevated tee boxes and huge elevation changes that winds through hilly terrain. It’s a semi-private course with a highly picturesque backdrop filled with tree-lined fairways, water hazards and white bunkers. Located just an hour or so from New York City, this is an outstanding golf facility open to the public, tucked away in the Ramapo Mountains on higher ground overlooking the Hudson River.

Dyker Beach Golf Course

Located in southwest Brooklyn by the Verrazano Bridge, this is a highly affordable parkland track that offers weekday rates of under $40 for adults with juniors rates under $10. A great option as it’s so close to Manhattan and it’s even closer to Brooklyn’s trendiest neighbourhood Williamsburg. This is a good quality public parkland course with a great variety of holes.