Photo Tour of 2015 NYC Golf Trip

Wow, it’s been a few months since I’ve done a proper course review.

Unfortunately with summer obligations, a conference for 3,000 people, a wedding to plan, and a business to run – my time has been (and will continue to be) relatively limited to put together the full course reviews.

That said June has probably been the best month of golf I’ve ever had.

I realized I hadn’t made much progress in my Top 100 goals over the past 6 months – so I went all out and planned two trips nearly back to back.

I was going to write about both of them here, but in order to get this post out the door, I’m just going to focus on the first trip. Then soon I’ll do a post on my second trip, and the more in depth reviews.

The First Trip: New York City

I go to New York a couple times a year, and as I’ve been getting more and more connections in the golf industry – there’s even more reason to go back, since there are so many great courses in the area.

Round 1: The Course at Yale

How this isn’t on Golf Digest’s Top 100 list is beyond me. Quite simply, it’s one of the best courses I’ve played. Period.

It’s 9th hole, biarittz, is one of the best par 3’s in the world:

The famed Biarritz hole at Yale

But the rest of the course is no slouch. Tons of elevation changes, interesting holes, completely wild greens, and a unique redan:

The Redan at Yale

Round 2: Mountain Ridge Country Club

This is the very definition of a hidden gem. An old Ross design that had the best rolling greens of my entire Northeast trip.

The 18th is a monster par 4 finishing hole. Here is the approach:

Round 3: Somerset Hills Country Club

Wow, what a course. This is probably my favorite of all the NYC courses I’ve played. Designed by Tillinghast, it features a wide open front 9 and a back 9 that is a little more secluded through the trees.

What ensues is an adventure of a golf course, with fun holes, excellent design, and a phenomenal golfing experience.

The approach on 3 at Somerset

One of my favorite photos from the trip. Looking back at 12 at Somerset Hills.

Round 4: Maidstone

I finally got an in at one of the fortress clubs of the Hamptons – and it didn’t disappoint. This was one of the most fun days I had, and I found the course to be vastly underrated on Golf Digest’s list.

Golf Magazine has it as #68 in the world – and for me, I think that’s closer to where it should lie, despite being shorter than many of the courses on the list.

It was also a fun course, and if you know me, you know that I place fun paramount to anything else on a golf course.

The 14th in particular was an absolutely world class golf hole:

The 9th was no slouch either:

The phenomenal 9th at Maidstone. Not pictured: the ocean directly to the right.

Round 5: Atlantic Country Club

We finished our round around 1 at Maidstone, and here I was hanging out in the Hamptons with numerous world class golf courses just minutes away.

There had to be a way to get another round in.

Luckily, I’ve recently had the good fortune to become a rater for Golfweek Magazine. I’d heard good things about Atlantic for years, and it was the first modern course to lead to a resurgence in building in this part of New York (paving the way for clubs like Friars Head and Sebonack.)

My buddy Cam and I headed over to the club after getting the ok, and were treated to a spectacular sunset round, with the entire course to ourselves. Neither of us played all that well, but hey, there were absolutely zero complains on this day.

The approach on 2 at Atlantic

The 5th at Atlantic

Round 6: Plainfield Country Club

My final round of the NYC trip was one I was really excited about – and let me tell you, I had to have been, because getting there was a bit of a process:

• 2.5 hour bus ride from East Hampton
• 45 minute taxi back to my place in Chelsea (traffic was horrendous)
• After a 30 minute break to shower and change, I had an hour long train ride to Jersey
• A 20 minute city bus ride
• And then a 3/4 mile walk with my clubs up to the course in 90+ degree weather

And you know what? None of it mattered, as I was treated to an unbelievable round with my host John and his son Johnny.

The course had recovered well from the rough winter, and I’m really excited to see what the pros do at this year’s Barclays.

This is heading into the 9th hole:

The approach on 2 at Plainfield

10 days later I took off for my next trip to San Francisco, where I got 6 more rounds in, including what might be the most famous course I’ve played to date: Pebble Beach.

I was going to write about those here, but I think I might save that for another day.

I’m looking forward to getting back to more regular posts and reviews on the site – so I appreciate you’re patience while I’ve been focusing on other business stuff!