There are many quality Long Island golf courses and picking the right one can come down to an assortment of variables based on your location and preferences. One might be in the mood to tee off on a course that’s previously been graced with the presence of golfing’s biggest names.
If that’s what you’re looking for, then you’re in luck because there’s no shortage of courses that have hosted PGA Tournaments and events. Even with such a niche parameter, there are still so many options to choose from, so here’s a list of the eight best courses.
The Bethpage Black course located at Bethpage State Park is one of three Long Island courses to host a major PGA event in the last decade. Bethpage Black hosted the 2019 PGA Championship and its $11 million purse which was won by Brooks Koepka, who owns the course record. Bethpage Black has also hosted the U.S. Open and The Barclays (now called The Northern Trust) and will host the Ryder Cup in 2025. The course, which was designed by Joseph H. Burbeck & A.W. Tillinghast before opening in 1936, is open to the public. Usage of the course costs $65 during the week and $85 on the weekends for all 18 holes. The course rating is 77.5 with 7,468 total yards.
One year before the PGA Championships were held at Bethpage Black, Shinnecock Hills hosted the U.S. Open in June 2018. Its $12 million purse is the largest in Long Island History and was also won by Koepka. 2018 was the fifth time that Shinnecock hosted the U.S. Open in its 131-year history. Only five course have hosted the open more and Shinnecock will host its sixth in 2026. The private club is consistently viewed as the best course on Long Island and one of the best in the world as well as one of the oldest and toughest courses in America. The course rating is 74.4 with 6,940 total yards.
The Glen Oaks Club, which was designed by Joe Finger, opened its current Old Westbury course in 1971 and features three 9-hole courses. In 2017, the private club hosted the 51st Northern Trust, which was won by Dustin Johnson. Since its original opening, the club has received multiple overhauls and changes to make the courses what they are today.
Like Shinnecock Hills, the Garden City Golf Club is viewed as one of the best and oldest courses in both Long Island and the country. The club hosted the U.S. Open in 1902, which was one by Laurie Auchterlonie. This was one of the earliest U.S. Open events and just the second to be held on Long Island. The private club, which was designed by Walter Travis and Devereux Emmet, is a men’s-only club located just northeast of Adelphi University. The course rating is 74 with 6,926 total yards.
The Inwood Country Club is much more than just a golf club. The private club, which was designed by Dr. William Exton and Arthur Thatcher, was originally established as a 9-hole golf course before expanding to 18 holes and adding tennis and a beach club. In the early parts of the 1920s, the club hosted two major PGA events, the PGA Championship in 1921 and the U.S. Open in 1923. These events were won by Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones respectively. The club hosts multiple golfing events each month while its course rating stands at 72.8 with 6,647 total yards.
The Eisenhower Red golf course is one of three 18-hole golf courses in East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park. The Red Course, which was designed by Devereux Emmet in 1914, hosted the 1926 PGA Championship, which was also won by Hagen. The Red Course, and the other two located at Eisenhower Park are closed on Mondays and during the winter. In total, the Red Course boasts up to 7,107 total yards.
The Engineers Country Club is a private club located along 140 acres in Roslyn Harbor which opened in 1917 and was designed by Herbert Strong and Devereux Emmet. Just two years after opening, the course hosted the 1919 PGA Championship, which was won by Jim Barnes. The Club has also hosted the Long Island PGA Championship in 2016, which is a tournament specifically for PGA members from the Long Island district. The club has undergone several renovations over the last 25 years in order to upgrade their facilities. The course rating is 72.7 with 6,767 total yards.
8: Seawane Club
The Seawane Club is a private club located in Hewlett Harbor that was designed by Devereux Emmet in 1927. The Seawane Club last hosted the Long Island PGA Championship in 2017, which was won by Anthony Aruta. The course has 6,802 total yards.
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