If you are looking for a great place to play golf in Long Island, you might be overwhelmed by the many options available. There are over 100 public golf courses in the area, ranging from beginner-friendly to championship-level.
How do you choose the best one for your skill level, budget and preferences? To help you out, we have compiled a list of the top 10 public golf courses in Long Island based on ratings, reviews and personal experience. These courses offer the best value, quality and challenge for golfers of all levels.
Bethpage State Park Golf Course
Bethpage State Park Golf Course is one of the most famous and prestigious public golf courses in the country. It has five 18-hole courses, including the Black Course, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009.
The Black Course is notoriously difficult, with narrow fairways and thick rough and deep bunkers. It is not for the faint of heart but for those who want to test their skills against a world-class course.
The other four courses are more accessible but offer plenty of challenge and variety. The Green Course is the easiest and shortest, while the Red Course is the second hardest after the Black. The Blue Course and the Yellow Course are both intermediate-level courses with scenic views and rolling terrain.
Montauk Downs State Park Golf Course
Montauk Downs State Park Golf Course is located at the eastern tip of Long Island, surrounded by stunning natural beauty. The course was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1968 and later renovated by his son Rees Jones in 2008. The result is a challenging and scenic course that takes advantage of the elevation changes, ocean breezes and water hazards.
The course has four sets of tees, ranging from 5,346 yards to 6,762 yards, making it suitable for players of different skill levels. It’s open year-round, weather permitting, and offers a driving range, putting green and pro shop.
Harbor Links Golf Course
Harbor Links Golf Course is a public golf course located in Port Washington, on the north shore of Long Island. It is part of a 177-acre complex with a nine-hole executive course, a miniature golf course, a driving range and a learning center. The 18-hole championship course was designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan in 1998 and features a links-style layout with rolling fairways, fescue grasses and water hazards. The course measures 6,927 yards from the back tees and has a slope rating of 133. It is a challenging but fair course that rewards accuracy and strategy.
Timber Point Golf Course
Timber Point Golf Course is a public golf course located in Great River on the south shore of Long Island. It is part of the Suffolk County Park System and offers 27 holes of golf divided into three nine-hole courses: the Red Course, the Blue Course and the White Course.
Each course has its own character and difficulty level, but they all share the common feature of spectacular views of the Great South Bay and Fire Island.
The Red Course is the longest and hardest of the three, measuring 3,329 yards from the back tees. The Blue Course is the shortest and easiest, measuring 3,049 yards from the back tees. The White Course is somewhere in between, measuring 3,216 yards from the back tees.
Cherry Creek Golf Links
Cherry Creek Golf Links is a public golf course located in Riverhead, on the east end of Long Island. It has two 18-hole courses: the Links Course and the Woods Course.
The Links Course is a traditional links-style course that runs along an old airstrip. It has wide fairways, undulating greens and plenty of wind.
The Woods Course is a more modern design that winds through wooded terrain. It has tighter fairways, elevation changes and water hazards. Both courses are well-maintained and enjoyable to play.
Rock Hill Golf & Country Club
Rock Hill Golf & Country Club is a public golf course located in Manorville, on the north fork of Long Island. It was designed by Frank Duane in 1965, and features an 18-hole par-72 course that stretches over 7,050 yards from the back tees.
The course has a classic parkland-style layout with tree-lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers and water hazards on nine holes. It’s known for its fast and smooth greens that require careful putting.
Lido Golf Club
Lido Golf Club is a public golf course located in Lido Beach, on the south shore of Long Island. It was originally designed by A.W.
Tillinghast in 1914 as a private club for wealthy New Yorkers, but was later redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1948 as a public course.
The course is a links-style course that runs along the Atlantic Ocean and Reynolds Channel. It has stunning views of the water and the Manhattan skyline, as well as challenging holes that test the golfer’s skill and nerve. It measures 6,896 yards from the back tees and has a slope rating of 131.
Eisenhower Park Golf Course
Eisenhower Park Golf Course is a public golf course located in East Meadow, on the central part of Long Island. It is part of a 930-acre park with a driving range, a miniature golf course, a swimming pool, an ice rink and a theater.
The place has three 18-hole courses: the Red Course, the White Course and the Blue Course. The Red Course is the most famous and popular of the three, as it hosted the PGA Championship in 1926 and 1959.
The Red Course is a par-71 course that measures 7,107 yards from the back tees. The White Course is a par-72 course that measures 6,258 yards from the back tees. The Blue Course is a par-72 course that measures 6,032 yards from the back tees.
Tallgrass Golf Course
Tallgrass Golf Course is a public golf course located in Shoreham, on the north shore of Long Island. It was designed by Gil Hanse in 2000 and features an 18-hole par-71 course that measures 6,587 yards from the back tees.
Inspired by the links courses of Scotland and Ireland and has rolling fairways, tall fescue grasses, pot bunkers and wind-swept greens, the course is challenging but fun to play and offers stunning views of the Long Island Sound.
Pine Hills Country Club
Pine Hills Country Club is a public golf course located in Manorville, on the east end of Long Island. It was designed by Roger Rulewich in 1999, and features an 18-hole par-73 course that measures 7,041 yards from the back tees.
The course is set on a former sand mine and has a unique layout with elevation changes, waste areas, water hazards and island greens. The course is one of the longest and most challenging public courses in Long Island, but also one of the most beautiful and rewarding.
These are our picks for the top 10 public golf courses in Long Island. We hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know in the comment section below.